Clement ready for fresh start

"It's not a thing you can go out there and not think about," said Clement, a western Pennsylvania native. "I'm going into one of those spots in the rotation. The onus will be on me to do the job. But to think about that now would be getting a little bit ahead of the game."

That said, Clement cannot wait to take the ball in April, given the way his career in Chicago ended. He had not missed a start in three seasons as a Cub but was bumped from Chicago's rotation following his Sept. 20 start at Florida, in which he allowed five runs in 2 1/3 innings. That escalated his September ERA to 7.36, following an August in which he posted 5.60.

"At this time of year," Clement gracefully said at the time, "it's not about me."

He did not appear once in the Cubs' last 13 games. The team went 6-7, missed the postseason by three games, and Clement found himself shopping for a new home. But Clement claims to feel quite capable under pressure, contrary to what he's hearing.

"I just found out about this knock when I signed here," he said. "I've pitched in the NLCS and won. I pitched in the first round and lost the year before. I've pitched in pennant races. Everybody's entitled to their opinion.

"All I can do is prove them wrong."

Lost amid Clement's late-season plunge were his results in relation to his fellow Cubs. Clement (9-13 last year) managed an ERA lower than Greg Maddux (3.68-4.02), pitched 62 1/3 more innings than Mark Prior, and made eight more starts than Kerry Wood.

Yet his frustration grew as the season progressed. He ranked 78th in the majors in run support, at just 4.03 runs per game. Conversely, Schilling (7.54) and Lowe (7.24) ranked first and second. Among Clement's 30 starts, the Cubs scored just two runs on five occasions, one run on three occasions, and were shut out four times.