I really wish that Cubs coach Lou Piniella would just make up his mind about what to do with the Cubs rotation and bullpen. It’s obvious the the bullpen needs to have a lot of work done with it. Both Bob Howry and Scott Eyre have been pitching HORRIBLE thus far this season. Neither have been worth the big reliever dollars that they were paid to do so last season. Neal Cotts started off really well, and has been horrible as of late. Will Ohman had rough start, but has gotten a lot better. Micheal Wuertz has a really good start, but hasn’t been as effective as of late even though his ERA is only 1 something. That leaves Ryan Dempster as the closer. He’s a been fairly effective closing out 9 out of his first 10 opportunities. The one save he did blow was a heart wrenching loss. He’s had a few problems with some non-save appearances as well.

This takes me to where Lou Pinella has been a little hairy with what he wants to do. First, they announce that Dempster is coming out of the pen to become their fifth starter, and that Angel Guzman is going to handle the closing duties. At first I didn’t know what to think about it. Dempster has been somewhat reliable, but has walked to many trying to nibble on the corners for a closer. Angel Guzman has been awesome out of the bullpen. He doesn’t need to stretch himself out at all and he only will need to work 2-3 innings (figuring he’s long relief). About 30 minutes later they came back and said, no he’s still the closer, but Guzman will still be in the pen (and I’m assuming as a long reliever). So who’s going to be the new fifth starter? Yesterday they announced that Wade Miller will be rejoining the team after being on the DL since April 23rd, with back spasms.

Now I’m all for whats best for the Cubs, but I’m not sure that Wade Miller is the answer. Rich Hill has struggled since his killer start. I won’t even talk about Carlos Zambrano because it might cause me to have a brain aneurysm. He’s got that damn contract on his mind, and now the Cubs will be second guessing if he’s going to be worth Barry Zito money, because Barry Zito hasn’t even shown that he’s worth Barry Zito money. Jason Marquis and Ted Lilly have been the big surprises of the rotation this season, and they are what’s keeping them in the race with their quality starts. If Wade Miller can regain his form when he pitched for the Astros, I’m all for him in the rotation, but if he continues to get shelled, they need somebody else.

Carlos Marmol, Sean Marshall, and Les Walrond have been pitching well this season at AAA Iowa. Marmol has since been called up to work out of the pen. And as I just write this, I was checking to see what move was made for Wade Miller, which looks like it hasn’t been made official yet that he’s off the DL, he’s just rejoining the team. The big surprise move was calling up the youngster Sean Marshall and optioned lefty reliever Neal Cotts to AAA Iowa. This will keep Marmol in the pen, and allow Marshall to regain his spot in the rotation he lost after he went on the DL the second half of the season. I was honestly surprised about this move. I do like Marshall a lot, but now this means that the Cubs have three left handers in the rotation. This is the first time that it’s happened since 1985 for the Cubs. We’ll see how it goes. My only other concern is that Hill and Marshall are fairly similar pitchers. Neither are overpowering and have a big hook.

We’ll see what other surprises are in store for the Cubs and their pitching staff. I have a feeling we’ll see a few moves this season before the trade deadline. I think we’ll also see that overly crowded outfield get cleaned up too. I just pray they keep Matt Murton. I can do without Cliff Floyd or Jacque Jones, personally.