Lou on the bullpen

[Keener98]

Heres a quote from todays Trib regarding Lou's thoughts on the bullpen.

 

Asked if he was running out of ideas, Piniella replied: "What do we do with it? You know what, I'm going to find out if there are some kids down in Triple A throwing the ball, and maybe that's the answer—get some different kids in here that can throw the ball.

 

"I don't know what else to say. I've tried everybody out there. You keep hoping it comes around, but we're getting into the middle of May now."

 

Sounds like Lou has had just about all he can take with the guys in the bullpen. I wouldnt be surprised to see Marmol get called up today in place of Cherry. Possibly more too, but not sure who, cause it would be dumb to send Wuertz back down, but it wouldnt surprise me at this point.

[NCCubFan]

Wuertz isn't going anywhere. He's had a very good year so far other than last night. I could see placing Eyre on the DL with a phantom injury to make room for another reliever to be called up.

[JeffH]

Lou, there is very little useful talent in this organization. Get used to it.

[Chocolate Milk]

Lou, there is very little useful talent in this organization. Get used to it.

 

So, your just basically a troll now, right?

[C.C.]

Lou, there is very little useful talent in this organization. Get used to it.

 

So, your just basically a troll now, right?

 

:shock:

[Chocolate Milk]

Lou, there is very little useful talent in this organization. Get used to it.

 

So, your just basically a troll now, right?

 

:shock:

 

Look at his posting history. I'm pretty sure if he was a known Sox fan or Cadinals fan he'd be banned at this point.

[CubColtPacer]

Wuertz isn't going anywhere. He's had a very good year so far other than last night. I could see placing Eyre on the DL with a phantom injury to make room for another reliever to be called up.

 

It still would be ridiculous to send Wuertz down at this point, but his struggles were there before last night. His last 6 1/3 innings have been this:

 

10 appearances, 0-2, 6.1 IP, 10 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 5 BB, 3 K

 

He's going through a rough stretch right now. That ERA could be a lot worse too-only 1 of those runs was a run that somebody else inherited, and other relievers have saved him multiple times with runners on base.

 

Let's hope he can work through this and become the dominant guy he was at the start of the season.

[Ronnys Cannon]

This is crazy. It's not the bullpens fault. Both papers all over that today. The pen gave up one run last night in three innings of work. They've got a 3.77 ERA on the season.

 

Four runs is not enough. We are struggling because we aren't scoring enough runs.

[Derwood]

This is crazy. It's not the bullpens fault. Both papers all over that today. The pen gave up one run last night in three innings of work. They've got a 3.77 ERA on the season.

 

Four runs is not enough. We are struggling because we aren't scoring enough runs.

 

well, it's hard to say it's NOT the bullpen's fault when Wuertz single handedly lost the game at the end. Four runs is not enough against a team like the Mets, this is true, and the epidemic of scoring early then taking the rest of the night off has been a problem all year

[CubColtPacer]

This is crazy. It's not the bullpens fault. Both papers all over that today. The pen gave up one run last night in three innings of work. They've got a 3.77 ERA on the season.

 

Four runs is not enough. We are struggling because we aren't scoring enough runs.

 

The bullpen officially gave up only one run, but Cherry also let both inherited runs score in the 6th. While I agree the offense should have scored more than 4 last night, scoring at least 4 runs has been found as a good indicator of winning. The bullpen hasn't been the biggest reason why the Cubs have the record they have, but it was the biggest reason why they lost last night.

[jersey cubs fan]

well, it's hard to say it's NOT the bullpen's fault when Wuertz single handedly lost the game at the end. Four runs is not enough against a team like the Mets, this is true, and the epidemic of scoring early then taking the rest of the night off has been a problem all year

 

It's not like the Cubs were winning and he lost it on his own. And it's not like they had a good chance to win in extras if he got through it.

 

The Cubs scored 4 runs, which is not good, and they were lucky to score those with some poor defense by the Mets letting them cross.

 

The Cubs team lost that game, just like the Cubs team has lost 18 other games this year. It's a poorly constructed team, so that's going to happen. I think it's a cop-out to blame the bullpen. The Cubs finished with 7 scoreless innings last night, that's much more of a problem than Wuertz giving up 1 run.

 

The bullpen is going to give up runs here and there. It's the rotation and lineup's jobs to make sure those occasional runs don't hurt you.

[Ronnys Cannon]

This is crazy. It's not the bullpens fault. Both papers all over that today. The pen gave up one run last night in three innings of work. They've got a 3.77 ERA on the season.

 

Four runs is not enough. We are struggling because we aren't scoring enough runs.

 

The bullpen officially gave up only one run, but Cherry also let both inherited runs score in the 6th. While I agree the offense should have scored more than 4 last night, scoring at least 4 runs has been found as a good indicator of winning. The bullpen hasn't been the biggest reason why the Cubs have the record they have, but it was the biggest reason why they lost last night.

 

They lost last night because Hank was unable to throw out Reyes on a pitchout and they failed to score anything after loading the bases.

 

Whatever pitcher gives up the last of the five runs isn't actually to blame for the loss, contrary to MLB statistics. Every run is equal.

[Ronnys Cannon]

well, it's hard to say it's NOT the bullpen's fault when Wuertz single handedly lost the game at the end. Four runs is not enough against a team like the Mets, this is true, and the epidemic of scoring early then taking the rest of the night off has been a problem all year

 

It's not like the Cubs were winning and he lost it on his own. And it's not like they had a good chance to win in extras if he got through it.

 

The Cubs scored 4 runs, which is not good, and they were lucky to score those with some poor defense by the Mets letting them cross.

 

The Cubs team lost that game, just like the Cubs team has lost 18 other games this year. It's a poorly constructed team, so that's going to happen. I think it's a cop-out to blame the bullpen. The Cubs finished with 7 scoreless innings last night, that's much more of a problem than Wuertz giving up 1 run.

 

The bullpen is going to give up runs here and there. It's the rotation and lineup's jobs to make sure those occasional runs don't hurt you.

 

well said. you should replace sullivan and wittenmyer

[rawaction]

This is crazy. It's not the bullpens fault. Both papers all over that today. The pen gave up one run last night in three innings of work. They've got a 3.77 ERA on the season.

 

Four runs is not enough. We are struggling because we aren't scoring enough runs.

 

The bullpen officially gave up only one run, but Cherry also let both inherited runs score in the 6th. While I agree the offense should have scored more than 4 last night, scoring at least 4 runs has been found as a good indicator of winning. The bullpen hasn't been the biggest reason why the Cubs have the record they have, but it was the biggest reason why they lost last night.

 

They lost last night because Hank was unable to throw out Reyes on a pitchout and they failed to score anything after loading the bases.

 

Whatever pitcher gives up the last of the five runs isn't actually to blame for the loss, contrary to MLB statistics. Every run is equal.

 

Exactly. The glaring thing is 3 walks with 2 outs to end the game. But the bottom line is the bullpen has pitched well all year, except in what has been the most noticable of times, hence the 10 losses from the pen.

[jersey cubs fan]

This is crazy. It's not the bullpens fault. Both papers all over that today. The pen gave up one run last night in three innings of work. They've got a 3.77 ERA on the season.

 

Four runs is not enough. We are struggling because we aren't scoring enough runs.

 

The bullpen officially gave up only one run, but Cherry also let both inherited runs score in the 6th. While I agree the offense should have scored more than 4 last night, scoring at least 4 runs has been found as a good indicator of winning. The bullpen hasn't been the biggest reason why the Cubs have the record they have, but it was the biggest reason why they lost last night.

 

You can't get on Cherry for those two runs. Inherited runners are going to score. One of them scored on a sac fly. It's really hard to say the pitcher did a bad job when there were 2 on when he came in. He gave up a double, a lazy pop fly and a strikeout. Those runs belong to Marquis, and justifiably so. The bullpen went 3 2/3 and gave up 1 ER. Wuertz blew it with the walks, but 3 2/3 and 1 ER is nothing to get all pissy about. You can't expect relievers to be perfect. But when you score only 4 runs and repeatedly score only 0-4 runs per game (7 of the last 8 games), you are asking far too much out of the bullpen, and should not be surprised when they come up short.

 

There are a few things that people surrounding the Cubs have gotten hung up on the past few years, that I just don't get. Finding a legit leadoff hitter and bullpen angst are two of the biggest. The focus needs to be on the lineup and starting rotation. When your lineup scores 4 or less, and your starter gives up 4 in 5 innings, you are going to lose, anger toward the bullpen is misplaced.

[RynoRules]

The pen hasn't been very good recently. This team continues to be disjointed in at least one important aspect; if its not the lineup, its the pen. If its not the starting pitching, its the lineup.

[jersey cubs fan]

The pen hasn't been very good recently. This team continues to be disjointed in at least one important aspect; if its not the lineup, its the pen. If its not the starting pitching, its the lineup.

 

Well the lineup has scored just 4 or less in 7 of the past 8 games, averaging just 3.625, and the starting pitcher has given up 4 or more (usually in just 5-6 innings) in 5 games, so any run the bullpen gives up is going to make it look bad. The lineup has been a much bigger problem than the bullpen recently, so, if anything, there is not disjointing, there's co-struggling.

[soapy]

The pen hasn't been very good recently. This team continues to be disjointed in at least one important aspect; if its not the lineup, its the pen. If its not the starting pitching, its the lineup.

 

Well the lineup has scored just 4 or less in 7 of the past 8 games, averaging just 3.625, and the starting pitcher has given up 4 or more (usually in just 5-6 innings) in 5 games, so any run the bullpen gives up is going to make it look bad. The lineup has been a much bigger problem than the bullpen recently, so, if anything, there is not disjointing, there's co-struggling.

 

it's not like this is a recent problem. it's been this way for years, and will continue to be until there is a philosophy change at the top.

[wastra]

All that is true about the inconsistant lineup being the team's major flaw. We always have one or two innings where we score 2 or 3 runs, and then go cold for 8-10 straight innings. It's been that way for 5 years.

 

But there is still absolutely no excuse for walking in a run to end a game. When the game's on the line, you gotta be able to at least groove it and hope for the best. Missing the zone by a foot and a half with the game on the line is not acceptible for a major league pitcher. And THAT seems to happen to this team multiple times every year, too.

[jersey cubs fan]

All that is true about the inconsistant lineup being the team's major flaw. We always have one or two innings where we score 2 or 3 runs, and then go cold for 8-10 straight innings. It's been that way for 5 years.

 

But there is still absolutely no excuse for walking in a run to end a game. When the game's on the line, you gotta be able to at least groove it and hope for the best. Missing the zone by a foot and a half with the game on the line is not acceptible for a major league pitcher. And THAT seems to happen to this team multiple times every year, too.

 

And it happens to all sorts of teams. Just like every team fails with a runner on 3rd and less than 2 outs or with the bases loaded.

 

Yes, it's "unacceptable" to walk the guy there. But you know what, it happens. I don't get the point in getting all hot and bothered about this one annoying loss, when they've lost 18 other games this year and the bullpen has been fine overall.

 

Relievers are not your best pitchers. That, along with the fact that they are the last ones people remember in a game are what skews the emotions about them. This is part of the reason why you don't build a team that has to rely on great bullpen work to win, because bullpens don't win games. They are going to lose a few. But lineups and rotations decide seasons.

[cubweiser03]

We all read that 'clutchiness' doesnt exist, but jeez did they forget to include the Chicago Cubs in their analysis? The pen does very well with the game not on the line or 'not tight' and sure as its on the line...poof...up in smoke. Dempster, Howry and now Wuertz last night all in a week. This is getting nuts. The offense needs to hit better in the late innings too, but man this bullpen is putting up solid numbers but not performing as well as they should in tight games. Turn this merrygo round around.

[jersey cubs fan]

We all read that 'clutchiness' doesnt exist, but jeez did they forget to include the Chicago Cubs in their analysis? The pen does very well with the game not on the line or 'tight' and sure as its on the line...poof...up in smoke. Dempster, Howry and now Wuertz last night all in a week. This is getting nuts. The offense needs to hit better in the late innings too, but man this bullpen is putting up solid numbers but not performing as well as they should in tight games. Turn this merrygo round around.

 

The problem is not a lack of clutch relief work. The problem is the lineup and starting rotation aren't taking care of business enough on their own, so when the bullpen does falter, as all bullpens do from time to time, it's glaring.

[cubfan1955]

We all read that 'clutchiness' doesnt exist, but jeez did they forget to include the Chicago Cubs in their analysis? The pen does very well with the game not on the line or 'tight' and sure as its on the line...poof...up in smoke. Dempster, Howry and now Wuertz last night all in a week. This is getting nuts. The offense needs to hit better in the late innings too, but man this bullpen is putting up solid numbers but not performing as well as they should in tight games. Turn this merrygo round around.

 

The problem is not a lack of clutch relief work. The problem is the lineup and starting rotation aren't taking care of business enough on their own, so when the bullpen does falter, as all bullpens do from time to time, it's glaring.

Other teams bullpens rarely falter when they face the Cubs. It usually looks like they are trotting Cy Young out there. Look what the Pirates relievers did in the 15 inning game. Pathetic.

 

Agree completely about the lineup being the biggest problem and it has been for a long, long time.

[rocket]

We all read that 'clutchiness' doesnt exist, but jeez did they forget to include the Chicago Cubs in their analysis? The pen does very well with the game not on the line or 'tight' and sure as its on the line...poof...up in smoke. Dempster, Howry and now Wuertz last night all in a week. This is getting nuts. The offense needs to hit better in the late innings too, but man this bullpen is putting up solid numbers but not performing as well as they should in tight games. Turn this merrygo round around.

 

The problem is not a lack of clutch relief work. The problem is the lineup and starting rotation aren't taking care of business enough on their own, so when the bullpen does falter, as all bullpens do from time to time, it's glaring.

Other teams bullpens rarely falter when they face the Cubs. It usually looks like they are trotting Cy Young out there. Look what the Pirates relievers did in the 15 inning game. Pathetic.

 

Agree completely about the lineup being the biggest problem and it has been for a long, long time.

 

and the cubs bullpen stopped the pirates for 5 innings.

[SouthSideRyan]

We all read that 'clutchiness' doesnt exist, but jeez did they forget to include the Chicago Cubs in their analysis? The pen does very well with the game not on the line or 'tight' and sure as its on the line...poof...up in smoke. Dempster, Howry and now Wuertz last night all in a week. This is getting nuts. The offense needs to hit better in the late innings too, but man this bullpen is putting up solid numbers but not performing as well as they should in tight games. Turn this merrygo round around.

 

The problem is not a lack of clutch relief work. The problem is the lineup and starting rotation aren't taking care of business enough on their own, so when the bullpen does falter, as all bullpens do from time to time, it's glaring.

Other teams bullpens rarely falter when they face the Cubs. It usually looks like they are trotting Cy Young out there. Look what the Pirates relievers did in the 15 inning game. Pathetic.

 

Agree completely about the lineup being the biggest problem and it has been for a long, long time.

 

and the cubs bullpen stopped the pirates for 5 innings.

 

And only gave up the run in the 15th due to some real dopey fielding.

 

So the Cubs fielding isn't clutch.