With Ted Lilly heading to the DL with a soar shoulder (thank goodness there is no tear) and for arthroscopic knee surgery, he will be out for at least 4-5 weeks. That leaves a gaping hole in the Cubs rotation. Ryan Dempster is set to come off of the DL to start on Tuesday, but for now it also means that Kevin Hart will remain in the rotation. Lou Piniella has said he would like to keep Sean Marshall in the bullpen, so for now, they're going to go with Hart as the 5th starter. This really worries me because Hart is not very good. He has not given up a lot of runs this season, but he does allow a lot of hits, and walks far too many men. I do not believe that the Cubs can win the division or the wild-card with Hart pitching every 5 days.
Therefore I feel the Cubs need to add a starting pitcher before the trade deadline, preferably a lefty to offset the loss of Lilly. Here are two ideas:
1.) Zach Duke, Pittsburgh Pirates: 9-9, 3.42 ERA, 3CG, 139 IP, 1.227 WHIP. Pretty good numbers considering he plays for the Pirates, career-wise he is 13 games under .500.
2.) Doug Davis, Arizona Diamondbacks: 4-10, 3.95 ERA, 118 IP, 1.496 WHIP. Davis is 33 years old and is 8 games under .500 for his career. His best seasons were with Milwaukee from 2004-06. He was also a key pitcher for the D-Backs in '07 going 13-12. He has not been as bad as his record would suggest this season, he got off to a terrible start, and does not get a lot of run support.
If the Cubs are smart, I think they would at least inquire about one, if not both of these guys. Milwaukee could be looking to add Davis as well, he is known as a Cub-Killer. Of the two, I would prefer Duke because he is 26 and has more upside.
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