Wuertz was demoted before yesterday's game. Novoa was promoted in his place.

Novoa didnt look too good today at all

I've never thought much of Novoa. I think he's on the Wellemeyer/Leicester career track.

Cubs called up Aardsma to replace Pagan. The Hawkins trade looks better and better.

I like that the cubs are giving Aardsma a chance. As good as Wuertz was last year, he was fungible reliever good, not relief ace good. And he's been really inconsistent both in spring training and early this season. With the bullpen a strength at least for now, it makes more sense to try a few different options in the last slot, since whoever's there will probably be pitching low leverage innings anyway.

With the bullpen a strength at least for now, it makes more sense to try a few different options in the last slot

Also, if Aardvark or Novoa pan out, the team could be in the rare position of contending mid-year *and* having a quality reliever to sell high, such as Williamson, who's been awesome even though he feels like he isn't all the way back yet.

One of the benefits of filling out the pen with option guys like Wuertz and Novoa is the luxury of being able to go with guys who are currently pitching well, rather than being stuck with an overpaid albatross like Remlinger. Nice to see the Cubs in that position for a change.

So wait, the Cubs lose a position guy and have 3 more shaken up/missing time (ARam, Jones, Mabry) and they decide now's the time to expand the bullpen? WTF is up with that? Ugh, roster construction continues to allude Hendry/Baker.

The Tribune article evidently makes it clear that Hairston will play multiple positions, probably at once a la Bugs Bunny.

So wait, the Cubs lose a position guy and have 3 more shaken up/missing time (ARam, Jones, Mabry) and they decide now's the time to expand the bullpen? WTF is up with that? Ugh, roster construction continues to allude Hendry/Baker.

I wondered the same thing. I know Dusty loves his extra relievers, but this is a little ridiculous particularly given how well the pen has pitched for the most part this year. What does this leave on the bench?

Neifi
Mabry (hurt)
Hairston
Bynum
Blanco

Now it's starting to look like a Dusty bench - weak-hitting players who can play multiple positions with various degrees of usefulness. Bynum is the new Macias.

Bynum is the new Macias.

Yes, but with more upside and he's probably better now.

Whoever they called up would probably be the last bat off the bench anyways. Pie would be wasted there, and Dusty's said as much. Other options -- Restovich, Theriot -- are really no better than the guys they already have.

And the best options (Sing, Restovich) aren't on the 40 man. You're gonna tell me calling up The Riot was gonna make it less of a Dusty bench? The loss of Pagan is what pushed the bench to only weak hitting players? Wish we had his power back. Mabry was available to pinch hit the last couple days, and I believe is ready to start again now.

Can't believe that for once Dusty is making the move to preserve his pitchers and he's getting slammed for it. The pen has been overworked early on, and they're doing something to remedy it.

If there was something in the minors beyond 2 guys making their AA debuts, a 14th middle infielder, or the top prospect in the organization who shouldn't be wasted on the bench I could see your point.

Whoever they called up would probably be the last bat off the bench anyways. Pie would be wasted there, and Dusty's said as much. Other options -- Restovich, Theriot -- are really no better than the guys they already have.

Theriot would be pointless -- the last thing they need is another weak-hitting middle infielder. Restovich or Sing would probably be the last bat off the bench (even if they are better at the plate than Neifi, Blanco, and Bynum), but so what? The point is that they are somewhat shorthanded in the field and they really have little need for a 12th pitcher.

There is one problem of adding Restovich, of course -- he'd need to be added to the 40-man and they would have to take someone off (and passing them through waivers to do so). I wouldn't have a problem doing that with Ryan Theriot or Jose Reyes, but Jim Hendry does for some reason.

Oh, and SSR: This pen has not been overworked, by any means. You ought to watch more Rockies and Devil Rays games.

Restovich or Sing would probably be the last bat off the bench (even if they are better at the plate than Neifi, Blanco, and Bynum), but so what? The point is that they are somewhat shorthanded in the field and they really have little need for a 12th pitcher.

And Aardsma is going to be lucky to see more than 3 innings of action over the next 2 weeks. Have you forgotten how little action the 12th pitcher sees under Dusty? Wellemeyer and Leciester, for example, would go a week at a time without making an appearance.

And the best options (Sing, Restovich) aren't on the 40 man.

Hey, yet another point in favor of my lack of roster construction argument.

But the point comes back around to the fact that *right now* there's a bunch of injuries with the hitters. That 12th guy is likely to see action. Wasn't Bynum the last guy on the bench to start the year? He started yesterday because there wasn't anyone else to start.

Wasn't Bynum the last guy on the bench to start the year? He started yesterday because there wasn't anyone else to start.

And he started because Angel Pagan -- the 24th man on the roster, started and got hurt.

My point is I don't see how you blame Dusty for the 40 man roster construction as is. Serious question, what position player would you have called up in place of Aardsma?

My point is I don't see how you blame Dusty for the 40 man roster construction as is. Serious question, what position player would you have called up in place of Aardsma?

It's a mix of Dusty and Hendry - Hendry for having 40-man roster issues (that's been a problem every year, both around Rule 5 and in-season when promotions are needed), and Hendry/Dusty for setting this up to be a 12 pitcher/13 player team. They've carried 12 pitchers for most of the last 2 years, despite the fact that the 12th pitcher is always underworked and the bench is always weak.

I would guess that one of the reasons the 40-man roster is constructed this way is because Hendry knows that the team will only be carrying 13 position players for most of the season. Pagan's injury may have accelerated the move to the 12/13 split, but it was going to happen eventually. Dusty obviously likes carrying 12 pitchers, so I'd guess that Hendry's 40-man roster construction is at least in part an attempt to be responsive to what his manager wants.

My point is I don't see how you blame Dusty for the 40 man roster construction as is. Serious question, what position player would you have called up in place of Aardsma?

I'm not blaming Dusty per se. I'm blaming the orginazational policy that allows the roster to be this way. I think Dusty has a say on certain guys, and if not, Hendry at least knows what Dusty prefers and tends to appease him. I bet Dusty had a say in Aardsma coming up over someone else.

As for the question, I'd still take Theriot over Aardsma. Finding a way to get Sing or Restovich on the roster would also be smart (and honestly, one of them should have been there already just in case this scenario happened). Bring Pie up would have been stupid.

My main problem with your earliest post was this comment-Can't believe that for once Dusty is making the move to preserve his pitchers and he's getting slammed for it.-and I quoted djf instead to build on his point. But I wanted to say originally was no one really is complaining about how much he uses the guys in the bullpen (specifially this one) is because they're all veterans and none really scream out injury risk like Fox did. How does this move preserve his pitchers? Does it help Z at all? Or Marshall? Not really, cause they're still going to pitch as much as they can/Dusty's comfortable with.

The Rockies pen has pitched 1/3 of an inning more than the Cubs pen.

I think Dusty alters his starting pitching usage based on how much he trusts his bullpen. If he doesn't trust a bullpen arm to go a 3rd day in a row cause he threw 3 innings over the past couple days then he's gonna stretch Z for one more inning than he should. I'm not too worried about Marshall as Dusty has almost seemed overly cautious with him this year, which is just strange.

The Rockies pen has pitched 1/3 of an inning more than the Cubs pen.

Ok, I didn't really look at the numbers. :-)

Still, my point is that virtually no pen is truly overworked.

Oh, and I'll throw a kudo to Hendry, something I'm normally reluctant to do --

Based on the quotes I read from Dusty over the weekend, I'm willing to believe that Dusty lobbied to bring up Pie, but Hendry said no.

Sure, I have a problem bringing up Aardsma and going with 12 pitchers and a weak bench, but at least Hendry stuck to principle.

I read Dusty saying he needed a 12th pitcher because he didn't like having a reliever throw two innings then be unavailable the next day. I'm not sure why this would be an issue when you have Williamson, Eyre, Howry and Dempster all going great guns, but I guess we can expect shorter reliever outings.

I think I'm just afraid of seeing things like Neifi or Hairston in RF.

But the point comes back around to the fact that *right now* there's a bunch of injuries with the hitters. That 12th guy is likely to see action. Wasn't Bynum the last guy on the bench to start the year? He started yesterday because there wasn't anyone else to start.

Yes, but Mabry's back, Jones is more or less back. ARam won't be out much longer. The 'bunch of injuries' really only covers 3 or 4 days -- I don't think you make roster decisions based on that.

That's true, but it still doesn't make it a smart thing to carry 12 pitchers. They would've probably been better making no moves whatsoever.

And the Cubs are still in the position of having Neifi, Blanco and Hairston as the only RH bats of the bench. Of course, the situation wasn't much better with Pagan, so I guess not to much has changed.

I suspect that the current roster won't be together for that long. The Cubs will probably do something in the next couple of weeks to get another bat on the bench.

I suspect that the current roster won't be together for that long. The Cubs will probably do something in the next couple of weeks to get another bat on the bench.

Why? They carried 12 pitchers for most of the last two years. I don't expect this year will be any different.

. . . Aramis “.586 OPS and sore butt” Ramirez show-boat his way into a near disaster at 2B on a long double . . .

You're welcome to send him back.

I'm not sure why this would be an issue when you have Williamson, Eyre, Howry and Dempster all going great guns, but I guess we can expect shorter reliever outings.

Are we going back to 3 releivers an inning? Let' hope Crusty is not trying to elmulate Bobby Cox and CryBaby LaRussa and blow through every arm every game.

Sure there are those few games a year where you can save the game by exploiting matchups. But Crusty usually waits until the bases are juiced with 0-1 outs and a 1 run lead for that.

I'll try to spin positive. Since Wurtzie was throwing BP meat, might as well try someone else. Novoa goes from flashes of brilliance to single A guy in over his head.

Lets just be greatful for Williamson, Eyre, Howry and Dempster. I will retract a earlier post about Williamson not being good. He appears to be back.