Randy Wells, right hander out of Belleville, Illinois, is now one of the best lower rotation starters in Major League Baseball. Wells has a 2.57 ERA in eight major league starts in 2009, but has just one win to show for it. He has been the most consistent starter in the last month or so. Wells and his patented teeth-clenching-during-the-pitch has gone 13-4 in the last two seasons combined at AAA, not playing much in 2009. I think he is certainly showing that he has adjusted to the major league level much better than Sean Marshall. That is why the Cubs rotation should go like this for the rest of the season: Zambrano, Dempster, Lilly, Harden, Wells. I know the Cubs need the lefty in Marshall, but his reported dominance in the minors has never shown here. In fact, I don't believe we have seen Marshall make eight starts as consistent as Randy Wells has in a row. Marshall owns a 2.70 career ERA in the minors, while in the majors that number is 4.57. His K/9 rate is just 6.2 in the majors, 8.6 in the minors. I've noticed that his game relies on the strikeout a little too much considering 6.2 isn't the figure necessary for a successful southpaw who throws a huge curveball that should be keeping hitters off balance. The Cubs struggled with what to do about Marshall's stalling until Wells arrived. Although he has been getting no run support, I would count him in the league's top five number five starters, along the names of guys like Livan Hernandez.
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