The Cubs slide starts with a hit to the depth of their rotation. And now, with the team on the brink of an early pitching advantage, the coming weeks will show whether that development can spark a rebound.
Veteran right hand Kyle Hendricks is expected to join the team in Chicago this week, where the Cubs will decide when to include him in the rotation. Prospect Ben Brown has impressed in Triple-A. Javier Assad will be recalled whenever the Cubs need him next. And rookie Hayden Wesneski set his sights on honing his Iowa form.
“My experience as farm director (with Cleveland) is there's always binge or famine,” Cubs general manager Carter Hawkins said earlier in the month.
Jameson Taillon's right groin injury last month just happened to fall out during the hunger stages: Adrian Sampson (now at 60 days IL with a meniscus injury) is injured, Assad is not fully laid after starting the season in the bullpen, Brown is in Double-A, Hendricks has not started duty his rehabilitation.
That marked the start of a 9-20 range for the Cubs, which included breaks in every aspect of the game, from pitching, to the bullpen, to offense.
“Obviously, you don't want to lose a game,” left-hander Justin Steele said after pitching the closing six innings in Sunday's 2-1 Cubs loss to the Phillies. “But I feel as a team, everyone is showing up every day doing the right things to prepare for the game.”
The offense got a boost recently from Christopher Morel calling and Seiya Suzuki found his rhythm at the plate. Now, the rotation is set for increments.
After Hendricks' last rehabilitation outing, manager David Ross said that as long as Hendricks recovered well and stayed healthy, the team would be looking for a slot to include him in the rotation.
Although Ross didn't set a timeline, that slot could come as soon as the Cubs draw against the Reds this weekend, when they need a fifth starter.
“The mechanical stuff that we really honed in on in the bullpen sessions really got him back to feeling like he's more like himself,” says pitching coach Tommy Hottovy, “and he's executing shots the way he wants to.”
The Cubs have used their recent day off to make a four-man rotation since selecting Wesneski to Triple-A a week ago. They needed extra help in the short bullpen, and Wesneski had given up seven runs in his last start, all on home runs to left-handed Twins batter.
“He's got the mix to be able to take out lefties at a very high level,” said Hottovy. “It was just about executing all of it.”
Early in the year, Wesneski's slider, his bread-and-butter toss, went a little off the rails. So the Cubs had him reduce his use of cutters to simplify the process of regaining his slider shape. But the chopper was a key pitch for Wesneski against the southpaws. And when he reintroduced it, he didn't throw it as hard as usual.
“The biggest thing for me with him is, now his form is good, now he's getting the things he wants, it's about, run your pitch,” Hottovy said. “…And then, if the shape starts to change and we need to readjust something – a grip, or a tweak or something – we can. But just get back into competitive mode and get the guys out.
Wesneski pitched five closing innings in his first Triple-A start of the year on Saturday. He also brought out the four paths.
The rotation question remains. Will Hendricks' offseason adjustments translate to a bounce back season? How fast is Wesneski adjusting in Triple-A? But soon, the Cubs' starting depth could become a strength again.
MEET AT CUBS
Tuesday: Kodai Senga (4-3, 3.77 ERA) vs. Drew Smyly (4-1, 2.86), 6:40 p.m., Marquee, 670-AM
Wednesday: Tylor Megill (5-2, 3.88 ERA) vs. Marcus Stroman (3-4, 3.05), 6:40 p.m., Marquee, 670-AM
Thursday: Carlos Carrasco (0-2, 8.68 ERA) vs. Jameson Taillon (0-3, 8.10) 18:40, Marquee, 670-AM