I think I need to start a local support group in Chicago -- for Randy Wells. It would be a place where Randy could come and Cub fans could express their appreciation for Wells' 6 incredible outings and their sympathies for his win-loss record of 0-2 over that time thanks to pathetic offense and relief. I'd call it "Hugs for Randy."

Seriously. Every time Wells makes a start I'm excited because the Cubs will be in the game and every time they show him in the dugout and Len Kasper says "so it'll be another no-decision for Wells..." I'm emotionally hurt inside. That poor, poor 26-year-old, pitching every game like it's his last, doing nothing but good with the baseball and getting no support for it, not a single win. Nothing to show for a 1.86 ERA with 31 Ks, 31 hits and just 8 walks in 38 innings except for two losses by scores of 3-1 and 2-1.

It was the same story in Cincinnati yesterday. After last Tuesday, when wells threw a no-no through nearly 7 and the Cubs bull pen squandered his 5-run lead, you would have thought this team would owe Randy a solid. Then yesterday, Lou puts in Carlos Marmol, who has been wild all series, to defend Wells' one-run lead and he walks two guys and one of them gets home on a sac-fly. The Cubs somehow win their second of three extra-inning games this road trip.

Sure, it was ugly, and it took the Cubs 14 innings to do it, but the end result is the Cubs are now a game ahead of the Reds having beaten them twice on the road, limiting them to 8 runs in three games. That's good, but yesterday's victory and the Randy Wells story says a lot about exactly what this team is.

Let's quickly jump to Saturday's extra innings loss. That was Jim Hendry's loss. He knows it. Piniella's hand were tied -- he had no one available who could play a smarter third base than Mike Fontenot. If Hendry hadn't gotten rid of DeRosa or picked up a true third baseman when Ramirez went down, that game could have been a different story. Problem number one -- but we knew that already.

Back to yesterday. Wells keeps suffering no decisions and close losses for these reasons and these are quite simply the Cubs' 2 major problems right now:

LACK OF RUN PRODUCTION. With the exception of Derrek Lee's two-out bases-loaded single to drive in two runs yesterday and the late inning padding of Soriano's solo shot by Johnson, the Cubs did absolutely nothing with runners in scoring position. All solo home runs and sac flies and bases loaded walks. That's a problem. Soriano, who has driven in two runs since May 19, leads this team in RBIs with just 27. THE CUBS ARE THE LAST TEAM IN THE NL TO HAVE A PLAYER APPEAR IN THE RBI STANDINGS. Soriano is number 44 on that list. If Nate McClouth hadn't been traded to Atlanta last week, every team in the NL would have two players on that list before Soriano shows up except the Padres. The Cubs are 4th to last in RBI in the NL. I can't find stats of batting average with runners in scoring position, but do I need to? If you haven't missed Aramis Ramirez that much since his injury, you just did.

INCONSISTENT BULLPEN. Putting Marshall back in the bullpen certainly helps this situation, but your main weapons, the guys you need when your starters go 7 and you need a set up and a closer, are erratic. Just look at Marmol's numbers: 27 innings pitched, 27 walks. That means that you have to expect him to put a baserunner on every time he appears. One-run leads are not safe, especially when he hasn't had rest. Angel Guzman has given up 8 walks in 27.2 innings. I think we know who our close-game set-up man is. Guzman is one of the best things to happen to this team over the last month and it's time he be known for it. As for closer Kevin Gregg, does anyone feel good when he's out there? He has no overpowering stuff, but he's had two of the worst-looking blown save opportunities I've ever seen. Two outs, ahead of the count to Jeff Franceour of the Braves and he serves up a fastball down the middle of the plate? That's just not good. When the Reds' Francisco Cordero comes out, you're afraid. When Gregg comes out, you think "nice glasses."

There you have it. Issues with third base, no run production and an inconsistent 'pen sum up the Cubs' problems in the broad scope. The biggest concern is the RBI. That has to change. You can't be better than .500 and be so nail-bitingly close in all your games. You can't lean on starting pitching that much. The Cubs have a struggling staff in the Houston Astros pitchers this week. Even Roy Oswalt had it rough in his last start and he goes on Thursday. The difference is that this Astro team swings a mean bat with Miguel Tejada, Carlos Lee and Hunter Pence -- extra inning games on the road against these guys will likely not favor the Cubs. They have to produce heavy early in games against bad starting pitching.