The Cubs’ season-long struggles against right-handed pitching were at the forefront Thursday in a punchless offen-sive effort that allowed the Phillies to sweep them at home. They entered Friday’s matchup against Guardians right-hander Cal Quantrill with a .714 OPS against righties — 18th in MLB. They finished it against Guardians catcher David Fry, who started in left field but was called on to pitch the eighth in the Cubs’ 10-1 blowout win.
After seeking left-handed balance from midseason call-ups Mike Tauchman and Jared Young, Cubs manager David Ross noted the importance of those two players, who were front and center Friday in a two-run third inning and four-run fourth. Young singled in the third before Tauchman’s walk loaded the bases for the middle of the Cubs’ order, and Young hit a two-run triple in the fourth before Tauchman singled him home.
“Through that winning stretch we were going through, those left-handed bats were really important to balance out [the lineup],” Ross said. “We were really heavy right-handed at the top early on, and we’ve swung the bat really well against lefties. [Those] left-handed bats coming alive as of late has really sparked our offense.”
NO FAST-TRACKING WITH DRAFT
The Cubs begin formal meetings Saturday in preparation for the MLB Draft, which starts July 9. With the 13th overall pick and a $8,962,000 total bonus pool, they’re firmly outside the window where LSU pitcher Paul Skenes or outfielder Dylan Crews or Florida outfielder Wyatt Langford would fall to them after starring in the College World Series final. And despite the Cubs expecting a window of contention in the next few years, vice president of scouting Dan Kantrovitz said there’s no directive to seek players with shorter development paths.
“I don’t think [short-term goals are] something you ignore,” Kantrovitz said. “But I’ve never been a part of a draft where it’s a major factor.”
Perhaps not coincidentally, mock drafts have connected the Cubs to high school players, with ESPN projecting them to take shortstop Arjun Nimmala from Valrico, Florida, and Baseball America projecting them to choose left-hander Thomas White from Rowley, Massachusetts. In the last two years, the Cubs have used their pool money creatively to land high-ceiling prep players in the second round for over-slot bonuses — infielder James Triantos in 2021 and left-hander Jackson Ferris last year.
Whether the Cubs repeat such a strategy depends on how the chips fall next weekend.
“That’s something that we have to just be prepared for, and is usually reactionary based on the first pick or two,” Kantrovitz said. “We don’t want to be left with money to deploy and then have players not be available.”
Injury updates
Right-hander Marcus Stroman will start Saturday against the Guardians. Ross said he showed “no lingering effects” during his recent bullpen session after a blister on his right index finger forced him to leave his last outing early.
† Outfielder Seiya Suzuki remained out Friday with stiffness in his neck but was able to hit on the field before the game and would have been available if needed. Ross said he could play Saturday.
The first north side bomb
Nick Madrigal, predominantly a singles hitter, had two homers with the White Sox in 2021, the year he tore his right hamstring — an injury that was still sapping his power last season with the Cubs. On Friday, teammates raucously celebrated his sixth-inning solo shot to left for the breakthrough it was.
“We’ve got some inside jokes in the clubhouse,” Madrigal said. “The main thing is we’re having fun out there, joking with each other and pulling for each other at the end of the day. I think that’s what makes special teams.”
