How Cubs reliever Adbert Alzolay’s development vs. lefties helped him claim high-leverage role

SAN DIEGO — Pitching in relief may not have the same prestige as starting. And the high-leverage, multi-inning role that Adbert Alzolay has settled into with the Cubs combines the challenge of back-to-back appearances, the toll of long outings and the pressure of late innings.

It’s not for everyone, but Alzolay is thriving.

In fact, one of the biggest indicators of his development in recent years while battling injuries and transitioning to the bullpen has been his success against left-handed batters this season.

“It’s just attacking them right away,” Alzolay said Wednesday morning after throwing a two-inning save against the Rays the previous night, and before tossing another scoreless inning against the best offense in baseball later that day. “Don’t let them get ahead in the count. Just pounding the zone, knowing how good my pitches play against lefties and what are my best weapons against them.”

Without that growth, it’s hard to picture Alzolay in the clutch spots manager David Ross has trusted him in this season.

The Cubs started the year expecting veterans Brad Boxberger and Michael Fulmer to handle the eighth and ninth innings of close games. Now Boxberger is on the injured list with a strained forearm. And although Ross still turns to Fulmer in certain high-leverage situations, Alzolay and Mark Leiter Jr., both converted starters, have become his go-tos. With a game on the line, Ross often will line up Leiter for left-handed pockets of the lineup and Alzolay for more right-handed sections.

Alzolay has faced 2½ times as many right-handed batters as lefties. But in 28 plate appearances entering Friday, he had limited lefties to a .179 on-base percentage. That’s a notable improvement from his career splits (.326 OPB vs. lefties).

“The way Adbert has thrown the ball has proven now that when he was a starter and had early struggles versus lefties, a lot of that was pitch mix-based,” pitching coach Tommy Hottovy said. “And now he’s simplified his attack and has had some good success versus lefties as well.”

As Alzolay describes it, the key has been using both sides of the plate. It sounds straightforward, but introducing a cutter in 2021 and honing the control of his slider so he can manipulate its shape, targeting it inside and outside, were necessary steps.

“The hitters have to think, like, ‘Oh, he can come cutter in, and he can throw a hip-shot sinker, or he can go four-seam up,’ ” Alzolay said. “But when you have the hitter just thinking about that part of home plate, they completely, totally forget about the other side.”

Look at how Alzolay attacked lefty-hitting Luke Raley in the ninth inning of the Cubs’ 2-1 victory over the Rays on Tuesday. Alzolay had already retired the side in order the inning before, striking out left-hander Brandon Lowe on a back-foot slider. Now he was two outs, and just one more lefty, from his third save of his career.

He started Raley off with a four-seam fastball inside. Raley fouled it off. Then Alzolay threw a backdoor slider for a called strike two. Down 0-2, Raley had to protect. So Alzolay went back to the backdoor slider, locating this one just under the zone, on the outer third of the plate. Raley swung and missed for a three-pitch strikeout.

Alzolay needed the same number of pitches to induce right-handed hitter Manuel Margot to ground out, securing the Cubs’ victory. Alzolay shouted in celebration, clenching his fists.

“I feed off the energy,” he said the next day, encircled by reporters in the Wrigley Field dugout. “And when the game is there, close, on the line, it just makes my stuff way better at the moment. Because I feel that my adrenaline just goes through the roof, and that allows me to go an extra gear with my stuff. So that’s the difference for me.”