Pen Management?

Time for more complaining about Dusty Baker. I figured I'd start a new article.

Someone on the bench needs to teach Dusty how to manage pitching. He has no idea what a pitch count is. Then he loves to ride a guy in the pen until his arm is tired and sucks it up. Currently that relief pitcher is Michael Wuertz. In 27 games, Michael Wuertz has appeared in 16 of them. That probably means he has warmed up in 4 more games that he did not come in. Even if you average 1 inning a game, that is way too much to pitch a guy. The fatigue is starting to show on Wuertz as in his last couple of appearances he has been a little more erratic and his pitches just not as sharp. At this pace Wuertz will appear in about 95 games and knowing Dusty Baker he just might make it. I understand the Cubs pen is in shambles, with Fox getting hurt, Remlinger sucking up the place, Bartosh who is nothing more than a mop-up guy, Leceister was sent back down, Novoa is a waste of space and then Latroy Hawkins well who has not lived up to expectations, but you need to find a way to manage it better than just keep throwing the same guy from the pen out there or even worse letting your starters throw 115+ pitches a game. Some of the blame does need to go to the GM for not being prepared and foreseeing that the pen needed an overhaul. The one thing that might help is that Joe Borowski is coming back soon, though I know he will most likely not be on par of 2003, hopefully he can come back and be serviceable.