Pressly delivered perfect pitch to end shaky ninth inning
Crowds at Wrigley Field love getting on their feet to try to help a pitcher finish the ninth inning. That practice can get a little awkward sometimes when the game doesn't end right away.
But Cubs newcomer Ryan Pressly got himself out of a jam Friday with a 3-2 fastball that froze San Diego's Jake Cronenworth and clinched a 3-1 victory in the home opener. The pitch was clearly a strike but low and inside within the zone.
“I wasn't exactly landing my off-speed for strikes, so I didn't want to walk him right there, obviously,” Pressly said. “You never want to walk anybody and lately it's been kind of a hassle doing that. It makes me mad that I walk people.
“In that moment, you just want to challenge him and see what he can do with it. It just caught the bottom of the zone in a perfect spot. I think he kind of gave up on it.”
With one out in the ninth, Pressly walked Xander Bogaerts, then Jackson Merrill singled to put the tying runs on base. After retiring pinch-hitter Gavin Sheets on a grounder to third, Pressly went 3-1 on Cronenworth before a foul ball and the called third strike.
The veteran right-hander has endured plenty of traffic on the bases so far this season, but he's 3-for-3 in save opportunities.
“I'm comfortable in that (closer) role, I've done it a long time, I've done every role under the sun, pretty much,” he said. “I'm just comfortable on the mound in general. Just got to start stringing more clean innings together.”
Clutch defense:
Rookie Matt Shaw made an important defensive play in the ninth inning. With former White Sox outfielder Gavin Sheets at the plate with two on and one out, Shaw sprinted behind the mound, picked up a bouncing ball on the short hop and threw to first for the second out.
“It's definitely a tough play,” Shaw said. “Anything going up over the pitcher like that from third base, you've just got to go cut it off. The shortstop really doesn't have a play on that. Off the bat, I knew it was probably going to be my ball, then you just kind of let the work be what it is and make the play.”
Injury update:
Pitcher Javier Assad (left oblique strain) was scheduled to pitch two innings Friday in Arizona. Manager Craig Counsell said Assad will likely throw a few outings in Mesa before moving on to the next step, likely a minor-league rehab stint. … Counsell said infielder Vidal Brujan (right elbow strain) had a throwing session postponed Thursday due to lingering soreness.