PITTSBURGH _ When Chris Archer was informed he had been traded to the Pirates, general manger Neal Huntington had but one request of his new ace.
"He said, 'I want you on the mound against the Cubs,' " Archer said. "It's important to us."
A pitching matchup between Archer and new Cubs pick-up Cole Hamels on Wednesday night would have been a match made in trade-deadline heaven. The Pirates' bold move to trade top prospects for the talented, young Archer stood in stark contrast to the Cubs' decision to bring in the struggling, aging Hamels for the stretch run.
But logistics prevented Archer from getting to Pittsburgh in time to prepare for a Wednesday start, ceding the spotlight to Hamels in his Cubs' debut.
Handed a four-run cushion before throwing his first pitch, thanks to shaky Pirates starter Nick Kingham and a series of Pirates misplays, Hamels cruised through five innings, striking out nine and allowing only three hits and no earned runs in a 9-2 victory.
Though he lasted only five innings in his first start since July 23, the Cubs have to be geeked about Hamel's first step.
Hamels, who has replaced Tyler Chatwood in the rotation, has to live up to the reputation he forged over his years with the Phillies to make the move worthwhile. Wednesday's outing was a good indication he still has a lot left in the tank and could be rejuvenated by being back in the hunt for October.
Four years ago Thursday, Jon Lester made his debut with the A's after being dealt from the Red Sox at the trade deadline for Yoenis Cespedes. No matter how many years you have pitched in the majors, coming to a new team in the middle of a pennant race with the weight of the world on your shoulders is never easy.
"Any time you have familiar faces it helps," Lester said. "He has a guy he has played with a couple of years (in Yu Darvish), I don't really know if he knows anybody else in here, but having at least one familiar face helps. From my experience, and I know the (Cubs) clubhouse has changed a little bit since '15, but this is a very welcoming clubhouse. I think (manager Joe Maddon) and all the coaches do a good job at that. The communication door is always open for any questions people have.
"I can't speak for him, but maybe getting a few days here before he pitches to meet guys, kind of settle in to his routine will hopefully make him feel comfortable and ready to go. When you get traded it's a difficult situation. You're coming in with guys who pretty much have been together six or seven months and we all have bonded together. We all have done team dinners and whatnot. Hopefully we can do those with him and catch up and he feels comfortable and we can make a push toward the end."
If that push is coming, the rest of the rotation must step up as well because the Cubs are by no means on a roll. Cubs starters entered Wednesday's game with a 3-6 record and 6.37 ERA since the break, the second-highest ERA in the majors. And you can't blame any of that on Darvish, unless of course, you're Alex Rodriguez.
Despite their renown as a second-half team under manager Joe Maddon, the Cubs headed back home with a 7-7 record in the first two weeks after the All-Star break with only one winning streak as long as two games.
Playing at a .500 clip isn't going to cut it if they hope to win the National League Central, and anything less than that is unacceptable in what President Theo Epstein refers to as "the Golden Age" of Cubs baseball.
It's doubtful Hamels' arrival at Wrigley Field can match the anticipation of Archer's debut Friday in Pittsburgh. A "welcome" video of Archer's highlights played on the scoreboard during Hamels' opening warmups, and the charismatic new Pirates ace vaulted out of the dugout to tip his cap to his new legion of followers.
"Based off social media and flying in today, walking through the airport, everybody knows who I am," Archer said. "People are very excited, and it's energizing."
The Cubs don't need Hamels to energize Chicago. The buzz at Wrigley Field is self-generating, and always has been.
All he has to do is be his old self, and hope the rest of the rotation follows his lead.
