As the throng of reporters swept into the Cubs’ clubhouse after Wednesday’s game, Rick Aguilera stood at his locker, a towel around his shoulder and a steely look on his face.
Aguilera would wait patiently while the media trudged to his locker to ask about the Cubs’ latest disaster, an 8-6 loss to the Dodgers.
“I’m not going to jump around when I’m doing well or hide when I’m doing bad,” he said. “I’m trying to show character through it all. All I can do is take the good with the bad.”
It has been all bad for the Cubs lately and even worse for Aguilera, who failed to convert another save Wednesday.
“It’s a real tough time for him now and it’s a tough time for us,” Cubs manager Don Baylor said. “We just have to re-evaluate. We can’t go through this day in and day out.”
That was Baylor’s way of saying Aguilera might have lost his closer’s job. Not that the Cubs have any viable alternatives.
“I’ve given just about everybody an opportunity to step forward,” Baylor said.
What made Wednesday’s loss particularly troublesome was that the Cubs’ bullpen actually performed well for much of the game. After starter Scott Downs spotted the Dodgers a 5-0 lead in the fourth, the bullpen kept the opposing bats quiet until the ninth.
By that time the Cubs had rallied to go ahead 6-5. Eric Young came through with a two-run single in the fourth and Willie Greene smacked a homer in the fifth to put the Cubs ahead.
But in the ninth Aguilera gave up a home run to pinch-hitter Dave Hansen. The pitch was a 3-2 fastball that lost its juice near home plate.
Felix Heredia finished the job, allowing two walks, two singles and two more runs.
“You get mad every time you lose,” Young said. “But you know guys are going out and giving the effort.”
