Game One Hundred-Three - Cubs 2 Marlins 3
WP - Brendan Donnelly (2-0) LP - Kevin Gregg (4-3, BS 5) Save - None
The Cubs took a 2-1 lead into the bottom of the ninth thanks to Jake Fox's eighth home run of the year, a solo shot in the top of the inning off of Brendan Donnelly. Kevin Gregg retired pinch-hitter Hanley Ramirez on a pop out to Jeff Baker at third for the first out.
Kevin Gregg quickly fell behind Dan Uggla 2-0. Then on a 3-1 pitch Uggla tied the game with a bomb to the upper deck in left field. The Cubs did not even get a chance to catch their breath before Cody Ross hit his second home run of the game, this time over the wall in left. On consecutive pitches Kevin Gregg served up the lead and the game. The Cubs walked off the field as the Marlins celebrated the come from behind win.
Kevin Gregg had not blown a save since June before Saturday night and in consecutive outings was very predictable against his former team. There are no two ways to cut, Sunday afternoon was a tough loss for Lou Piniella's crew.
Ryan Dempster put together a very good outing. Dempster threw six innings of shutout ball and allowed just three hits but his four walks and four strikeouts ran up his pitch count and Piniella had to go to his pen in the seventh. Dempster allowed only two runners to reach second despite the fact he did not record a single 1-2-3 inning. Dempster bounced back from his from his poor outing against the Astros and left in line for the win.
Aaron Heilman served up Cody Ross' first home run of the game, a solo shot in the seventh that tied the game at one. A day after picking up his first save of the season, Heilman blew his sixth save of the year.
Angel Guzman recorded the Cubs only three up, three down inning in the eighth. Guzman did his job once again and was the pitcher of record before Kevin Gregg took the mound.
The Cubs' offense could not take advantage of chances early against Ricky Nolasco. Derrek Lee drove in Sam Fuld in the third for the Cubs' only run against Nolasco but after the Lee single in the third, Nolasco shut the door.
Ricky Nolasco retired the last 14 batters he faced struck out eight and walked just one in seven excellent innings of work. Matt Lindstrom gave up the first Cubs' hit since the third, a two-out single by Ryan Theriot ... his third hit of the game.
All three of the Marlins' runs on Sunday came via the longball ... two by Cody Ross, numbers 16 and 17 and one by Dan Uggla number 19.
The Cubs finished the season series against the Fish with a 4-3 record after the tough loss on Sunday afternoon.
Sunday was one of the games that could have lingering effects on a team. Derrek Lee discussed how big it was on Saturday night for them to come back and win then Kevin Gregg served it up again on Sunday. Lou Piniella must get his bullpen right and soon.
The offense had chances against Ricky Nolasco in the first three innings they could not cash in.
Ryan Theriot tripled off the wall in left center with one-out on a 3-2 pitch. Derrek Lee popped out to John Baker on the first pitch and Jake Fox struck out swinging on three pitches to end the inning.
Mike Fontenot doubled off the base of the wall with two outs in the second but Koyie Hill flied out to deep right to end the inning. Nolasco threw just nine pitches in the second inning.
Sam Fuld worked a one-out walk in the third. Ryan Theriot delivered a single to left, his 36th multi-hit game of the year. With runners on first and third with one-out, Derrek Lee singled to right center. Fuld scored easily and Theriot advanced to third but it was Cody Ross that kept Theriot from scoring. Ross took a perfect route to the ball and held Lee at first ... and made Mike Quade hold Theriot.
Cody Ross was the difference in the game not only with his bat ... but with his glove.
Jake Fox worked the count to 3-2 against Nolasco before striking out. Micah Hoffpauir grounded out to first to end the inning.
The Cubs did not manage another hit or runner against Ricky Nolasco. While Nolasco was throwing strikes, the Cubs were extremely aggressive at the plate.
Despite the loss, the Cubs are 12-5 since the break and will enter play on Monday night in Cincinnati a half game back of the Cardinals in the division.
Randy Wells will face Aaron Harang in the first of three in the Queen City on Monday night.
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As just mentioned on the previous topic, we have preferred options in the pen to include Marshall, Stevens, Grabow, Guzman and Marmol--and I don't mind the order late for Guzman and Marmol. I'm hoping that Lou will take Gregg and Heilman out of the late innings until further notice.
Boseph indicates that Marmol makes Michey Mantle and Whitey Ford (in effect) look like pikers on the late-night bar scene. I doubt that is true, because reporters, bloggers, etc., don't protect ball players (or others) like they used to.
If it is true, of course, it's a very serious matter. It also ought to be easy to confirm his goings on. It's one thing to be at Harry Carey's at midnight after a night game having dinner and something cold. It's another thing to be out "pounding shots" Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 2 a.m.
I continue to see Marmol as intensely pursuing his work and fearless. My guess is that if he pitches four or five days a week and doen't go more than two days without pitching, he will restore a 3-1 SO to W ratio.
oh, and Gregg's ERA is now 4.17 ERA, which, as a closer, is completely unacceptable, especially for a playoff contender. As others have pointed out on here...if you're Lidge, you can at least get by from your high-powered offense (which we simply do not have). Gregg's blown saves also cannot be blamed on inactivity (as he's had plenty of it lately)...it's merely a case of NOT having the "stuff" or mental make-up to be a closer.
I hope he gets hurt...honestly...I hope he injures his knee, or has a mysterious "groin" issue (from a teammate kicking him there...LOL)..because that's the only way he gets off the field (like Bradley)
JimK,
There is no doubt in my mind we have better options than Gregg...and while it is normal for a young guy to hit the bars
now and then...I am skeptical of "urban
legend" tales in the bars.
Yes, we have other options...better options than Gregg...but I'm not sure
if Lou will go there...he is slow to
change his decisions and this one was made in April.
We went through a similar spell of this
and he made no change.
I still believe Marmol has the most electric stuff...with Guzman close behind.
But Guzman also brings an element of
overcoming adversity and being in the system longer...short of a trade which
I don't really see forthcoming...my choice is Guzman.
AND yes, he will make mistakes and blow some saves...but he is a star-rising with
an upside...Gregg's story is told.
Yes, yes and yes...The other option would be,SERIOUSLY, Move Harden to the closer role that way he will remain away from the DL and he has the stuff to do it. He changes speed like Hoffman but with a 96mph fastball and a devastating split.
**What to do with KGregg? tell him we need a spot start from him some time next week and let his pitch count blow past the 200 mark or until his arm falls of. [whichever happens first]
*Call Dusty for advice on how to blow up a power arm in a week.
I'm not kidding
That's hilarious agustin and I agree with you.
Gregg was on a roll for awhile then puff!
Guzman s/b annointed closer.
How many games has Gregg given up at least two HR's in one inning? He's given up 10 HR this year in 49 innings. He's been in 52 games, and averaging less than one inning per appearance. But you have to account for all those walk off HR's he's given up. That's why he's averaging less than one inning per appearance. And of course he's had those toy saves where he went .1 innings and got the save. Face it: we don't have much of a closer.
tough series in Florida. Marmol blew a game; Gregg blew a game (tried to do it twice!).
Gregg has--for his career--averaged giving up one hr in every 10 innings. This year: one hr every 4.9 innings.
I would love to have Woody back. I know his numbers don't look great this year, but I would MUCH rather have him in the 9th than Gregg. Apparently as long as you are the "appointed" closer, you get to pitch in the 9th.
Hello Cub fans across America!
Without a doubt you share with me the disappointment of the weekend results against the Marlins.
The manager continues to turn the other cheek as his pitching choices blow-up around him out of the pen.He will not change nor will he see Rothchilds ineptness.He will continue to pull good pitching(able to complete a game)in favor of this mythical approach of 7-8-closer crap!,lefty/right handed line-ups,and a pitching coach out of touch with the handling of the staff.
We are stuck with the three stooges for another year.
NO, not stuck with the three stooges for another year. We've been stuck for 101 years already. I'd have to say of this kind of management, that it has become 'company policy.'
Is there a report on how BJ Ryan has performed in AAA.
BJ Ryan: 3 games, 3 2/3 IP, 0.00 ERA, 0 hits, 2 walks, 3 K's, 0.55 WHIP
Reports have stated that he was throwing in the mid to upper 80's, and I guess the Cubs are waiting to see him consistently throw in the upper 80's and low 90's before bringing him up. They have until Aug 10th to make a decision (next Monday). Expect Ryan to get in a lot of ballgames between now and then so they can see what they have. He has an out clause in his contract that allows him to pursue another team if he's not brought up. In my opinion, he'd be most certainly snatched up in a second if we don't bring him up. My guess is that Samardzija goes down when Gorzelanny is called up on Tuesday, then we'd have to make another decision for Ryan.
As it stands now, we have:
Stevens
Samardzija
Grabow
Heilman
Marshall
Guzman
Marmol
Gregg
*Samardzija almost certainly goes down next with his recent poor performances, and Stevens would most likely go down if Ryan came up. I'm not really a big fan of 3 lefties in the pen, but Ryan has experience as a closer, and with good success, so you never want to give up on a guy like that.
I'd feel much better with a 7th-8th-9th trio of Guzman-Marmol-Ryan or Ryan-Guzman-Marmol or Ryan-Marmol-Guzman than what we have now with Guzman-Marmol-Gregg.....Gregg makes the back-end so terrible, especially with Marmol being erratic, we need someone that throws strikes and doesn't give up "loud" outs either like Gregg does.
Someone commented on here the other day I believe that with Hart, he looked better on paper than in person/tv, because the "loud" outs didn't show on paper when he was getting hammered, but right at people. In Gregg's case, that's most certainly true, as I've seen hot smashes to LF, CF, or right at DLee that would've gone for extra bases without good defense.
Gregg vs Ryan: I take Ryan every damn time
let's also not forget that there were technically two blown "saves" yesterday. One each by Heilman and Gregg.
Here's what I don't understand. Since when is it okay to shuttle Neal Cotts, Ascanio, etc. down for good to below average results in a short window of time, but you can't do anything about Heilman or Gregg for below average results all year? Don't tell me it's all about contracts, because it clearly isn't. Cotts made what Heilman makes, and Vizcaino made what Gregg makes.
I just don't understand this blind trust in those two, and that's why it hurts so badly to lose Ascanio, when he could've filled the void of one of those 2. The other options I can think of in our system right now would be Blake Parker and John Gaub, and even BJ Ryan.
Every single time Heilman or Gregg comes into the game, I'll comment to my wife or whomever is around that they'll blow the lead. I am right about half the time. I mean, how bad is that? It's like if one doesn't do it, the other will, or if one blows the lead into a tie game, the other will give it up, or whatever. It's gotten to the point where it doesn't even matter anymore. You pretty much know that any given game where both Heilman and Gregg are pitching (even if we're up by like 7 runs), the Cubs are so screwed. In fact, last night I commented to my wife after the first home run Gregg gave up, that, "watch, next pitch, he's going to give up the game."
Here's the following dialogue that took place:
My wife:"are you watching last night's game?"
Me:"no, this is tonight's game."
My wife: "no, it's last night's, he did the same thing. there's no way they would let him do it again."
Me: "sadly, it seems they have."
My wife: "but they were just winning the game after that home run."
Me: "and he gave it right back."
My wife: "why is he still the closer then?"
Me: "I think everyone with half a brain is asking the same question."
My wife: "what are they saying?"
*Len Kasper appears to answer her question by saying they're chanting 'cody, cody again like they did his first home run'
**then, just as I say, "they probably shouldn't pitch to...."
***Len Kasper goes, "and it's driven deep to left..."
And I promptly shut off the screen.
Look, the point of bringing that conversation to your attention is that my wife, bless her heart, does not know a whole lot about baseball, other than when she went to my games when I was still playing, and even then, I was playing in a college wood bat summer league, and she was nervous because we were supposed to be at her parents house for dinner, and we were in the 7th inning, and she came all the way to the dugout asking when we could leave, to which a few of my teammates, and fans sitting behind her started grumbling to 'shut up, or you'll jinx it'. See, at the time, I had a no-hitter (which I'd finish, though I walked 3 guys), and she had absolutely no idea what the fuss was all about. So, like I said, she doesn't know a whole lot about baseball, but when she can make an observation like that, it makes you wonder what kind of hamsters Hendry and Piniella have spinning the wheel in their heads, doesn't it?
I bet some of you out there have young kids---your sons, daughters, nieces, nephews, or grandchildren that watch games with you. What are their perceptions? I'm pretty sure they get it too. It's not rocket science. You see a closer with an inability to consistently throw strikes, get behind hitters, then have to throw a meatball right down the pipe, and watch it fly. Or, you see a closer without an "out" pitch (like Marmol has with his slider...or Lidge, or Rivera with his cutter...or Hoffman with his wicked changeup and splitter), and you wonder how this average pitcher is put in perhaps the most crucial role in the game, and management has all this blind faith in him. Why?
I'm going to give you some basic stats of all closers in our division:
Franklin-1.33 ERA, 24 svs, 40 2/3 IP, 8 walks, 2 hr, 30 K's, .885 WHIP
Gregg-4.17 ERA, 21 svs, 49 2/3 IP, 21 walks, 10 hr, 51 K's, 1.349 WHIP
Hoffman-1.74 ERA, 23 svs, 31 IP, 10 walks, 0 hr, 25 K's, 1.065 WHIP
Cordero-1.70 ERA, 23 svs, 42 1/3 IP, 18 walks, 2 hr, 36 K's, 1.087 WHIP
Valverde-2.70 ERA, 12 svs, 30 IP, 12 walks, 5 hr, 33 K's, 1.133 WHIP
Capps-5.97 ERA, 21 svs, 34 2/3 IP, 15 walks, 7 hr, 29 K's, 1.788 WHIP
So, Gregg stacks up favorably with Matt Capps, aside from ERA...but consider that Capps was injured by a line drive to the elbow AND hasn't been as active, because the Pirates are cellar dwellars and he rarely gets save opportunities. Gregg, on the other hand has more IP than most of the relievers above because in about 4 or 5 of his blown saves, he's had to pitch an extra inning of relief if they just tied the game in the 9th. And, he leads the league with 10 hr allowed for relievers.
For the life of me, I cannot figure out what Piniella and Hendry's love fest is all about with that joker. He blew 9 games last year for the Marlins, and is well on his way to beating his own personal record. He's already tied a career high with 10 hr allowed (which he did in middle relief with the Angels in 78 1/3 IP in 2006, as season he finished with a 4.14 ERA and 1.391 WHIP)
My guess is that Gregg will finish somewhere in the 15 hr allowed range with a 4.20+ ERA, 1.450+ WHIP, and 10 blown saves.
All the while we'll get responses from Piniella saying, "well, what am I supposed to do?"
Well, Lou, first of all, you can pull out the handy baseball reference guide that will tell you Gregg's only had 2 full seasons under a 4+ERA, and one of those 2 seasons, he blew 9 saves...and he walks a ton of batters, and gives up quite a few hits to boot. In fact, his stats closely resemble that of Aaron Heilman, only Heilman at least had 3 consecutive seasons with a sub 1.200 WHIP (1.148, 1.161, and 1.070)
Anyway, Gregg is a bum, and I've probably been the most outspoken about this. If any of you see him at a bar, please give Tonya Harding a call. Maybe she can come in with a crow bar, and blast his knee, so we never have to see him on the mound again for us.
Aaron:
Until this weekend, Gregg was kind of on a roll. Actually, he was decent. His e.r.a and save percentage took a beating.
Their are only a few closers out there that are lights out.(K-rod, Papelbon and Rivera. As for Heilman, more cold than hot.
According to Muskat...Ryan is throwing in the 87-88 mph range...but has done well getting people out.
Aaron, what I don't understand is Lou's intransience this season in trying to fix things.
A reporter yesterday asked Lou if BJ Ryan was an option.
(paraphrased)or not exact response...but the gist:
Lou's reply: "We've gone all season with one lefty in the bullpen, now we have 2.
What? Are we supposed to have three now?"
I really am disheartened when he makes those kind of statements...Ryan probably
isn't the answer...BUT...it deserves a
better looksee answer than that.
You were hounding on Gregg all winter.
(And you were right)
I remember Heilman dissolving the Mets chances last year. And did not like the
acquisition...He hasn't changed.
Marmol says: "I don't know what's going on." Surely the Cubs have a coach that
is capable and can work with him.
We still might make the playoffs...but it won't be pretty and we won't go deep...if we do happen to get in.
And once again, were peeing away good
starts by the starters.
This team is driving me nuts...
from Bradley to Gregg.
Neil, Is there a place where we can
see who goes on waivers or is that not public?
I know you asked Neil, but here's the deal with waiver wires. It is NOT supposed to be public information. However, GM's like Steve Phillips and others have occasionally made them public in the past. They have a computer system, almost like an email alert when players are placed on waivers. It is to a team's advantage when doing this to generate interest in their players to see what the market it for them now, or in the future. Often times teams regularly place high salaried players on this list to see if anyone bites. It's why when you see some players "bypass" waivers and go straight to a minor league assignment. But it's not really a surprise, as most were already placed on waivers to begin with, then were easily passed through when not claimed, and you're left thinking, "but I thought he was out of options". Yes, he was out of options, but when he was placed on waivers, you didn't even know about it, and the team calmly passed him through prior to the public having knowledge (which only happens after the fact, or unless some idiot GM like a Phillips in the past) comes out and says who passed through waivers and who didn't.
The point of it is not only to protect a player mentally, but also stop rumors from spreading. A lot of deals are handled under the radar, where a team will claim a player, and the "waiver" team will tell them, "look, we can pull him back easily. How badly do you want him?" (done to judge a player's perceived worth around the league, and in most cases, the player is pulled back) or if it's a high priced player and that happens, the "waiver" team will just let him go for next to nothing, and you're left thinking, "what the hell? why did we let that guy go for almost nothing?" Well, the reason for that is simple. Nobody else put in a claim for the player, and the "waiver" team already knows the player's perceived worth around the league because of that, so they know that if they kept the player in the offseason, it probably wouldn't change much, and it'd be better to offload that player to an interested team for nothing rather than risk paying a ridiculous amount of money the following year.
Unfortunately, I can't tell you who I heard all of this from, but I can tell you titles. I heard it from an AGM, a scout, and a former player, and all of their stories kind of matched up with what I described above
Thanks Aaron, All these years I've wondered about it...and now I know why I could never find anything on it.
Here's an answer for Neil--who's still making a living with regular work while I'm living on the social security payments he and others and their employers are making. I do wish that we would were getting the jobs recovery to go with the recovery in the securities markets (that I also follow closely).
Waivers are not announced publicly, and they can be revoked by the teams putting players on waivers. That enables most teams to put half or more of their players on waivers to see what interest may be out there. Most teams do use the waiver wire in that way.
Jim C is right about Gregg's usefulness more often than not this season. But you can't blow two games in a row when your team has fought back to respectability by allowing multiple extra-base hits and runs.
Someone here equated solid closers with $8 to $10 mil + compensation. At $4.2 mil, it's arguable that we are getting what we paid for. But Gegg only won the closer's job in spring training, and it's clear that Marmol and/or Guzman (and the team) deserve a couple of turns now. I'd say the worst case is that Lou gives Gregg no more than one or two more chances before he turns to Marmol or Guzman. The re-habbing Ryan would be yet another of those "Old Style" reliances on a veteran--which seems very iffy to me.
I wouldn't read too much into Lou's "He's our closer" or Gregg's teammates saying, "He's pitched well and has excellent stuff. Bad times happen to all of us." In public, managers and players seldom condemn or harshly criticise players. But Lou doesn't have unlimited patience. It's arguable that he was right to rely heavily on the veterans in June and July--since the team has moved back into contention. That could be short-lived if we don't have excellence on all fronts.
I hated the Heilman and Gregg pick-ups from the start. The only saving in the Gregg signing was that all spring Lou kept claiming that he and Marmol were competing for the job, which I think is fine, competition is good. So where is now, Lou? I thought he was the great impatient manager with pitchers, particularly relievers who walked to many and didn't get outs? We've seen it so many times, first Stevey Eyer, then Howry and there have been plenty of others. I have the same question, Aaron: why do some guys get dropped after one or two poor outings while other just keep getting hammered? You say the contract is too simple, but I believe it is part of it. I believe that Heilman and Gregg were two of Hendry's "big" moves last winter and he's sticking with it. But I think veteran status has a lot to do with it for Lou as well. He doesn't give young pitchers that don't throw strikes much chance. He did give Eyre and then Howry long leashes before banishing the vets to the end of the bullpen bench.
Let's hope Heilman's seat is waiting down there. And that Lou get's real about their chances a closer like Gregg. He is a bum and teams don't win championships with bum closers.
What a demoralizing couple losses for a team that battled.
BUM.
jc, my hunch is that Piniella would be moving Marmol in and Gregg out of that closer role right now IF Marmol had not shown this inexplicable capacity to lose command and jeopardize ball games....as if Gregg doesn't risk losing all games he enters!
Oh, I absolutely agree with you about Hendry's ego. It's yet another reason why I hate the guy so much.
It took him quite awhile to admit signing Jason Marquis, a 5th starter at best, to a 3 yr $21 million contract when he was coming off a 6+ERA season...was absolutely ludicrous. And he essentially dealt him for whatever he could get. He knew we needed another body in the pen, but when he saw Piniella not using him at all, he realized he had to cut ties with him completely (that was easier, because he already cut ties with Marquis, who was one of his "big" free agent moves the offseason prior to 2007).
Then, he cut ties with Felix Pie, whom he refused to part with several prior offseasons, basically for nothing when he could've had far more..(all of this after some internally in the organization, and outside the organization, actually thought that Sam Fuld was the better CF than Pie). The same thing happened with Rich Hill when he sold low on him. Basically, he got rid of Pie, because he saw him as a disappointment (but look how long it took him to do so), and replaced him with Gathright (who he later parlayed into Freel, and both ended up being DFA'd with us...making it easier, because he already parted ways with Pie...just like the Marquis situation). But his "big" acquisitions it seems take quite awhile longer to part ways with (as evidenced with Gregg, Miles, and Bradley).
If Hendry had any sense whatsover, and wasn't trying to save face over his awful moves, he would've cut ties with all 3 of them long ago. But he wants to look like he's the smart one, and that he "out-foxed" every other team out there to get those fools, when, in reality, he was bidding against himself in all 3 cases, as nobody would offer much of anything for Gregg (as he was to be non-tendered by the Marlins), the Cards didn't even want Miles back for more than a 1 yr contract, and the Nationals wouldn't go 3 years with Bradley. Hendry was the chump that gave up a top tier pitching prospect, a second year to Miles, and a 3rd year to Bradley for "the Three Stooges"
He's hanging onto Miles, because he traded DeRosa away, and knows it was a very unpopular move that has had damning effects to our team thus far. He's hanging onto Gregg, because he knows how popular Wood was, and doesn't want to look bad there, and he's hanging onto Bradley, hoping to salvage something....anything out of that loser, because he missed out on Abreu, Ibanez, and Dunn, all with better stats, and all with more affordable deals than Bradley. Plain and simple.
He knows that based on those moves, and all the guaranteed money he's thrown down the drain thus far that he's a goner after the new owners step in, so right now, he's just hanging on a prayer that any of "the Three Stooges" can turn around their seasons, making him look a little better in order to have a chance at landing another job in baseball.
He's also hanging on a prayer that both Hart and Ascanio will be busts for the Pirates in order to save face on that deal as well. He took a very effective 5th starter, and traded him away for a minor league lefty starter (don't ever forget that), and a handy reliever for a lefty "loogy" that has a .275 avg against this year by lefties, all the while having BJ Ryan in the minors waiting for a chance.
Clearly, ALL of his moves both during the season and offseason have backfired (will backfire) on him. You need look no further than the fact that it took them about a month to bring up Jake Fox when ARAM went down and they had no better option...then you'll see that even moves regarding his own system he hasn't even done right.
Furthermore, now we're seeing disconnect with Piniella and Hendry even more given Piniella's comments about having a 3rd lefty (BJ Ryan) in the pen. Which begs the question: what the hell was Hendry thinking paying a assload for Grabow and Gorzelanny when he clearly had suitable options in-house. Let's not forget that Grabow throws in the upper 80's, low 90's (if that), and BJ Ryan is throwing about the same, but with a better pedigree than Grabow. Did we really need another lefty that badly for 2 weeks? (which is the deadline of Ryan's call-up) Even if Ryan failed at AAA, we still had Gaub (who is on fire down there), and Jason Waddell as suitable options.
I just don't get him. Dude is a complete moron, and should never be in a decision-making capacity in MLB ever again.
To add just a little more to the waiver information, players may be "claimed" by more than one team. In those cases, the team in the player's league with the worst record has first shot at the waived player. In effect, that means that a player can't go to the other league if a team in his own league claims him. That's why the "free" in-league--interleague trading deadline has importance. The system also presents some interesting strategies with a second place contender (e.g.) claiming a player that they know the first place team would like to obtain.
I guess I will heed what JimK said about Piniella not criticizing or condemning a player in public, BUT I must say that I was quite irritated when I read a quote from Piniella when asked if he might remove Gregg from the closer's role: "Why should I?"
Are you kidding me...just look at the stats, Piniella, and past history! Don't we all just love the fact that Gregg's leading the league in giving up home runs, the ABSOLUTE killer as we all plainly see. I tend to agree with jc363 who says Gregg and Heilman were two of Hendry's biggest acquisitions so he will lobby to stay with them (along with their being "veterans" which makes them above the rest in Piniella's eyes, performance be damn). Bottom line: those two guys aren't going anywhere, certainly not where most of us would like them to be!
They go to bullpen purgatory, like Eyer and Howry did. That is Lou's last way of telling Hendry that he doesn't have to make a move, but his under performing bums aren't gonna play either.
And Aaron, once again a lot of good points that I agree with (all the unnecessary moves and bidding against himself) but I think most telling is the fact that they left Fox down in AAA and moved Lil' Mendoza instead and brought up Bobby Scales. He can't even manage his own system and isn't aware of players in Iowa?!!! I imagine that long rotten stretch could have been a lot different with Fox hitting clean-up behind Lee. But o well.
On the Gregg front, I think that both Hendry and Lou would do better by the fans to insert Marmol in the 9th. Why not? At least when he throws strikes he's unhittable. It might be the little jolt he needs to regain his dominant control. And if he doesn't, like i said, why not?
We need to get rid of Gregg and pick up houston street in a trade he is a better closer by far then Gregg.