Meet Travis Wood, the winner of four consecutive starts for the Chicago Cubs. The 25-year-old lefty joined the Cubs when traded from the Cincinnati Reds for 29-year-old lefty reliever Sean Marshall.

Wood debuted with the Cubs on May 6, replacing the bag of baseball Carlos Zambrano commanded on the trade market known as Chris Volstad. Wood arrived with a 4.57 ERA and 3-3 record over 7 AAA starts. The boost in competition accompanied a boost in performance, as Wood now stands at 4-3 with 3.05 ERA over 10 starts in the bigs.

The 60th overall pick of the 2005 draft broke into the bigs in 2010 with Cincinnati, the team that drafted him. Over 17 starts, Wood went 5-4 with a 3.51 ERA and an impressive 1.08 WHIP (Walks and Hits per Innings Pitched). Wood followed an impressive rookie campaign with a rocky sophomore season. In 22 appearances, Wood went 6-6 with a 4.84 ERA and a 1.49 WHIP. This season Wood has his WHIP down to 1.13.

Opening the season in the minors appears to have paid off for Wood. In his last four starts he has allowed 3 ER over 26.2 IP. Cubs President of Baseball Operations Theo Epstein raised a few eyebrows when he traded Marshall, one of the best relief pitchers in the game, to a division foe for Wood; however, if the starter can continue to perform around his current level, the trade will go down as a win for both teams. Cincinnati has only used five starting pitchers all season and Marshall sports a 2.91 ERA. The Cubs, with eyes set for competition down the road, could very well have a solid #3 starter in the midst.

Wood takes the bump for the Cubs today at 7:05 CST against the traveling Miami Marlins. A win would be the fifth straight for both Wood and Chicago as a team.

The Big Guy