The Cubs won’t announce their postseason 40-man roster until Wednesday, but part of their plan for the pitching staff is starting to take shape. Manager David Ross announced on Monday that left-hander Jose Quintana will start on Tuesday against the Pirates.
Quintana has been on the 10-day injured list since Sept. 2 with a left lat inflammation.
“I can’t wait to be a starter for the first time in 2020,” Quintana said. “It’s [been] a tough season for me. Starting with my injury, but it’s really exciting to be back tomorrow.”
The key for the 2020 postseason will be rotational depth with no travel days and with Quintana back into the fold, he gives the Cubs some relief in that area.
The big question during this final week of the regular season will be: Who starts behind Yu Darvish and Kyle Hendricks in the postseason?
Right-hander Alec Mills and left-hander Jon Lester are also viable options along with Quintana.
Ross hasn’t decided what his playoff rotation looks like or if it even has Quintana in it, but the fact that he now has an additional starter with experience available can only help the first-year manager’s pitching staff.
“I just got to see him pitch first,” Ross said. “We’ll get him out there tomorrow and, and see how far he’s able to give us.
“Pitching is important,” Ross said. “Playing every day – yeah, it’s definitely gonna expose the depth that everybody’s going to have and using the full roster and how that shakes out.
“I feel like our pitching group has done a great job this year. They’ve carried us for me. They carried us early. They carried us here on the back end, as [they’ve] played well.”
Bryant moves down to fifth spot
The 2020 season has been one to forget for several members of the Cubs, offensively, but especially for third baseman Kris Bryant. Bryant was moved down to the fifth spot in Monday’s lineup after hitting third in Sunday’s 4-0 loss to the Twins.
“It’s kind of crazy, especially during this season, but hitting can turn on a dime, you can find one thing in batting practice, in a game, getting a knock and some confidence, get your number back up there,” Ross said. “I really am relying on the back of the baseball card for a lot of a lot of my optimism.
“I know what kind of players we have, their resumes and what they’ve done. I know this is a unique season that everybody’s dealing with, and it’s not normal. A lot of guys are trying to find their way throughout the league in this area.”
Ross has tried to find a place in the lineup for his star third baseman, but Bryant’s lack of offensive production makes it difficult to continue to put him at the top. Shortstop Javy Baez was moved lower in the order earlier this month amid his own offensive struggles.
The Cubs’ third baseman hasn’t been able to find a groove during the shortened regular season and owns a .197/.285/.303 slash line with two homers and five RBIs in 31 games this season.
Coming into Monday’s game, Bryant ranked 39th out of 42 MLB third baseman with a 63 wRC+ (minimum of 100 plate appearances).
