A couple of National League contenders may be without their bullpen anchors, with Chicago’s Kerry Wood (blister) expected to land on the disabled list, according to the Chicago Tribune, and New York’s Billy Wagner scheduled to undergo an MRI on his throwing shoulder, according to the Mets’ official site.

The Tribune reported that Wood, who last pitched on July 11, will be placed on the DL retroactive to July 12. If his blister fully heals, Wood can be back on the mound for Chicago’s Sunday home finale against the Marlins. In the meantime, the Cubs have announced that Carlos Marmol will fill in as the team’s closer.

Cubs manager Lou Piniella has a soft spot in his heart for Bobby Howry, so it is not safe to assume that Marmol will get 100 percent of the opportunities in Wood’s absence. We also can’t be sure how Marmol, who has been shaky in his last handful of outings, will react with ninth inning pressure on him.

Howry can still jump into the mix and find some fantasy value, but he needs two things to happen in order to do so. 1.) Wood must miss more than the anticipated six days of action, and 2.) Marmol must look vulnerable enough to warrant a split in save opportunities. In most leagues, desperate owners will be willing to take the chance on Howry and hope for the best.

In New York, Wagner’s shoulder felt tight as he began recording his 24th save of the season in the team’s win in the series finale at Cincinnati. The Mets are off Monday, and Wagner flew back to New York to have the MRI.

This doesn’t look to be cause for excitement, but Wagner is a slightly built 37-year old fireballer. We can never be sure. We also can’t be sure how manager Jerry Manuel would go about filling in for Wagner. Any combination of Aaron Heilman, Duaner Sanchez, Pedro Feliciano or Joe Smith could be used, and Manuel could simply play matchups if Wagner is unavailable.

Also, if bad news comes out of Manhattan, the Mets’ situation is one that could warrant decisive action on the trade market. The cleanest solution for all involved here is for Wagner’s shoulder to hold up for the remainder of the season.

More closer news …
Seattle’s J.J. Putz pitched a scoreless seventh inning in the Mariners’ 6-2 loss to Cleveland, which could mean the end of the Brandon Morrow Era is just around the corner. In the Seattle Times Mariners blog, Geoff Baker talks about Morrow’s role and how it could change in 2009.

Arizona’s Brandon Lyon was roughed up for five runs in 0.2 innings on Sunday, his second straight rocky outing. With seven runs allowed in his last 1.2 innings, Lyon’s ERA has ballooned from 2.37 to 3.86 in 48 hours.

Ten days and counting for this summer’s hot trade talks to materialize for Colorado closer Brian Fuentes. If Fuentes does get dealt, there is virtually no chance he remains a closer, while Manuel Corpas is the likely candidate to re-take Colorado’s closer job.

Angels’ closer Francisco Rodriguez remains on pace to break Bobby Thigpen’s season saves record (57). He is on pace for 66 saves and has an amazing 40 in just 47 appearances this season.

The St. Louis Dispatch is reporting that Jason Isringhausen is getting back into the mix to close games for the Cardinals. It’s not likely that Isringhausen or Ryan Franklin get a huge majority of the Cards’ save chances, so both are likely to have limited value the rest of the way.

Dustin Hockensmith is editor of ImaginaryDiamond.com. He can be contacted at dhockensmith[at]fantasysports101.net.