"Playing .500 baseball might seem like an unproductive course, but not to Kerry Wood, especially not in Chicago in the first month of the season.

''I say it every year, and not just with this team, but you get through April and the first week of May in Chicago at .500 and you're fine,'' he said. ''The guys here have done a good job, and we've been in all but one or two games.''

Wood hadn't been in a game since April 16 and had done nothing but throw on the side before entering in the eighth inning Sunday.

''You have to do something [during a layoff],'' Wood said. ''You don't want to go more than three days without doing something.''

Wood walked one in a scoreless inning.

OK, no K

The focus of Starlin Castro's hot start has been on his hitting. He has the third-highest major-league average since the last All-Star break at .340 and second-most hits at 121. But equally as impressive is how rarely he has struck out.

Castro is the second-toughest batter to strike out in the National League, fanning once every 18.6 plate appearances."