PRIOR COULD BE OUT FOR THE SEASON
Despite throwing off the mound for the second time in three days, the Cubs have began to brace for the possibility that they will be without Mark Prior for all of 2004.

Prior has tenderness in his elbow and his achilles. The Cubs have made it clear that they will not rush Prior back. This could be another example of a young pitcher logging lots of innings early in his career and then breaking down. The same thing happened to Kerry Wood after the 1998 season. Wood threw 166 innings in 1998 and then missed all of 1999. Brewers fans might remember the same situation with Cal Eldred. It seems like time and again pitchers under 22 or so that throw more than 150 innings or so end up having some major arm problems down the road.