Despite local airwave chatter about hot-hand Chatwood as eventual 9th-inning answer, Maddon says no.
Tyler Chatwood has provided a needed boost to a depth-challenged Cubs’ bullpen with six weeks of sharp pitching, two-inning-plus reliever.
And if he keeps that up, he should become a candidate to return to a big-league rotation.
What he won’t become is anybody’s closer candidate anytime soon, no matter what his stuff or studio pundits might suggest.
“The big thing with him is just throwing strikes,” manager Joe Maddon said of Chatwood, who allowed just one run in four innings of relief to earn a victory Wednesday night (in three appearances of four or more innings, he has allowed just one run total). “If he does that, his stuff is that electric that we’ll use him anytime.”
Maddon was specifically talking about short setup relief vs. long relief. And, specifically, he was not talking about the ninth inning.
Chatwood has no experience in that role, and even when at his best with his command, he’s a top-step proposition in a given outing – much less a given inning. His best walk rate with any team in his career was 4.1 per nine innings with the Rockies.
“It’s also the last three outs. They’re just different. And he hasn’t done that,” said Maddon, who added he envisions using Chatwood in that role only if his other options are used up or unavailable for the day.
“He definitely has the stuff to do it – absolutely has the stuff to do it,” Maddon said. “But then again it’s just a different role to be in. A lot of times people jump to conclusions outside the confines here, and then you have to listen to it all.
“But it’s not as easy as you think it is.”
