"Kerry Wood's spring debut in his second go-around with the Cubs didn't go unnoticed by even the relatively sparse crowd at HoHoKam Park when he jogged in from the bullpen Monday to start the sixth inning against a Milwaukee Brewers split squad.

A few cheers turned into a head-turning roar by the time he reached the mound, and it rose again when he was announced, with a smattering of fans offering a standing ovation.

''The response was great,'' said Wood, who had two called strikeouts on nasty breaking balls but had a couple of fastballs driven for extra-base hits in his two-run inning. ''It was good to get out there and get the first one out of the way.''"