MESA, Ariz. - The Dominican Republic's short stay in the World Baseball Classic could end up being a positive for the Chicago Cubs.
It brings back right-handed reliever Carlos Marmol earlier than expected and gives him a chance to compete with Kevin Gregg to be the team's closer.
One thing is clear from his stint in the WBC: Marmol has some work to do.
Against the Netherlands in the elimination game that sent the Dominican Republic team packing, he was the losing pitcher. In the 2-1 11-inning game, he gave up both runs, one of which was earned, in 2/3 of an inning.
He also had a throwing error and overall he had a 5.40 ERA in 1 2/3 innings, giving up two hits, a walk, one hit batsmen and a home run. On the plus side he had four strikeouts, including one inning when he struck out the side in the team's other game against the Netherlands.
Marmol said Thursday that he's not concerned about his performance carrying over to the Cubs.
"I feel like it is one game that I pitched bad," he said. "I don't think it is going to hurt. That's baseball."
His manager agreed, saying one of the most important parts of the job is the ability to come back strong after a lousy outing.
"You have to clear your mind and come back the next day to do the job," said Lou Piniella.
In fact, his performance in the WBC might actually help the pitcher.
"Look, it happens to any great pitcher," he said. "It's how you learn from it and how you respond to it."
Marmol, 26, has been a find for the Cubs after converting him from a starter to a reliever in the 2006 season. He is 7-6 with eight saves and a 2.39 ERA in 147 career starts and will get a shot at being the full-time closer for the first time.
But he has to get past Gregg, who recorded 61 saves in the last two seasons for the Florida Marlins before being traded to the Cubs. Piniella said he will let the two compete now that Marmol is back.
Marmol said even though he did not pitch nearly as well as he would have liked in the WBC, he still counts the experience as a valuable one -- in large part because of who his teammates were.
"It was good when you play with guys like Pedro (Martinez) and Big Papi (David Ortiz) you learn a lot and you feel good playing with those guys," he said. "I asked (Martinez) questions and learned a couple of things. It was good playing with these guys. It was an honor."
Non-roster invitee Cory Koskie, 35, also joined Cubs camp Thursday after Team Canada was eliminated from the WBC. Koskie, who signed on Feb. 28, must pass a physical Thursday and Piniella said it will be a couple of days before he gets going.
Koskie, who didn't have an at-bat with Team Canada, has been out of the Major Leagues since 2006 after sustaining a concussion while playing for Milwaukee.
"He will get plenty of playing time because we need somebody to help (Aramis) Ramirez at third base," Piniella said. "At the same time, he can pick him up and get him out of ball game. So we will take a look at him."
Originally Published at: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/wire/chi-ap-bbn-cubs-marmol,0,118777.story
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