Bullpen Collapses, Marmol Out As Closer

Everyone knew it was just a matter of time until Carlos Marmol lost his closer role. In his first appearance of the season, Marmol allowed one run and had to be replaced; his second appearance saw him give up two runs, but he escaped losing due to a ground ball double play. Finally, on Saturday in Atlanta, the inevitable happened and Marmol's mistakes resulted in a loss.

The Cubs lead the Braves 5-1 heading into the eight inning, and Kyuji Fujikawa was brought in to replace Carlos Villanueva. Fujikawa allowed a quick three runs, turning the game into a save opportunity for Marmol in the ninth. Marmol would allow solo home runs to each of the Upton brothers, making the final decision 6-5.

Villanueva had a promising Cubs debut, allowing one run over 6 2/3 innings, though the bullpen decided he would have to wait to acquire his first win with the club. Despite having the win taken away from him, Villanueva's debut was a successful one.

This was the first time in five games that the Cubs played a complete game (with the exception of the bullpen). Villanueva's strong performance, coupled with the offense finally busting out, made the team look respectable.

Anthony Rizzo's second hit of the season came in the fifth inning, as he took rookie Julio Teheran deep. Each of his first two hits this season left the yard.

Everyone in the Cubs starting lineup had a base hit Saturday night, including Villanueva. David Dejesus finally got a base hit, driving a double into the gap. Luis Valbuena hit his first big fly of the year, taking advantage of a bad pitch by Teheran. Wellington Castillo had his first multi-hit game of the year, going 2-5 with a stolen base.

Castillo shined defensively once again, gunning down the speedy B.J. Upton stealing second. On the pitch prior to the stolen base attempt, Castillo attempted a pickoff to first base, though he was screened by Jason Heyward. The throw was on the money, though Rizzo could not get the tag down in time. Castillo has been a real bright spot during the first five games, both offensively and defensively.

The biggest story came after Marmol's blown save, though. Manager Dale Sveum announced that he was going to talk with the closer, and he would be replaced by Fujikawa. Marmol will have the opportunity to win his job back later in the season, and based on Fujikawa's appearance Saturday night,   that might not be too long.