Cubs right-handler Marcus Stroman made his most efficient start of the season Wednesday, against his former team no less.
In the Cubs’ 4-2 win against the Mets, Stroman allowed two runs in a season-high eight innings. It was the first time the Cubs had won two games in a row since May 10 and 12, against the Cardinals and Twins.
“I really don’t play into it too much, to be honest with you,” Stroman said of facing the Mets. “Younger me may have seen it as a revenge game. But now, I know how to pitch, I’m really good at what I do, and it’s just a matter of getting to the point mechanically, and just rolling start to start and staying there.”
Stroman had consistently been going deep into games, throwing at least six innings in all but two starts. But before Wednesday, his longest start of the season was 6 ⅓ innings.
“When he’s on, that thing’s sinking, that’s what you can get,” Cubs manager David Ross said of Stroman’s bread-and-butter sinker, “a lot of early-count soft contact.”
The only runs Stroman allowed came on a two-run homer in the third inning. The Mets’ Francisco Alvarez got his barrel to a first-pitch sinker that grazed the inside edge of the strike zone.
Stroman faced the minimum in six of the eight innings he pitched, tossing 88 pitches in the start.
“Nights like tonight, when he has the sinker moving like that, it’s really tough to beat,” catcher Tucker Barnhart said. “Seemed like they didn’t make an adjustment to it, so we kept going to the well.”
A trio of double plays helped Stroman keep his pitch count low. The first one was unique.
In the fourth inning, the Mets’ Pete Alonso took off running before the pitch. But Brett Baty got under the ball and hit it sky high. Alonso didn’t check in after contact, slid head first into second base and then looked up, unable to locate the ball.
By the time Alonso saw left fielder Ian Happ running in to catch the fly ball in shallow left field, it was too late for him to get back to first.
Stroman’s groundball stuff started the other two double plays.
The next transformed the sixth into a 1-2-3 inning. Stroman fielded a sharp comebacker from the Mets’ Brandon Nimmo and fired to second base. Swanson moved through the bag and tossed it to first. Stroman slapped his chest in celebration.
Fittingly, Stroman’s outing also ended on a double play. With one out and runners on first and third, Stroman induced a grounder to Swanson from Alvarez to get out of the inning.
Hendricks to start Thursday
Cubs right-hander Kyle Hendricks is set to return from the 15-day IL Thursday to make his season debut in the series finale against the Mets.
The Cubs will push right-hander Jameson Taillon, who was originally scheduled to start Thursday, back to Saturday, splitting up lefties Justin Steele and Drew Smyly.
Burdi to IL
Cubs reliever Nick Burdi underwent an appendectomy Wednesday morning, landing him on the 15-day injured list. In a corresponding move, the Cubs recalled right-hander Javier Assad.
Burdi made his way back to the big-leagues this year after a series of injuries. In Houston last week, he pitched in a major-league game for the first time since 2020. He made three appearances before coming down with appendicitis.