News
Gregg competing to reclaim closer role
Chicago (77-72) at Milwaukee (74-76), 7:05 p.m. CT
By Carrie Muskat / MLB.com
09/22/09 12:43 AM ET
MILWAUKEE -- Kevin Gregg will spend the final two weeks of the regular season marketing himself as a potential closer. His chances of keeping that job with the Cubs are slim. Gregg is one of four free agents on the Cubs. He lost the closer's job on Aug. 18, but he hasn't been banished to the last spot in the bullpen. Last Tuesday against the Milwaukee Brewers, Lou Piniella called on Gregg to face Corey Hart, Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder. On Friday against St. Louis, Gregg came in with one on and two outs in the eighth of a tie game to face Albert Pujols. That's not an easy task. "I think he's the greatest hitter in the game, hands down," Gregg said of the Cardinals' slugger. "Coming in with a guy on, having to face him late in the game, tight situation -- you've got to make your pitches, you've got to do your thing. He's good. That's the bottom line." Gregg will be waiting for the call in the Cubs' three-game series against the Brewers at Miller Park. This is their last road trip, which will end with a four-game set in San Francisco. The Cubs want to see if Carlos Marmol can handle the job in 2010 so they don't have to spend the offseason looking for their fourth closer in the past four years. Sometimes, the tight spot in the game comes before the ninth. "I think Lou thinks highly of me and what I'm doing, otherwise he wouldn't put me in the situation like that [against Pujols]," Gregg said. "It's kind of ironic that I've struggled against righties, but he brought me in against the best right-hander in the game, or any hitter in the game. "I believe in my stuff. I had my ups and downs as the season goes, and I think all pitchers do, all closers do." He's smart enough to know the Cubs have some decisions to make regarding the 2010 roster. Marmol has come to Spring Training the last two seasons competing for the starting job. This year, it will be his to lose. "Being a free agent at the end of the year, it's something I have to deal with," Gregg said. "Hopefully, my track record speaks for itself." What's encouraging to Gregg is this season was his first since knee surgery. He saw Dr. George Palette, the orthopedic specialist who performed the operation, on Friday in St. Louis. Palette told Gregg that next year should be even better. "With this surgery, [the ups and downs were] something to be expected, something the team expected," Gregg said. "The fact that I've been in more than 70 games already is a good sign." He's got to figure out why his home/road numbers are so skewed. At Wrigley Field, which isn't considered pitcher-friendly, Gregg is 4-1 with 11 saves and a 2.21 ERA. On the road, he's 1-5 with seven blown saves, 12 saves and a 7.59 ERA. "I've looked into it," Gregg said, "and I think it's more of a mental thing. It wasn't a mental thing of pitching on the road, but more of the approach and how to handle that. I had a different approach at home than I did on the road. Sometimes you get that way in a big ballpark, small ballpark. Obviously, we pitch in one of the smallest ballparks at home, and if they see those numbers, they'll say, 'If he can pitch there, he can pitch anywhere.'" There had been some talk that Gregg was tipping his pitches, especially after back-to-back blown save outings in Florida Aug. 1-2. "I think I got myself in a bad spot when Larry [Rothschild, pitching coach] started talking about tipping pitches and all that stuff," Gregg said. "I quit pitching at that point and tried to work around all the other stuff, and I think I lost a little bit on my stuff." So, he wasn't giving hitters a heads up somehow? "I think there could've been something to it, but there's something to throwing the ball with conviction," Gregg said. "If you're worried about mechanics, and doing all that stuff, you lose conviction on the ball." Pitching matchupCHC: RHP Randy Wells (10-9, 3.06 ERA)
Wells was upset with himself after giving up five earned runs in four innings in his last start, Thursday against the Brewers. The rookie walked a season-high five, for a total of eight in his past 7 2/3 innings. That's not a recipe for success for Wells, who issued two or fewer free passes in 19 of his first 22 starts. But Wells said Piniella "hit a nerve," when they talked in the dugout after Wells' outing. Piniella told his pitcher to go back to doing what he has for most of this season: challenging hitters in the strike zone and getting ahead in the count, rather than nibbling at the corners of the plate. Wells said he will fix the problem before his next start. MIL: RHP Dave Bush (5-7, 5.88 ERA)
Bush pitched 5 2/3 innings to beat the Cubs on Thursday, then hustled home to welcome a new member to the family. Bush's wife, Carrie, had labor induced on Friday morning. "He had a lot on his mind with the baby coming, and that's something we had been talking a lot about over the last couple of days," Brewers pitching coach Chris Bosio said. "He gave us a chance to win it, and that's what we're looking for. The offense and the bullpen came through." Jody Gerut provided most of the offense with a grand slam, and four relievers worked the final 3 1/3 innings for a 7-4 win. It was a rare win for Bush, who is just 2-7 against the Cubs despite a respectable 4.73 ERA. Tidbits
Rich Harden is expected to return to the Cubs' rotation this weekend against the Giants. ... Kosuke Fukudome had some scratch marks on the left side of his face after crashing into the center-field wall at Busch Stadium on Sunday night. He stayed on the ground for a long time before getting up. "It's because the game was on ESPN, so it was a little more exaggerated," Fukudome said. ... When Fukudome and So Taguchi were both in the outfield Sunday night for the Cubs, it marked the first time two Japanese outfielders were playing at the same time on a U.S. Major League team. ... Angel Guzman is scheduled to see one of the team doctors on Tuesday to try to determine if there's anything wrong. He's been sidelined because of discomfort in his right triceps. ... Derrek Lee matched his single-season career-RBIs high of 107. Tickets
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• Wednesday: Cubs (Jeff Samardzija, 1-2, 7.89) at Brewers (Chris Narveson, 1-0, 4.22), 7:05 p.m. CT
• Thursday: Cubs (Ryan Dempster, 10-8, 3.72) at Giants (Brad Penny, 10-9, 5.35), 9:15 p.m. CT
• Friday: Cubs (Carlos Zambrano, 8-6, 3.91) at Giants (Tim Lincecum, 14-6, 2.47), 9:15 p.m. CT
Carrie Muskat is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
