Cubs-Tigers, Game 1: Does Hendry know how to spell DFA?
Glendon Rusch pitched his way out of the rotation today, and if there's any justice in the world, he'll receive his walking papers tomorrow. Calling him a terrible pitcher is an insult to terrible pitchers everywhere. He makes Russ Ortiz look good. Speaking of Ortiz, the D-backs released him earlier this week, in effect eating over 20 million dollars. Keith Law at ESPN.com had a great article about the move, and he applauded the Diamondbacks for recognizing the sunk cost. Rusch fits in the same category. The fact of the matter is, whether he's here or not, the money is gone. If the Cubs are better off with a random rookie on the mound than Rusch, then the random rookie should get the playing time. Payroll should not dictate PT. So release the bum, eat the 4 million he's owed, and move on with life.
A few other note-worthy items have reared their ugly head over the last two days.
- Carlos Zambrano's arm is "very heavy" right now. He didn't miss a turn, and he pitched brilliantly yesterday, but his arm is sore enough for the Cubs to alert the media. (That alone should scare you.) I don't know, but you don't suppose the dead arm has anything to do with the three straight starts over 120 pitches, does it? Nah, of course not. I actually think Carlos will be ok. He's a horse and can probably handle a higher workload than your average chap. But if there's one thing that Cubs fans don't want to see, it's a dead arm on Carlos Zambrano.
- Dusty announced that Freddie Bynum is going to platoon with Matt Murton. Good Lord in heaven, no. It's not that Murton's doing great, far from it. He's still hitting the lefties, but he's been looking pretty awful against righties lately. Because of that, it appears the Cubs have already soured on him and his long term potential. Mike Kiley of the Sun-Times had an interesting article about Cubs left fielders through the years, pointing out the Cubs history and lack of patience with prospects. The bottom line is if this season is over, Murton needs to play every day. He's still young enough that he has a chance to actually learn how to hit righthanders. Pulling him from the lineup in favor of a light-hitting supersub with no future would be the very definition of counter-productive.
- Angel Guzman looked really good today in relief of Rusch. I'm not sure if it was a case of Detroit scouts not preparing for him or Angel finally harnessing his talent. But he looked good, and I would expect him to receive Rusch's next start.
- Mark Prior is schedule to pitch Sunday or Monday. No word yet on his next DL stint.
That's it from me. I'm heading to Ohio this weekend to spend some time with family and to check out the Cubs in Cleveland. Full report when I get back. Happy Father's Day, everybody.