The hits just keep coming to the pitching staff of the Chicago Cubs. Porter Hodge has been placed on the injured list with a shoulder injury. Hodge was tagged for six earned runs last night in just 1/3 of an inning against the Minnesota Twins. The velocity on his pitches was way down across the board. That outing brought Hodge’s ERA to 6.85 on the season.

Entering the season, it seemed like Hodge had a chance to be the Cubs’ closer. He was great for Chicago last season, posting a 1.88 ERA, a 0.88 WHIP, and 52 strikeouts in 43 innings. It just goes to show you how inconsistent relievers can be from year to year.

The Cubs recalled Ethan Roberts from AAA Iowa to take Hodge’s place on the roster. Roberts has a 5.40 ERA in the majors this season, but that is due in large part to one bad outing he had against the Philadelphia Phillies when he gave up four earned runs in two innings of work. He has been good in the minors this year, pitching to a 2.74 ERA with 34 strikeouts in 23 innings.

Hodge’s struggles are just another indicator that the Cubs will be looking to add pitching at the MLB trade deadline later this month. Their need for a starting pitcher (or two) is already very well chronicled with injuries to Justin Steele and Jameson Taillon. They will also need to add a bullpen arm (or two, again) at the deadline because you can never have enough guys that can get outs down there, especially in October.