Last year, when the ninth inning rolled around, the Chicago Cubs knew it was a done deal. Joe Maddon handed the ball to Aroldis Chapman and the southpaw blew opposing hitters away, slamming the door and preserving the win.
When Chicago dealt once-heralded outfielder Jorge Soler to the Kansas City Royals for Wade Davis, the expectation was the same. Hand the ball to the right-hander and let him close things out.
The only problem is, so far this spring, he’s been unable to put together clean innings.