The Cubs beat the Dodgers yesterday, 3-1, to salvage one game of the 4 game series. However, the big news wasn't the win, it was that Carlos Marmol got the save and looked like his former dominant self in the process.
Marmol pitched a 1-2-3 inning, striking out 2 and throwing 12 of his 16 pitches for strikes. After a season-long battle with his control, this was a refreshing change, to say the least.
Chances are the Cubs are probably going to take a long look at Marmol in the closer role as the season winds downs. The Cubs are 8 back in the Central and 7 back in the Wildcard, so they don't have much to lose at this point. Marmol has arguably the most dominant stuff on the pitching staff, but his pitches have so much movement, they're hard to control. If he can harness his stuff, he could be one of the most dominant closers the Cubs have had since Lee Smith. If he can't harness his control, he could become the righthanded version of Mitch Williams.
So, with Kevin Gregg becoming a free agent after this season, the Cubs are hoping that they can fill the closer role in-house. If not, they may be forced to explore the free agent closer market, such as Billy Wagner, Mike Gonzalez, Rafael Soriano or Trevor Hoffman, to name a few.
I think its probably best if the Cubs develop a closer in-house, because it doesn't make sense to spend a lot of money on a closer when the rest of your team is in shambles.
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