NEWSLETTER
Chicago Cubs starter Randy Wells came out of nowhere last year to be one of the better pitchers in the National League, and to finish among the top handful of vote-getters in the Rookie of the Year race.
But still, because had not been a highly-touted prospect, Cubs fans have been waiting for the other shoe to drop. I am not saying it dropped last night. I’m just saying that Wells looked incredibly bad last night against the Pittsburgh Pirates, giving up seven runs in just two innings. There’s no need for me to say more, as Wells himself said it all.
“It’s terrible,” Wells said. “Unacceptable. Everything I’ve ever preached about why I’m successful, what I do to be successful, I totally got away from.
“I came in too cocky, too confident,” he said. “Warming up in the bullpen, I don’t think I missed a pitch. I’m laughing, joking around with [catcher Geovany Soto] before the game. I went out there and was all out of whack and let it get out of hand.
“When we needed a win the most to stop the bleeding, I got lackadaisical, wasn’t on top of my game and shoved it up my [rear end],” he said.
He didn’t even take a breath in his monologue.
“That’s pretty much all that happened,” Wells said. “I can’t throw strikes with the fastball, can’t get ahead of hitters. You’re flipping [bad] sliders in there, and not throwing strikes with your best pitch, which is your changeup, and that’s the kind of stuff that happens. It’s time to get back to work and have a reality check and realize what my job is here and what my main focus is and that’s to win ballgames.
“All that other [nonsense], [being] 3-0 and pitching for the Chicago Cubs doesn’t mean [anything],” he said. “I’m here to win ballgames. As far as I’m concerned after tonight, I’m no better than anybody. It’s time to get back to work and have a good side.” Muskat Ramblings.
So many of the Cubs recognize that they are not performing. They’re saying all the right things. But now it’s time to do something about it.
