Wednesday night, Casey Coleman started for the Cubs. He entered the game with a 6.03 ERA. When the final accounting on his evening was complete, roughly 37 minutes later, Coleman had a 7.32 ERA. With Carlos Zambrano complaining of a stiff neck Thursday, Andrew Cashner coming off the DL who knows when, and no reason to expect help from the minors, the Cubs have made a move. Paul Sullivan:
Cubs Bolster Thin Staff With Veteran Rodrigo Lopez
Cubs acquire Triple-A RH Rodrigo Lopez from Braves, will join bullpen.
Wait, what? Bullpen.
I’ll bet dollars to doughnuts that Lopez gets Coleman’s rotation slot. Though he’s now 35 and does own a career 4.85 ERA in the majors, a) 4.85 is a lot better than 7.32, and b) Lopez has pitched quite well, almost brilliantly, with triple-A Gwinnett this spring.
To get Lopez, the Cubs are sending lefty Ryan Buchter to the Braves. Buchter’s apparently got a big arm and has almost no idea where the ball’s going after he lets it fly. Maybe the Braves can spin him into gold, but this winter he wasn’t on any of the prospect lists.
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