ATLANTA – Hours before the Cubs faced the Braves on Wednesday, a consequential live batting practice session played out on Truist Park.
Cubs corner infielder Jeimer Candelario (strained low back) faced closer Adbert Alzolay (strained right forearm), pitting against each other two players who are expected to play major roles in the final days of the regular season. The Cubs activated Candelario on Wednesday, and Alzolay likely isn’t far behind.
“Hopefully Friday,” Alzolay said.
That would give the Cubs some much-needed back-end bullpen help for the final series of the season in Milwaukee. The team just has to evaluate Alzolay’s recovery in the coming days before making the final decision.
“It’s huge,” Alzolay said. “You see the guys out there competing every single day and giving everything they have. It’s something that has really driven me to just keep pushing. … Let’s go to the next step, and let’s make this quick as possible so I can be out there.”
Alzolay said all of his pitches felt good on Wednesday. When he first landed on the IL two and a half weeks ago, his issues keeping his slider down served as a red flag.
“All the sliders felt really good,” Alzolay said Wednesday, “so that’s a good sign that we’re in a really good position right now.”
He threw about 20 pitches.
“Looked good against the batters,” manager David Ross said. “Had to work through some stuff from the stretch mechanically, it felt like, right there at the end, and then locked it in.”
Candy man can?
Ross said Candelario “turned a corner” in his recovery the last couple days.
“He was a real big addition at the trade deadline,” Ross said, “and hopefully he’s that here at the end of the season for us.”
Candelario recorded eight hits in his first two games with the Cubs after they acquired him around the trade deadline. He went on to slash an impressive .349/.427/.576 for the team before the Pittsburg series in late August. He initially hurt his back during that series and played through the injury for a couple weeks before landing on the IL.
Candelario started at first base Wednesday, batting seventh.
In a corresponding move Wednesday, the Cubs optioned infielder Jared Young to the Arizona Complex League.
Hoyer discusses Suzuki error
Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said he was among the Cubs personnel who talked to right-fielder Seiya Suzuki after his costly error in right field Tuesday.
“This guy’s kind of carried us offensively the last seven, eight weeks,” Hoyer said. “Really, I feel like this stretch has been him showing the kind of player he is, the kind of player he was in Japan. I think the adjustment period’s over. So, you’d hate a play like that to knock him out of the mindset he’s been in for a while, because that mindset has been really effective.”
Shortstop Dansby Swanson, who called Truist Park (formerly known as SunTrust Park) home from its opening in 2017 through last season, said he’d seen outfielders lose the ball in the lights before.
“Sometimes balls were hit so perfectly,” Swanson said, “and it’s kind of hard to explain how it can [happen,] but I’ve definitely seen it before on multiple occasions here.”