We’ll have more on this later today, I expect, but presuming there isn’t a HUGE SERIOUS NEW injury to Pedro Strop, I’m actually very glad to hear he’s headed to the Injured List to take some more time and get right. Multiple hamstring injuries in less than a year for a 34-year-old, hard-throwing reliever. He clearly needs more time.
The Cubs are recalling right handed pitcher Duane Underwood from Class AAA Iowa. Pedro Strop is headed to the injured list.
— David Kaplan (@thekapman) July 30, 2019
As for the Underwood half of this, I really love to hear it. He’s already on the 40-man roster, so there’s no issue there. And he’s a guy who has just dominated at AAA since he was finally converted to the bullpen.
He struggled in his first outing, but after that one-time adjustment, lights out (keep in mind, that’s a league where a 5.00 ERA right now is better than average!):
Since his first bullpen outing (which went poorly), DUJ as reliever has been good:
25.2 IP, 21 H, 2.45 ERA, 8 BB, 35 K.
Velo has played up a touch, but the real benefit of relief is that Underwood has upped his change-up usage, which really emerged as his best pitch last 2 yrs. https://t.co/5rL3RYO1WA
— Cubs Prospects – Bryan Smith (@cubprospects) July 30, 2019
Underwood, 25, probably doesn’t get trusted immediately in anything other than middle relief, and he very well might be replaced in short order by a trade acquisition, but I’d love to see him get a look. He has big league stuff, and we got a glimpse of that in his one outing against the Dodgers last year. Shrink the arsenal and up the velo a bit? That’s a big league reliever.