Pie, Wells find their way back to Cubs

ST. LOUIS - Felix Pie hit his head on his locker, but there was no wiping the smile from his face.

Randy Wells looked like he couldn't believe his good fortune just to be here.

The Cubs recalled Pie from Class AAA Iowa Tuesday and purchased the contract of pitcher Wells from that club. With Iowa out of the Pacific Coast League playoffs, Pie's return to the big leagues was a foregone conclusion.

Not so for Wells. The onetime Cubs farmhand went to the Toronto Blue Jays in last December's Rule 5 draft and got into one game in April. The Jays designated him for assignment, and the Cubs reacquired him.

Wells went on to become Iowa's pitcher of the year, going 10-4 with a 4.02 ERA.

"It's been a crazy year," he said. "The Rule 5 thing. Getting a shot there in Toronto and getting designated, coming back to the organization I started with and now finally getting a chance to be here. It's a dream come true to be able to make my first appearance with the Cubs in this stadium. I'm just kind of taking it all in now.

"I spent six years in the organization. You fight and you fight and you fight trying to get here. And the day comes. It's rewarding. It's a relief."

Wells is a native of Belleville, Ill., so he had plenty of exposure to Cubs and Cardinals baseball growing up. Like reliever Carlos Marmol, Wells began his career as a catcher, with the Cubs taking him in the 38th round of the 2002 draft. He was a fixture in Cubs spring-training camps for several years as a pitcher.

Wells will go to the bullpen and fill the void left by the injured Chad Gaudin.

Pie began the season as the Cubs' opening-day center fielder, but he got sent to Iowa after batting .222 (14-for-63). At Iowa, he batted .287 with 20 doubles, 5 triples, 10 homers and 55 RBI.

"I made some adjustments with the hitting coach," Pie said after rubbing the sting out of his head. "I was working hard. For the first month, it was a little bit of a struggle, but I've been working a lot."