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Late Monday, the Chicago Cubs' website reported that closer Kevin Gregg is dealing with a "tired arm," leading to decreased velocity and zero effectiveness.
In related stories, the grass is green, and pigs, to date, have not flown without assistance.
Gregg has blown five saves this season, with the latest blown save (on Sunday) costing the Cubs first place in the National League Central Division.
As of Monday night, Gregg's ERA had grown to 4.17, as well.
In reference to Gregg not being available on Monday night against the Reds, Cubs' manager Lou Piniella was quoted as saying, "I think we'll give [Gregg] a little ...
I'm beginning to hate the Marlins.
Whether it's this nonsense about trotting goats out on the field, their stab at fat, male cheerleaders, or the fact that they helped break my heart a bit in 2003, I'm growing very weary of these guys. And I say this as someone who spent most of the weekend at U.S. Cellular catching the Sox-Yankees series; I like most teams when they're not playing the Cubs.
Point is, the walk-off homer by Cody Ross Sunday to give the Marlins a 3-2 win was probably about my line to cross. The win gave them the series victory, ...
With pain, sometimes comes pleasure; for many Chicago Cub fans, Randy Wells is evidence.
With all of the talks circulating around the injury woes that the Cubs have had, no one has brought up the fact that from these injuries, the most consistent Cubs' starter has been created. Out of nowhere, the best rookie pitcher in baseball, next to J.A. Happ, has spawned.
In 2008, Wells went 10-4 with a 4.08 ERA and had 102 strikeouts in 118.67 innings pitched at Triple-A Iowa. In 2009, however, before being called up, Wells was 3-0 with a 2.77 ERA and 21 strikeouts in 26 ...
Before I begin writing, let me first say that I am a huge Cubs fan, and this editorial will be biased toward the views of a Cubs fan.
As of right now, Aug. 3, the Cubs sit one game behind St. Louis for first place in the NL Central. They are playing .500 baseball, but have just dropped two games to the Florida Marlins, including two blown saves by closer Kevin Gregg.
Things seem to be falling apart, as it seems like this whole season has been.
As a Cubs fan, I am getting very tired of watching a mediocre Cubs team drift through ...
Sunday night, the Cubs tasted the bitter taste of the fruits of their labor. Actually, it is probably better to make that the fruits of their inactivity.
For the second game in a row, Kevin Gregg allowed the Florida Marlins to erase a Cubs lead in the ninth inning. On Saturday, the ineffective closer allowed three runs, but was saved from defeat by Derrek Lee’s 10th inning heroics. For that, Gregg “earned” a win.
On Sunday evening Gregg surrendered back-to-back home runs to Dan Uggla and Cody Ross on consecutive pitches. The chance for a savior this time was nonexistent.
And don’t forget ...
I'm trying to be rational in making my point in this article, but let me first claim the elephant in the room: Kevin Gregg doesn't have what it takes to be a championship closer.
After watching Gregg blow saves in consecutive games, with Sunday's costing the Cubs first place in the National League Central, my firm belief is that the Cubs need to make a change at the end of their bullpen.
The non-waiver trade deadline has passed, and the Cubs weren't able (or willing) to make a deal for a closer like Baltimore's George Sherrill. They were able to add one-time closer ...
If you didn't see this coming, you have not been paying attention. For the third straight day, the Chicago Cubs bullpen has imploded. Closer Kevin Gregg came into the Florida series with three blown saves and he leaves Florida with a total of five blown saves.
Unfortunately, these things happen when you overuse your bullpen. It's something that I have been saying for a long time and it likely will only get worse.
One might be asking themselves, how can the Cubs bullpen be overused when the starters have the third most quality starts in the National League. Only the great Lou Piniella can answer that.
Let's take a closer ...
Another day, another blown save.
That's the life of one Kevin Gregg, who led major league baseball in blown saves last year.
After a nice stretch of uncharacteristic reliability from Gregg, he has returned to Florida, where he pitched in 2007 and 2008, and has blown the lead in two consecutive games.
On Saturday, the Cubs came back and won, so all is forgiven.
But on Sunday, Gregg coughed up the lead once again, and then served up the game winning, walk off homer in the bottom of the ninth.
It was Dan Uggla. It was damn ugly.
It also served as a poignant reminder to ...
The trade deadline has come on and gone, but that doesn't mean the Chicago Cubs can't make a move. The process is much more difficult, but plenty of quality players have been acquired after the July 31 trade deadline.
In August of 1998, the Cubs signed Gary Gaetti after he was released by the Cardinals. Gaetti would hit .320 down the stretch with 8 home runs.
In August of 2003, the Chicago Cubs once again made what turned out to be a great post trade deadline move. The Cubs acquired Randall Simon who went on to hit .282 with 6 home runs.
In August of 2004, the St ...
The Cubs and their fans are giddy about Alfonso Soriano. Why shouldn't they be? After the All-Star break, Soriano has batted .363 with five home runs and 15 RBI. He has seemed like a solid fit in the No. 6 spot.
What a turn around, right? Wrong. Soriano hasn't faced decent pitching. It's not hard to be successful when that occurs. The Cubs are surging because they have played weak competition, and Soriano's "resurgence" is a microcosm of that weak schedule.
Here's a game-by-game analysis of his games since the All-Star break:
7/16, @WAS: Soriano goes 1-for-3 with a single and walk. The ...
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