Carlos Marmol is broken

[Little Slide Rooter]

so is he considering a change or did he announce he's making one and hasn't decided who yet?

 

Considering

it's now time to move past considering, and into announcing.

 

Introducing your new Chicago Cubs closer,Player to be Named Later.

[davell]

Torn ACL for Mariano.

[Little Slide Rooter]

Torn ACL for Mariano.

 

I'd take Mariano with 2 torn ACLs over Marmol.

[wvcbxl]

Right now Carlos needs to be pitching the 7th inning when trailing and then if he can't throw strikes after a batter or two Sveum can get him out. He needs to be in when he has command to build confidence. I have a feeling his performances are more mental than most.

 

Agreed - keeping him in the closer role is bad for the team, and bad for him as an individual.

Using him in low-pressure situations is the obvious way to salvage something from that contract.

[TheDude]

Marmol's self-destruction is very sad. When he was on, he was literally the most dominant one inning pitcher I have ever seen. I recall a 10 pitch, 3K close once that blew my mind.

[Little Slide Rooter]

I don't know how many of these guys would be able to be big league closers, but we have our share of intriguing relievers on the farm

AAA

Jeff Beliveau 2.45 ERA 1.09 WHIP 14.2 IP 5/12 BB/K

Blake Parker 0.96 ERA 0.75 WHIP 9.1 IP 3/6 BB/K

Scott Maine AAA 1.43 ERA .632 WHIP 6.1 IP 2/5 BB/K

big league line: 1.59 ERA .529 WHIP 5.2 IP 2/10 BB/K

 

AA+AAA

Frank Batista 0.00 ERA .76 11.1 IP WHIP 2/12 BB/K

 

AA

Alberto Cabrera 2.13 ERA 0.87 WHIP 12.2 IP 4/14 BB/K

Kevin Rhoderick 1.62 .91 WHIP 11.0 3/12 BB/K

Marcus Hatley 3.86 1.11 WHIP 11.2 3/15 BB/K

 

A+/AA

Casey Harman 1.88 ERA .977 WHIP 14.2 IP 3/11 BB/K, although AA hasn't been so kind to him.

 

A/A+/AA

Scott Weisman 1.88 ERA .977 WHIP 14.1 IP 2/10 BB/K

 

A+

Kyler Burke 1.71 ERA 1.048 WHIP 21 IP 4/17 BB/K

 

Other interesting options are McNutt, who's durability is in question and Jay Jackson who could re-invent himself before being given up upon.

 

The trouble calling these guys up is that our middle relievers has been mostly productive, and the trouble has been Wood and Marmol. Castillo is a candidate for a phantom injury but there's really nobody else deserving of demotion.

[BeerHere]

I rewatched the 9th, twice (shoot me). During the sequence to Harris-Votto-Phillips-Bruce-Ludwick Marmol had absolutely no control of the slider. He threw exactly two decent/good sliders in that sequence and even those didn't have the movement he once had. What I found interesting though is that Soto never called anything other than a slider in that sequence, at least as far as I could tell. Marmol never shook him off either. Hitters just sat there waiting for the fastball, if they saw anything other than that they took. I think part of what made Marmol great a couple seasons ago was that he could spot the fastball for strikes keeping hitters off balance and putting them away with the slider. I don't understand why Soto didn't call for a couple more fastballs there. As a fan I can watch the game and within the first 4 or 5 pitches I can tell if Marmol has decent stuff (like Wednesday) or if he has nothing (like yesterday). Surely Soto can see the same thing. I think both Soto and Marmol have fallen in love with the slider, maybe because both guys know he's lost something on the fastball, or maybe both guys know he can't hit his spots with anything. Either way, it seemed obvious that Soto was calling only sliders and hoping that he'd keep it in the zone. Even with a full count and the bases loaded, he still called the slider knowing that he had no control. That pitch was terrible and at some point Soto needs to recognize when Marmol just doesn't have any control and start doing something different - like a fastball low and away or something, anything other than consistently missing with the slider. To me this is easily the most frustrating part of that collapse yesterday.

[jersey cubs fan]

Soto needs to recognize when Marmol just doesn't have any control and start doing something different - like a fastball low and away or something, anything other than consistently missing with the slider. To me this is easily the most frustrating part of that collapse yesterday.

 

That's the most frustrating part? Marmol can't throw strikes. Don't put this on Soto.

[BeerHere]

Soto needs to recognize when Marmol just doesn't have any control and start doing something different - like a fastball low and away or something, anything other than consistently missing with the slider. To me this is easily the most frustrating part of that collapse yesterday.

 

That's the most frustrating part? Marmol can't throw strikes. Don't put this on Soto.

Without a doubt, Marmol needs to throw strikes, or at least make the non-strikes serve a purpose. The control issues are 100% on him but Soto called nothing but sliders in that sequence knowing Marmol had no control of it. The slider with the bases loaded on a full count irritates me. If he had been throwing the slider for strikes earlier in the game I can understand that call there. But the fact is, he wasn't and I think he had a much better chance of getting an out there throwing the fastball. I feel like I'm nitpicking a little and I'm not putting the loss on Soto at all, but pitch selection in the 9th was terrible.

[Ivy.n.Denver]

Seems to me that Marmol has even less control with the fastball than the slider.

[Guest]

Marmol has pretty much always gone to the slider when he needs a strike. He threw 4 fastballs yesterday, three balls and Bruce's single. Hard to be upset that he didn't throw more of them when the alternative was the slider(4 strikes, 9 balls, Phillips' ground ball).

[Guest]

David Kaplan of CSNChicago.com reports that Cubs manager Dale Sveum has officially informed Carlos Marmol that he is no longer the team's closer.

[MWV]

Yep. Van Dyck reporting the same. Link

Cubs manager Dale Sveum made it official Friday morning: Carlos Marmol is no longer the closer out of the bullpen.

The two met in Sveum’s office before Friday’s game against the Dodgers at Wrigley Field and Marmol was “fine with it, he understood,” Sveum said.

[Theo]

Dolis is a beast, can't wait to see him get a shot.

[Clem Fandango]

Dolis is a beast, can't wait to see him get a shot.

 

Yeah that 8:4 BB:K ratio in 15 innings is straight baller status

[Theo]

Dolis is a beast, can't wait to see him get a shot.

 

Yeah that 8:4 BB:K ratio in 15 innings is straight baller status

 

Nice input :roll:

[MWV]

Dolis is a beast, can't wait to see him get a shot.

 

Yeah that 8:4 BB:K ratio in 15 innings is straight baller status

 

Nice input :roll:

Yeah, way to buttress your position with facts.

[Theo]

Dolis is a beast, can't wait to see him get a shot.

 

Yeah that 8:4 BB:K ratio in 15 innings is straight baller status

 

Nice input :roll:

Yeah, way to buttress your position with facts, jerk.

Go play in traffic.

 

Dolis has great stuff, and I'm excited to see him get more opportunties. That's all I said.

[Little Slide Rooter]

The Cubs have also announced that Carlos Marmol's trade value is officially equal to that of Sean Camp.

[SouthSideRyan]

On 7-16-09, Marmol had a rate of a walk/inning. He'll probably never be dominant, or even good again, but he can bounce back to be a very expensive, infuriating, decent reliever.

[toonsterwu]

I don't know how many of these guys would be able to be big league closers, but we have our share of intriguing relievers on the farm

AAA

Jeff Beliveau 2.45 ERA 1.09 WHIP 14.2 IP 5/12 BB/K

Blake Parker 0.96 ERA 0.75 WHIP 9.1 IP 3/6 BB/K

Scott Maine AAA 1.43 ERA .632 WHIP 6.1 IP 2/5 BB/K

big league line: 1.59 ERA .529 WHIP 5.2 IP 2/10 BB/K

 

AA+AAA

Frank Batista 0.00 ERA .76 11.1 IP WHIP 2/12 BB/K

 

AA

Alberto Cabrera 2.13 ERA 0.87 WHIP 12.2 IP 4/14 BB/K

Kevin Rhoderick 1.62 .91 WHIP 11.0 3/12 BB/K

Marcus Hatley 3.86 1.11 WHIP 11.2 3/15 BB/K

 

A+/AA

Casey Harman 1.88 ERA .977 WHIP 14.2 IP 3/11 BB/K, although AA hasn't been so kind to him.

 

A/A+/AA

Scott Weisman 1.88 ERA .977 WHIP 14.1 IP 2/10 BB/K

 

A+

Kyler Burke 1.71 ERA 1.048 WHIP 21 IP 4/17 BB/K

 

Other interesting options are McNutt, who's durability is in question and Jay Jackson who could re-invent himself before being given up upon.

 

The trouble calling these guys up is that our middle relievers has been mostly productive, and the trouble has been Wood and Marmol. Castillo is a candidate for a phantom injury but there's really nobody else deserving of demotion.

 

Of the more immediate names (that is, guys pitching in the pen, and not guys who could be moved there), I tend to think Cabrera/Hatley, with big time fastball/slider combos, are the only two with solid closing potential. Neither seems likely to be called up anytime soon. Batista/Rhoderick feel more like middle reliever/setup types. Zych could be a thought if he tightens things up. Weismann had closing experience at, um, Clemson?, but his stuff profiles more as a middle reliever, IMO. Parker seems more of a middle relief/setup mode as well.

[davell]

I'm going to put the over/under at 3 on how many saves our future closer winds up with this year for the Cubs. His name is Trey McNutt.

[Little Slide Rooter]

Didn't Jeff Stevens profile as future a closer at one point? Whatever became of him, other than big league suckage?

 

ETA Mets AAA affiliate with a 4.09 ERA 2.09 WHIP 8/7 BB/K in 11 IP. Never mind then.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

I'm going to put the over/under at 3 on how many saves our future closer winds up with this year for the Cubs. His name is Trey McNutt.

 

Under, please.

[ctcf]

Hayden Simpson for closer