ST. LOUIS — So much for those two big free-agent starting pitchers the Cubs signed over the winter to help lead them to another World Series.
With Yu Darvish already on the disabled list and no return in sight, Tyler Chatwood was demoted from the rotation Friday night when the Cubs scheduled recently acquired Cole Hamels to take Chatwood’s spot in the rotation Wednesday in Pittsburgh.
And just like that, $164 million in free-agent starting pitching is nowhere to be found less than four months into those deals.
“Obviously, you never want that,” said Chatwood, who leads the majors by an enormous margin in walks allowed (85). “But I think there’s some stuff that I need to work out, so this will give me the opportunity to do that, and hopefully whenever I start feeling good again get back in the rotation.”
Chatwood, who averaged less than five innings in his 19 starts, will be available out of the bullpen starting Tuesday. The Cubs seem to anticipate his return to the rotation this season, possibly even as a sixth starter.
“We’ll just play it one at a time,” manager Joe Maddon said. “It’s all about getting him well right now, getting him back to pitching like he can. That’s going to benefit us for the next couple years.”
Chatwood signed a three-year, $38 million deal in December.
The Cubs announced the move Saturday, a few hours before Jose Quintana put a spotlight on the Cubs’ flawed rotation with a 51-pitch, six-run first inning against the Cardinals, including back-to-back walks followed by a grand slam by Marcell Ozuna, the fifth batter of the inning.
Quintana, the left-hander acquired from the White Sox at the All-Star break last year, lasted just three innings in the 6-2 loss.
“My command was terrible today,” said Quintana, who added that it had nothing to do with his career-high 121 pitches in his previous start. “I don’t have too much to say. Everybody knows that the first inning was really a battle.”
Quintana, who said he won’t dwell on the performance and is keeping his head up, likes the chances of this bolstered rotation to lead a charge down the stretch.
“We’re still in a really good position now,” he said, “and there’s plenty of time [to get on a roll].”
The Hamels-Chatwood decision means the Cubs are keeping Mike Montgomery — the sixth starter when the season opened — in the rotation, even after he allowed five runs and 12 hits in the Cubs’ 5-2 loss Friday night.
“I want to be part of this team, and I want to start and I want to help us win games,” said Montgomery, who’s 3-3 with a 3.50 ERA in 11 starts. “It doesn’t mean I can’t do other things, but my goal is to be a starter.
“But more than that, it’s about winning. We were in the World Series that year, and winning kind of trumps everything. So right now it’s just about putting my head down and keeping on top of my work and just being there for the other guys and making sure every time I go out there I’m at my best.”
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The decision also makes the Cubs the only team in the majors with four left-handers in the rotation.
Maddon said the rare lefty look is irrelevant as long as they’re good ones.
“I’m a confident guy,” said Montgomery, who added that he’s in a strong place physically and mentally. “I believe I’m going to go out there and give our team a chance to win, and I’m just going to kind of keep riding that going forward.”
