Did we mention that Cubs manager Mike Quade is in over his head?
Quade told Ryan Dempster he was finished after the fifth inning of Saturday’s game against the Pirates, and Dempster went off on him. Quade gave right back, and the screaming match continued until Dempster made his way to the tunnel.
Dempster had a 5-3 lead when he was pulled after 87 pitches. The earlier-than-expected removal likely had a lot to do with him missing his last start due to a stomach ailment that sent him to the hospital last weekend.
The Chicago Tribune’s Paul Sullivan points out that Dempster was the first to lobby for Quade as a full-time manager after he replaced Lou Piniella on an interim basis last September. If even Dempster has soured on him now, it wouldn’t seem to bode well for Quade’s future in Chicago.
It was Dempster’s shortest outing since he was torched for seven runs in one-third of an inning by the Diamondbacks on April 28.