Chicago Cubs Baseball

The Chicago Cubs are spelling relief a lot different than they were at the beginning of the season. In fact, Cubs baseball is spelling it with just about every letter in the alphabet - give or take eight or so.

Which is about the number of innings the bullpen was called upon today after yet another sub-par effort from a Cubs starter. This time it was lefty Rich Hill, the April phenom, turned mostly average for the past eight weeks.

Hill lasted three largly mediocre innings in this the first of three crucial games with the Central Division-leading Milwaukee Brewers. Like his pitches, his timing couldn’t have been more imperfect.

Already short-handed, this is a time when the Cubs bullpen is being stretched like a camel through a needle’s eye - both humps and all.

Maybe former Chicago Cub catcher Michael Barrett’s dugout shouting match with Hill simply lacked diplomacy and not diagnosis. Hill, in his last 10 starts, has managed just one win after ending April 3-1.

But Hill isn’t the Cubs only four-week wonder starting pitcher.  Jason Marquis hasn’t won a game since May 9th or 51 days for those of you who dig the long math.

And Marquis is slated for Sunday’s start.  Which means Marquis’ either ready for a return to April form, or Cub trainers better start making extra ice for the exhausted bullpen arms now.

The headlines for today’s ninth-inning heroics will undoubtedly be filled by the names of Soriano, Fontenot and the man of the power hour - Aramis Ramirez.  After all, the 6-5 win couldn’t have been possible without the power trio - or two singles and a blast with plenty of bass.

But it’s the alphabet soup of relievers - Billy Petrick, Michael Wuertz, Carlos Marmol and Bob Howry - that at least should share a few bulbs on the Cubs’ marquee.  There is, after all, plenty of room for heroes when they post six innings of zeroes.