It's time to give someone else a shot in the ninth inning (Hector Neris has closing experience) and help Alzolay get his confidence back in a less stressful role.

Alzolay can't be trusted to handle the ninth inning right now, and the Cubs can't afford to keep losing winnable games.Īlzolay has more blown saves (four) than saves (three) this year, so Counsell has given him enough chances. We need outs,' Counsell said.Ĭounsell's implication was that he may start using Alzolay to get outs in lower-leverage, non-save situations. Louis Cardinals. We need Adbert to be an effective member of the bullpen, and I strongly believe that he will be. Dennis Lee Eckersley (born October 3, 1954), nicknamed 'Eck', is an American former professional baseball pitcher and color commentator.Between 19, he pitched in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cleveland Indians, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Oakland Athletics, and St. 'Well, we need Adbert to get outs, regardless of where it is (in the game). A year later he left and relocated to San Diego, where he became a color commentator for six years at Channel 4. Soon after retiring from playing baseball, Rick was hired by the Idaho Falls Braves as their pitching coach. All four of his blown saves have involved a home run, which can be killers in high-leverage situations and often result from poorly executed pitches. In 1994, Rick joined St Louis Cardinals, and that same year he retired from baseball. Cubs manager Craig Counsell on Adbert Alzolay after his 4th blown save of the season ⬇️ /YK8KJNw2Mb- Ryan Herrera April 20, 2024Ĭounsell cited Alzolay's issues with keeping the ball in the park, as he's already surrendered four home runs in 10 innings this year. Vergil Patrick Hughes (born May 27, 1955) 1 is an American sportscaster.

Cubs baseball commentator