Epstein says rotating closer situation effective

When left-hander James Russell earned the save in Tuesday night's 6-3 victory over the Brewers, he became the seventh Cubs reliever to notch one this season.

Although manager Joe Maddon has never really designated a true closer, Hector Rondon far and away leads the team with 19 saves, with Jason Motte second, at 6.

Others recording saves this season are Justin Grimm, Tommy Hunter, Pedro Strop and Travis Wood.

While not a "closer-by-committee" system, Maddon has trusted several relievers in the ninth inning, based on situations or pitchers needing a day off.

Team President Theo Epstein said Wednesday that a system like this can indeed work.

"If you can pull it off, if you have the right personnel and the right leadership, it can really help because you get everyone involved," Epstein said. "You get the right kind of matchups. You get the right pitchers against certain spots in their lineup. And it can be really effective. I'm glad it's working well this year."

As most people are finding out, Maddon has never been afraid to do the unconventional.

"If you have that one guy, that solid one guy at the end of the ballgame, of course you want that guy because then you're able to manipulate the previous eight innings," Maddon said. "When you don't have that one guy, then you've got to keep in mind all nine. That's very much the difference. If you don't have that one guy who's going to nail it down, there's nothing wrong with doing what we're doing because you can really slot it the way you know it's best.

"All you're trying to do is put your guys' abilities best on the other team's abilities where you feel strongly that your guys can do a good job and get out of it on top."

Theo backs Starlin:

The Cubs appear to be one team interested in Philadelphia Phillies second baseman Chase Utley, Theo Epstein reiterated the organization's support for Starlin Castro.

Castro lost his shortstop's job to Addison Russell and has been working out at second base, where he may get some starts against left-handed pitching.

"He's still a real big part of our organization, a 25-year-old with a 200-hit season, a few all-star appearances," Epstein said. "We still see him as a very good player. He's suffering through a season that's certainly not been at his best. There's still a chance for him to turn things around and contribute. His attitude has been unbelievable. He's looking for ways to contribute. He went out to second base without any hesitation, making a great play in his first game out there (Tuesday night as a sub).

"It's a little bit of a dip in his career. I fully expect him to bounce back."

Could Castro be a long-term player at second base?

"Sure," Epstein said. "He could be a big part of our organization long term. We'll just see how everything shakes out."

Letting La Stella play:

Theo Epstein said infielder Tommy La Stella would be up by Sept. 1, when teams may expand their rosters, and that La Stella could even come up from Class AAA Iowa sooner.

La Stella opened the season as the starting second baseman with the Cubs, but a rib-cage injury he suffered in early April kept him out of action much of the season. The Cubs activated him off the disabled list Tuesday and optioned him to Iowa.

"We thought about possibly activating him straight to the major leagues, but the more we thought about it, the more we realized he just hasn't had much of a season," Epstein said. "He's not going to play every day up here at this point, so we're able to get his some consistent at-bats and put him into a position to maybe succeed in a different role when he comes up here."