Struggling bullpen serious chink in Cubs' armor

Serious thoughts in the dog days:

•As the July 31 trading deadline loomed, the clamor was for the Cubs to add a bat, either for the bench or the outfield.

But what was needed more than anything was another arm for the once-again beleaguered bullpen. Back in spring training, manager Lou Piniella and general manager Jim Hendry never mentioned the bullpen as a cause for concern.

That changed in a hurry. Lefty Scott Eyre struggled from the get-go, and the Cubs suffered 3 painful losses in May because of bullpen implosions. Those 3 losses could wind up making the difference in whether the Cubs make the playoffs.

The bullpen is struggling again. Michael Wuertz couldn't hold a 3-run lead Wednesday night, and Bob Howry gave up the game-winning runs to the Reds later that game in an 11-9 loss.

Carlos Marmol doesn't pitch every day. It only seems that way. Piniella is going to have to be careful not to wear the kid out.

On top of it, the Cubs don't have a veteran lefty they can count on in the bullpen. Eyre has been in exile, working only in mop-up situations. However, his scoreless seventh inning Thursday while the game was still close had to work in his favor.

Will Ohman was sent barking all the way to Iowa. We'll see how much Piniella turns to rookie Carmen Pignatiello, who was just called up this week and pitched a scoreless inning Thursday. He's worth a try.

•Now that No. 1 draft pick Josh Vitters has signed, the rebirth of the Cubs' farm system should continue.

Scouting director Tim Wilken, who took over the draft last year, is good for delivering "at least five major-leaguers" in every draft, according to many baseball insiders.

Wilken took heat last year for drafting outfielder Tyler Colvin higher than many "experts" rated Colvin. Although Colvin still needs work on strike-zone discipline -- and remember, this is his first full year of pro ball -- he's already made the jump from Class A Daytona this year to Class AA Tennessee. The way things are going, Colvin could be with the Cubs by September 2008.

Pignatiello became the 11th rookie to appear in a game with the Cubs this year, meaning they're using their system. Kids making their big-league debuts with the Cubs this year are: Rocky Cherry, Sean Gallagher, Billy Petrick, Clay Rapada, Jake Fox, Eric Patterson and Felix Pie.

Fox, by the way, looks like he can flat-out hit. The Cubs may not like his defense, but if he can continue to hit, he'll force his way onto the club someplace.

•Addendum to colleague Barry Rozner's accurate column item about Mark Cuban wanting to own the Cubs: No matter how much dough Cuban has, Major League Baseball has the ultimate trump card in the form of its antitrust exemption.

The exemption from antitrust laws, in and of itself a very bad thing, means MLB has a unique legal monopoly. In other words, baseball owners can do pretty much as they please (in all areas except for labor relations, where their exemption no longer exists). If Commissioner Bud Selig and his boys don't want somebody in their club, they don't have to let him or her in.