Rally son of old Notre Dame

That's what the Cubs might be asking of Jeff Samardzija. The rookie, just up a few days with the parent club, might get the call at closer. With Kerry Wood on the DL and Carlos Marmol on the fritz, Samardzija, a former Notre Dame wide receiver, hasn't looked so wide-eyed in the big leagues. He touches the high 90's on the gun, plus he's got impressive sink, and if the Cubs have another gem in this rookie, they can throw the kitchen sink at you.

''We want to get this guy some late-inning, closing experience, on the road especially,'' Piniella said. ''He hasn't had that, and it's part of the education of pitching in the bullpen. I'll tell you what, he looked good. He gave up a run [Tuesday], but that's OK. He threw strikes and pitched well.''

Fantasy Impact: How did this guy play anything but quarterback in college? I'm sure there are several answers to that question. The Cubs' answer at closer is eventually Wood, but if Marmol is no good, Samardzija is a pretty solid stop gap.