Cubs fans continue to beg for a move Jed Hoyer isn't going to make anytime soon

Another outing in which Phil Maton failed to do his job has Chicago Cubs fans at their wits' end, with calls for the team to dump him reaching a new pitch following the team's 6-5 loss to the rival St. Louis Cardinals on Friday night.

He lasted just two-thirds of an inning, allowing one run on three hits, raising his ERA on the year to 7.64. The run he allowed, courtesy of a José Fermín RBI single, wound up being especially critical given the Cubs tallied a run in the top of the ninth that would have tied the game if not for that eighth-inning tally against Maton.

It's safe to say, Cubs fans are done with the veteran right-hander (and, trust me, this is just a minuscule sampling of what's out there).

Cubs aren't about to light $14 million on fire just to dump Phil Maton

Look, I'm not here to defend Maton. He's been basically unusable in any sort of high-leverage spot, which is a major problem. The team's two big bullpen additions, Maton and right-hander Hunter Harvey, have been injured and/or ineffective and they've given the Cubs a cumulative -0.8 bWAR on the year.

Weirdly enough, Maton has been great at Wrigley Field (2.89 ERA in 11 appearances) but has gotten hammered on the road (12.96 ERA in nine outings). But that's about the only 'good' in this whole thing. Opponents have an OPS north of 1.000 against him both with men on and with runners in scoring position and his signature breaking ball has served as little more than batting practice.

He's found some success in low-leverage spots, but even then, he's been a far cry from the guy he was last year with St. Louis and Texas, when he carried a 2.79 ERA in 63 appearances. But given he's the recipient of the first multi-year deal Jed Hoyer has given to a reliever and the Cubs are on the hook for $14 million, there's no chance they simply dump him and eat the money.

They have to hope Maton can make some changes and start to contribute. But in the meantime, Craig Counsell cannot use him in anything other than mop-up duty.

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