Austin Daily Herald

After a brief stint in the bullpen, Austin native Mike Wuertz returned to the starting rotation only to have his probable first win of the season turned into a loss by a major leaguer on rehab assignment.

Wuertz went 5 2/3 innings for the Chicago Cubs Class AAA affiliate Iowa Tuesday night in Albuquerque, leaving with a 4-3 lead. Teammate Phil Norton got the Cubs out of a jam with a strikeout, sending the game into the seventh inning.

Reliever Antonio Alfonseca, on a rehabilitation assignment from Chicago, gave up the lead by surrendering two runs to the host Isotopes in the bottom of the seventh. Both teams went the rest of the way scoreless, leaving Alfonseca with the loss and Wuertz without a decision.

Wuertz was scheduled to start Sunday against the Tacoma Rainers, but that game was rained out and postponed to today.