Cubs' Maddon continues bullpen juggling act

The Cubs' bullpen was battered and beat up in the late innings of Monday night's come-from-behind 9-8 victory over the Colorado Rockies.

De facto closer Jason Motte gave up a home run, a single and a double to the only three batters he faced in the ninth inning. Newly acquired Rafael Soriano got the win, but he suffered a blown save when he gave up a rocket of a home run to Carlos Gonzalez.

Before that, manager Joe Maddon used Pedro Strop for a 1-2-3 seventh. Erstwhile closer Hector Rondon faced five batters in the eighth, allowing the Rockies' batting order to roll over for the top and middle to come up in the ninth.

On top of that, left-hander Travis Wood was not available after working the previous two days.

"I liked Strop where he was," Maddon said Tuesday. "I liked (Rondon) in the middle. With the bullpen, there are moments when you want to do something. There are moments when you have to do something. You prefer always the ones you want to do something. Yesterday we had to do different things based on how it played."

Maddon was asked if Rondon could become the closer again.

"Yeah, of course he could, and I anticipate that he will," he said. "I think Stropie's got that kind of stuff, too, I really do. I think Strop and Rondon are two definite physically gifted, stuff wise, closers. Now we've got to get to the point where they mentally are able to deal with that on a nightly basis.

"The big thing is not after they've done well. How do you deal with it after you've not done so well?"

Right-hander Neil Ramirez has not looked as dominant as he did in the past after a nearly two-month stint on the disabled list. Maddon admitted Ramirez is "still not where he needs to be or wants to be."

After Tuesday night's game Maddon said Ramirez was "not OK" and was not able to pitch. He was on the DL earlier this year with a shoulder ailment.

As for veteran Soriano, he has given up 2 homers in his first 4 outings for the Cubs, including an eventual game-winner to the Phillies' Jeff Francoeur in the 10th inning last Friday.

"He hit 93 (mph) last night," Maddon said. "Once Gonzalez hit the home run, the three sliders to (Nolan) Arenado were nasty. I think that's the slider I'm used to seeing.

"The other day with Francoeur, he gets him with the good slider and throws one that's not so good. That just tells me he's not as sharp as he can be. I just think he needs more time, more than anything."

Big lift for Bryant:

Rookie Kris Bryant has found the going tough in the second half of the season, but Monday night's walk-off homer could be a confidence booster.

The Cubs start four rookies in some games, and the long season can take a toll.

"I do believe you hit a wall, but I also believe you do catch a second wind," Joe Maddon said. "Last night can really be beneficial. That does a lot for your self-confidence. He's so talented. He's going to be so good for so many years. When the confidence takes a hit, how do you get it back?"