MILWAUKEE — The Cubs activated closer Adbert Alzolay from the injured list Friday and put him straight to work against the Brewers in the opener of their final regular-season series — their last chance to keep their playoff hopes alive.
With the Cubs trailing 3-2, Alzolay pitched a hitless eighth before Ian Happ’s solo homer in the top of the ninth tied the score. Mark Leiter Jr. took over for Alzolay to start the bottom of the ninth, and Jose Cuas finished, sending the game into the 10th.
Alzolay had been sidelined by a strained forearm for almost three weeks.
“Having him back helps us shorten the game, hopefully, which we haven’t been able to do a lot lately,” manager David Ross said. “And we’re getting one of our better arms back.”
In a corresponding move, the Cubs optioned reliever Keegan Thompson to the Arizona Complex League.
They had been using a closer-by-committee approach in Alzolay’s absence. Setup men Julian Merryweather and Leiter continued to pitch in high-leverage situations, although Leiter was also down for about a week managing an injury of his own. Ross also has called on Cuas and Drew Smyly in late innings and when there’s traffic on the bases, with rookie Daniel Palencia continuing to gain experience in high-pressure situations.
The Cubs have been at their best, however, with a consistent trio of late-inning relievers — Alzolay, Leiter and Merryweather — from which Ross could work backward.
On Wednesday in Atlanta, Alzolay discussed how difficult it was to be sidelined during such a critical part of a playoff push.
“These last two weeks, especially like the last five days, have kind of gotten to me a little bit, just not being able to be out there and pitching,” he said.
Matchup boost
The Cubs are set to miss the Brewers’ best starters during this series. Corbin Burnes, who’s lined up to pitch Game 1 of a wild-card series, pitched Thursday against the Cardinals. And manager Craig Counsell opted against giving Cubs hitters a look at Brandon Woodruff or Freddy Peralta before a potential postseason matchup.
Colin Rea started Friday, Adrian Houser is scheduled for Sunday, and Saturday’s starter was listed as “TBD” as of late Friday.
A Cubs-Brewers wild-card series is far from guaranteed. After their loss Friday, the Cubs were tied with the Reds, 1½ games behind the Marlins, who hold the third and final National League wild-card spot. But they still could climb back into a playoff berth this weekend.
Wild card could get weird
There’s a scenario where the Cubs don’t find out whether they’ve made the postseason until Monday. The Marlins’ game against the Mets in New York on Thursday was suspended after a lengthy rain delay in the top of the ninth. The Marlins had a 2-1 lead with two outs. The teams could resume play Monday if the game result has playoff implications.
Hoerner exits
Second baseman Nico Hoerner exited the game in the seventh inning with a bruised left knee, after fouling a pitch off his knee the inning before. X-rays came back negative, the team said.
