The Pedro Strop experiment going well in Chicago so far

July 15, 2013

Seattle Mariners – Charlie Furbush pitched the 8th inning ahead of Tom Wilhelmsen last night, marking the third time out of his last five appearances that he picked up an 8th inning hold.  Seattle bullpen usage has been hard to figure out since the return of Tom Wilhelmsen.  Oliver Perez got a save as recently as 10 days ago, while Yoervis Medina has been better than almost anyone, though recently, he’s generally been pitching the 9th when the M’s have a lead in a non-save situations.  If there’s actually a suitor for Tom Wilhelmsen at the trade deadline (which seems unlikely at this point), then Furbush’s high strikeout rates will throw him in to the mix for Seattle saves along with Perez and Medina.  No hierarchy change.

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Chicago Cubs – Pedro Strop got out of a tight situation in the 6th inning last night, and was briefly in line for the win until Matt Guerrier blew the save the following inning.  Strop, so dominant for the Orioles in the first half last year, is trying to regain his form in Chicago, and the early returns are good: He’s now pitched 6 scoreless innings for the Cubs, allowing only 2 hits and 2 walks while striking out 7.  Kevin Gregg did the Cubs no favors by imploding in the 9th last night, but if he’s dealt, Strop has an outside chance to inherit the 9th inning.  Hierarchy change: Pedro Strop to 2nd in line, replacing Matt Guerrier.

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