April 26--CINCINNATI -- There was more at stake Friday night for Cubs left-hander Zac Rosscup than there was last April at Yankee Stadium when he struck out Jacoby Ellsbury and left a favorable impression on then-manager Rick Renteria.
Rosscup, who was recalled April 14 from Triple-A Iowa, struck out Jay Bruce with the go-ahead run at third base to end the eighth inning and struck out two more during a scoreless ninth that enabled the Cubs to pull out a 7-3 win over the Reds in 11 innings.
There's a noticeable difference in Rosscup from last season, when he shuttled between Iowa and the Cubs, where he had a 9.45 ERA in 18 appearances and walked 12 in 13-1/3 innings.
"I have more confidence," said Rosscup, who has limited opponents to a .087 batting average (2-for-23) while striking out nine and walking only one in 6-2/3 innings covering six appearances this season.
"I'm trusting my stuff. I just go out there and pitch. When I simplify everything -- and (manager) Joe (Maddon) talks about it a lot, 'do simple better' -- that's what's stuck with me, and that's what I'm trying to do."
As recently as early March, the Cubs' left-handed relief options seemed so dire that they signed veteran Phil Coke. They also signed veteran left-hander James Russell to a minor-league contract, and Russell, 29, hasn't allowed a run in four outings covering nine innings for Iowa.
Rosscup made a favorable impression in spring training but was optioned when the Cubs added Coke to the major-league roster. Rosscup posted a 2.70 ERA in 10 spring appearances, and then pitched two scoreless appearances prior to being promoted to the majors.
In rookie's corner: Maddon remained firm in his defense of 21-year-old second baseman Addison Russell, who is 2-for-18 with 10 strikeouts.
"It's not just about hits, folks," said Maddon, referring to two impressive defensive plays Russell made at second despite not playing the position on a consistent basis until April 16. "If anybody wants to make it just about hits, fine. But if you want to play that game, you're going to lose a lot.
"You've got to catch it. He's a very good baserunner and runs well. He does a lot of things to help us win games."
Ready to go: Reliever Pedro Strop said he's available to pitch after missing the last two games due to a sore foot.
