In a somewhat surprising move, the Chicago Cubs are swapping out relievers today in addition to the Tony Campana move. Marcos Mateo, who has shown flashes of electric stuff, but has struggled to pitch consistently well, has been sent out to AAA Iowa. Taking his place will be lefty reliever Scott Maine.
Maine, 26, was expected to crack the Cubs bullpen out of Spring Training after a solid showing with the big club in 2010, but a couple crummy outings doomed his bid, and he was sent to Iowa to try and reclaim his spot. At Iowa, Maine sparkled on a team that gave up a ton of runs. He’s got a 2.84 ERA in 19 innings with 21 Ks. His WHIP is 1.263.
Mateo, 27, made the Cubs on the strength of his potential. The production never quite met the potential (and it didn’t help that he was exposed in high leverage situations *cough* *last night* *cough*), and he heads out with a 5.74 ERA in 15.2 innings pitched. He struck out 17, but allowed 30(!) baserunners.