CHICAGO _ The news was revealed at the end of Joe Maddon's postgame press conference Wednesday night, almost as an afterthought.
Asked if there were any roster moves to report, Maddon mentioned reliever Tim Collins was designated for assignment.
"And Alzolay will be here tomorrow," he added.
That's Adbert Alzolay, the 24-year-old starter who was 2-0 with a 1.93 ERA over his last five starts at Triple-A Iowa with 40 strikeouts and only three walks in 28 innings. Opposing hitters were a combined .194 against him over that dominant five-game stretch.
In past years the Cubs might have made a bigger deal out of the call-up of one of their top prospects or at least announced it before being asked if there had been a roster move.
But Alzolay's call-up has been relatively low-key, with no pressure to excel out of the chute since he'll probably work out of the bullpen initially.
Maddon said Alzolay would be available to piggyback Tyler Chatwood's spot start Thursday night against the Mets, which makes sense since Chatwood hasn't started since April. But Alzolay's future is as a starter, and there is a temporary opening in the rotation with Kyle Hendricks on the injured list.
"We've had a lot of discussions about maybe giving some of our starters rest," general manager Jed Hoyer said Tuesday. "And he's definitely in consideration when we have to slot guys in."
Chatwood naturally deserves first crack. He was signed as a much-heralded starter who only needed only to escape Coors Field to be effective. But he bombed in that role, was removed from the rotation last July and probably would've been left off the roster the entire postseason had the Cubs played more than one game.
But he has improved somewhat in a relief role _ a 4.34 ERA in 16 appearances _ and excelled in his spot start, allowing two hits in six scoreless innings against the Diamondbacks on April 21 at Wrigley Field.
"Last year I wasn't good," Chatwood said Wednesday. "But I put that in my past and worked hard this offseason and came into spring, and I feel good about everything."
Still, the Cubs want to see what Alzolay can do after his long-delayed call-up, and it wouldn't be surprising to see him get that chance Tuesday against the Braves.
The biggest criticism of President Theo Epstein's regime has been its failure to draft and develop pitchers.
Alzolay can be the exception to the rule, and may be in line to move into the 2020 rotation if Cole Hamels leaves via free agency. Of course, the Cubs may want to keep Hamels around a few more years. After picking up his $20 million option last winter, Hamels has become their most consistent starter, going 6-2 with a 2.85 ERA.
Not only is he worthy of All-Star consideration, Hamels could command another multiyear contract after the season, despite turning 36 in December.
But those are problems for another day, and where Alzolay fits in the near term is the question.
Does Jon Lester need an added day of rest? He beat the White Sox on Wednesday with an extra day of rest, but he has served up seven home runs over his last three starts, a stat Lester refused to blame on the juiced-up ball or the miserable conditions.
"I don't make excuses," he said. "Got to make better pitches."
Lester is satisfied with his numbers, saying the peripherals prove he's still getting hitters to swing and miss and he's not walking many.
"Sometimes it's hard to sit back and go, 'Well, I'm doing my job,' " he said. "But at the end of the day, our office picked me up today. ... I feel like I'm doing right things."
The addition of Alzolay comes at an important juncture for the Cubs, who are 10-12 since May 26 after a 28-13 stretch. Maddon believes they can revert to the team we saw early on, if the offense cooperates.
"As you get deeper into this whole thing and as you get to the playoffs and you get into those games, the pitching is really good, and just to rely on homers, to me, is a bad method," he said. "So I really want to get this straightened out where we become more what we had been early in the season.
"Again, I want it all. Sorry, I do. I want less strikeouts. I want more walks. I want RBIs on singles. I want homers. I want tight defense. I want pitchers to beat up on a 1-1 count. Gosh, I sound like Kevin Costner right now."
Costner, of course, played Crash Davis in "Bull Durham," where he delivered his impassioned "I believe" speech, which included calling for a constitutional amendment outlawing Astroturf and the DH, and a belief in "long, slow, deep, soft, wet kisses that last three days."
For now, Maddon will settle for wins.
.jpg?w=600)
