Maldonado’s Bat Will Be Examined in National League Office Next Week

Candy Maldonado’s bat, which was confiscated by the Chicago Cubs after he hit a home run in the Dodgers’ 10-4 loss at Wrigley Field Sunday afternoon, is in the hands of umpire Gerry Crawford and will be delivered to the National League office Thursday, a league official said here Monday.

“It will be early next week before we look at it,” said Blake Cullen, the National League’s supervisor of umpires.

The Cubs took Maldonado’s bat when catcher Jody Davis said he saw a suspicious-looking mark on the barrel. Cullen said he and NL President Chub Feeney will inspect it next week. If they have to, they’ll cut it up with a saw, he said.

If they find that the bat was illegally doctored in some way--for instance, corked--Maldonado will be reprimanded and subject to disciplinary action if it happens again, Cullen said.

“He’d be given a stern warning and told that if he’s caught again, he’d be subject to a fine or suspension,” Cullen said.

The last time the league inspected a bat, Cullen said, was also at the request of the Cubs last season. The player they accused? Al Oliver, the ex-Dodger who was playing for Philadelphia at the time.

“We cut it up,” Cullen said, “because the way it was fused together, it didn’t look like one piece, the way it’s supposed to be, but there was nothing wrong with it.”