No scrubs

Generally speaking, it's just like Left Eye, Chili and T-Boz said: I don't want no Cubs, a Cub is a guy that can't get no love from me. Don't like 'em, never will -- and the longer I stay in Chi-town, the more tired I get of constantly looking at their dead-beat pinstriped asses. But I'm genuinely feeling sorry for Todd Wellemeyer this week, because he got demoted to AAA Iowa to open a roster spot for rehabbing n'er-do-well Ryan Dempster. Wellemeyer hurt his chances this year by going on the DL with a right groin strain, but did everything right since his return. In limited work this season, he has shown flashes of brilliance:

12 g/ 16ip/ 11h/ 4r/ 14bb/ 18k/ 10.13 k/9 /1-0 W-L/ .196 BAA/ 1.56 WHIP/ 2.25 ERA

I've highighted the trouble spots -- walks and ratio -- but everything else is solid for the small sample size. And I'd like to add the caveat that he pitched a lot of junk innings, because sparing work didn't let him get into a groove and he just wasn't Dusty Baker's go-to guy. Tough call, but the guy Baker kept in his place, Jon Leicester endeared himself as the Cubs best middle reliever in July with 2 wins and 2 holds. His seasonal stats in limited work are pretty good, too:

14 g/ 19.2ip/ 14h/ 4r/ 3bb/ 16k/ 7.32 k/9 / 3-0 W-L/ .194 BAA/ 0.86 WHIP/ 1.83 ERA

And besides the obvious edge in walks and ratio and wins, what the stats (at least the ones I've picked out to showcase) don't tell you is that Leicester has been a much more economical pitcher so far. Wellemeyer tossed 338 pitches in 16 innings for an average of 21.1 pitches per inning. Leicester threw 299 pitches over 19 2/3 innings for an average of 15.2 pitches per inning. It's a substantial enough difference that I don't doubt Baker's move. Wellemeyer does all his shopping at K-Mart, but Leicester comes correct with the pitch location.

There are, however, two-million reasons Ryan Dempster's back up in the majors. No idea how he'll work out -- he served up a hit and a walk in 2/3 of an inning in his first appearance since coming off the DL -- but the Cubs brass seems to think he'll be able to sub for LaTroy Hawkins to close out games. Well, actually: Dempster has a 5.00+ ERA in 964 career innings -- enough of a sample size to determine, unequivocally, that he absolutely blows. And Dempster fancies himself to be a lot better than he has proven to be so far, mouthing off in the press about how he's not interested in pitching in that role. So yes, I'd much rather see Wellemeyer pitching in middle relief until he falls flat -- even if the rookie doesn't have the intangible of veteran hoo-doo mystique in his favor.