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Justin Ruggiano limped off the field Wednesday with an apparent hamstring injury. That, and the Cubs' bullpen failures, have led to the following roster moves:
Ruggiano to DL, Parker optioned. Zach Rosscup and Neil Ramirez recalled
— Jesse Rogers (@ESPNChiCubs) April 24, 2014
Well. This gives the Cubs a 13-man pitching staff and really leaves the bench short. That's only a four-man bench, and one of those is backup catcher John Baker, who has been impotent offensively this year.
On the other hand, Zac Rosscup threw well in his one-game trial earlier this month, and Neil Ramirez threw quite well in spring training. He was a starter in the Rangers system, but had pitched exclusively in relief for Triple-A Iowa this year. In seven appearances covering seven innings he posted a 7.71 ERA, with five walks and 11 strikeouts and two home runs allowed.
Sounds like he'll fit right in with this pitching staff. Hopefully the 13-man staff won't last too long.