Drew Smyly ready to help the Cubs now from the bullpen
PITTSBURGH - Drew Smyly's track record of pitching in relief is fairly strong. All 13 of his postseason appearances were as a reliever, including in two World Series - 2012 with Detroit and 2021 with Atlanta.
So heading to the bullpen is something he'll take in stride. Smyly's been in a terrible stretch as a starter, but he did toss three scoreless innings in relief before taking another shot at starting in Detroit on Tuesday.
"It's a dog-eat-dog world out there," he said Friday. "If you don't do your job, someone's going to come and do it for you. It doesn't matter if you're a rookie or have 10 years in the league.
"I'm happy to fill any type of role for them. I just want to help the team win and try to get us to that next step."
He came back in as a reliever Friday against the Pirates and pitched a perfect 8th inning.
Smyly said when he signed with the Cubs before last season, he was told he might do both roles, but he ended up having a decent year as a starter. That's not the case this season. His last seven starts have produced a 10.86 ERA.
Manager David Ross confirmed Smyly will not make his scheduled start Sunday. The Cubs have not announced a starter for that day, but signs point to 2021 first-round pick Jordan Wicks' making his major league debut.
"What's so refreshing from my seat is when you have players who want to do whatever it takes to win," Ross said. "They set their ego aside, they set what they want aside. Drew's been nothing but that throughout the season, and we're lucky to have him."
Smyly's start in Detroit was one of his worst, with 7 earned runs in less than 4 innings. He chalked it up to poor execution and inconsistency.
"I feel very strong," he said. "I don't really feel like it's a matter of my decline or a pitch that's not being good enough. If anything, I think my pitches are better than they were early in the year when I was having a lot of success.
"I think it will be easier to come in and try to give my best bullet for 15-20 pitches, whatever it is, get back to the attack and simplifying it."
Close calls:
Manager David Ross on the Cubs going 6-3 while playing nine games in a row decided by 1 or 2 runs, heading into Friday:
"Winning the tight ballgames consistently creates a confidence. We believe in a tie game yesterday, 3-3 in the eighth, we're going to win that game somehow. We're going to figure out a way and it's consistent in the at-bats, consistent in the pitch-making. It's belief in one another."
Cruz control:
The Pirates have become less optimistic about shortstop Oneil Cruz returning from a fractured left fibula this season. Cruz was injured on April 9 in a home-plate collision with White Sox catcher Seby Zavala. He experienced pain in his foot when he began running earlier this month.
"It's always possible," Cruz said of returning in 2023, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "Day-by-day, I'm putting all my effort out to get better. We'll see."
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