NEW YORK — The development of right-hander Adbert Alzolay has been one of the better storylines of the Cubs’ first half. His stint on the 10-day injured list with a blister on his right middle finger was a tough break because he was coming into his own over the last month. But the Cubs might be getting their young starter back soon.
Alzolay threw a 40-pitch bullpen session before the game against the Mets on Thursday and could return next week, but the team will wait and see how his body responds before making any decisions.
He is 4-5 with a 4.06 ERA and has a 3.68 ERA in his last seven starts.
“It went really well,” manager David Ross said. “Things look good, so we’ll continue to progress forward. We’ll see how Adbert presents tomorrow and make sure the finger is OK and try to start forming a plan of when he’ll get back on the mound and against competition — whether he needs a couple of batters or if he’s back at this level.”
Bryant back in action
Kris Bryant was back in the Cubs’ lineup after being drilled in the right hand on Tuesday and sitting out Wednesday. He wore a wrap on his hand while at third.
Bryant singled on the first pitch he saw in the first inning against Mets starter Marcus Stroman.
“I think yesterday, [he had] a little soreness,’’ Ross said before the game. ‘‘He took some dry swings and said he was gonna take some swings during the game. I think that went OK. He got treatment. So he felt much better toward the end of the game. Talking to the trainers and talking to him this morning, he said he was good to go.
‘‘I trusted him. I’m sure he’s not 100%, but the fact that he wanted to go, that’s a good sign.”
Wieck in, Stock out
The Cubs recalled left-hander Brad Wieck from Triple-A Iowa before the game. Wieck has pitched well in limited action with eight scoreless appearances this season. The team optioned right-hander Robert Stock in a corresponding move.
Stock started the Cubs’ 6-3 loss Wednesday and struggled against the Mets, allowing five runs and four hits in four innings in his first major-league start (52 relief appearances). His main issue was an inability to throw strikes; he walked six batters.
“From the first inning on, it was just a tale of me leaving the fastball high all night,” Stock said. “Big-league hitters are better than minor-league ones at not chasing them, and maybe nerves for whatever reason. That just kept on going with the fastball being too high.”
