Chicago Cubs Baseball

Remember last season when the Chicago Cub bats were as frigid as the April weather? And do you recall that when the offense did eke out some runs, how the Cubs bullpen managed to snatch defeat from the paws of victory?

Evidently, so does Cubs manager Lou Piniella.

In a move that would make even the most cynical Cub fan proud, Piniella announced Monday that blown-hold pitcher extraordinaire, Bob Howry, has been relieved of his set-up role in the Chicago bullpen. Howry will likely pull mop-up duty while the late-inning role will be handled by Carlos Marmol.

”It’s probably a combination of [velocity and location],” Piniella said of Howry. ”I’m going to use him in a different role, with more steady work. I might even use him in games we’re behind, so we might have to slip someone else into his [late-inning] role.

”The biggest thing is we need to get Howry straightened out. We need to get Bob going because he’s a horse.”

Translated: Howry can’t be trusted to hold a lead with the game on the line.

Which anyone who follows Chicago Cub baseball could have told Lou. A year ago. That’s when Howry, along with Scott (Steve) Eyre and Ryan Dempster took turns serving breakfast, lunch and supper to opposing batters. Dempster has since joined the starting rotation while Eyre has started the season on the disabled list.

That leaves only Howry to carry on the tradition. He hasn’t disappointed.

In four relief appearances this season, Howry’s 0-1 with two holds and an ERA that Alfonso Soriano would be happy to have as a batting average.

Give Piniella credit though. While his lineup shuffling drives Cubdom mad, his decision to keep Howry from incurring further damage deserves a tip of the hat.

In the long haul Piniella’s decision will probably be worth a couple of Cubs wins that otherwise would have ended up in Howry’s loss column. The way the Central Division is shaping up those two or three wins could be the difference between playing under the lights at Wrigley in October and working on the 101st year without a World Series title.

Piniella recognizes a pennant race when he sees one - and a struggling pitcher. Who says you can’t teach an old dog new tricks?