State of the Cub bullpen

When Kevin Gregg recorded the first out Saturday night I turned to my dad and said, "How good has this guy been this year, huh? What a great pickup." Since those words left my lips, he has blown 2 saves. D-Lee's home run erased Saturday's (by putting the them and Gregg in the win column), but the comical fashion in which he blew that save should be forgotten in the least.

The blown save tonight is simply heart-breaking and I really don't want to spend too much time talking about it. Gregg I'm sure will be fine; apparently Cubs jerseys and Landshark/Dolphin/Pro Player don't work for him (see Daryl Ward last year). My bigger concern is with others in the relief corps.

Marmol and Heilman (the supposed 7th and 8th inning guys) have provided the Cubs with the definition of mediocrity and unreliability out of the bullpen this season. Honestly Cub fans (think of 2009 Marmol only), do you ever trust that either of those can hold a lead? Heilman has 8 holds this season and it August. You have got be kidding me. John Grabow had almost twice that for the Pirates, a last place team.

It is really no use complaining about how bad Heilman is, it just frustrates me that he is what we netted for Felix Pie. That isn't a complaint on Hendry in general, because I think it was masterful how he sold extremely high on Sean Gallagher and got a pitcher of Rich Harden's talents. Look where Gallagher is now: the PTBNL in a deal for Scott Hairston. That is smart. I just feel a little wronged that they couldn't have gotten anything better than a seemingly washed out, all-the-talent-in-the-world-but-he-can't-put-it-together- player like Heilman. Argh.

Forget this series. It is the Marlins and nothing good ever comes from playing the teal team with the mosquito for a mascot. On we got to Cincy where Rusty Dusty can hopefully provide the same fun for Cub fans he did last weekend.

Photo courtesy sportsillustrated.cnn.com.