Ramirez Is In Constant Pain; Gregg Is Tipping Pitches

A couple of interesting notes from Dave van Dyck, the only Cub beat guy to show up for work this weekend: “The whole ballpark can tell when he’s got discomfort, it shows,” Cubs manager Lou Piniella said. Ramirez was held out of the lineup Sunday and could miss Monday’s game, depending on how the shoulder responds to treatment. The pain is not going to end this season. “It won’t be 100 percent,” he said. “A week ago it started getting worse.” Ramirez was 5-for-27 on this trip and hitless in his last eight at-bats before leaving Saturday’s game after his third strikeout. “When I swing in general, I finish my swing high,” Ramirez said. “I tried to use two hands, but it’s too late in my career to make an adjustment like that.” I’m really not sure I want Ramirez out there any longer. It might be best for the long term that he have surgery and begin to prepare for next season. No one’s going to confuse Jake Fox with Brooks Robinson at 3B, but I think Ol’ Stonehands can fill in capably for Ramirez for 9 weeks. And then there’s this: Closer Kevin Gregg says there may be a reason for his two straight blown saves against his old Marlins teammates to start this trip. “Rumor had it that I was tipping my pitches,” he said. “So I made an adjustment to that.” Interesting. It usually doesn’t take long for word to get around that a pitcher is tipping, and if that was the case with Gregg, it’s good he’s already moving to fix it. I feel a lot better chalking up his recent struggles to “Gregg is tipping,” rather than “Gregg sucks ass now.” Onward, patient *************.