It’s a travel day for me, so my availability is gonna be pretty reduced (got about 9 hours on the road today … ). Gonna bang out these Bullets, and then it’s possible you might not hear from me again for a while. Happy Sunday, friends.
• One hanging slider shouldn’t be what folks remember from Adbert Alzolay’s start last night, in St. Louis, against a rival, giving the Cubs seven innings with just two runs allowed. He didn’t walk a guy, he struck out six, and he allowed just five hits. Like we often say about Alzolay starts, you want to get the win and all that, but long-term, what’s most important is that he continues to develop. And he is, right before our eyes, having more and more success, and going deeper and deeper in games.
• “Overall, to be honest, I felt that today was my best game so far,” Alzolay said, per Cubs.com. “I was completely in control over all my pitches. Even in the seventh after the homer, I feel that even my emotions were where they were supposed to be. Keep attacking the guys, getting those ground balls there. I feel that overall, I take this game as a really good one for me moving forward.”
• The next phase for Alzolay is going to be dealing with the homers – guys are able to elevate against his mix of stuff, and they’re swinging aggressively to hunt mistakes, knowing that they’re unlikely to string together hits. He’s allowed at least one homer in six of his eight starts this year, including each of his last five.
Adbert Alzolay, 89mph Slider & 95mph Two Seamer, Overlay.
And, guess who's my guest on the PitchingNinja Show this week?
One hint: It rhymes with Adbert Alzolay. pic.twitter.com/pwRO4fUbAJ
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 22, 2021
• Keegan Thompson had another scoreless inning last night, now up to 12.2 scoreless to begin his big league career.
• Jason Adam had emergency surgery to repair his dislocated ankle, and all you can do at this point is hope for a recovery. From David Ross: “Thoughts and prayers go to him, and hopefully [he has] a speedy recovery. I texted [him], he said it’s all going to work out. He’s in good spirits, but yeah, we’re definitely thinking about him. That was some terrible news to receive yesterday.”
• Robert Stock, who has been pitching well (and throwing 101 mph) at Triple-A Iowa, threw three innings last night, which is interesting. You wouldn’t normally think of a max effort reliever like Stock being a three-inning type, but, like I said, it’s interesting that he got that look. Not currently on the 40-man, you figure Stock is in the (large) mix for next-man-up when the need arises.
• Anthony Rizzo driving a hard bargain:
Anthony Rizzo trying to trade a fan a baseball for some nachos lollllll @MLBONFOX pic.twitter.com/obASGZFrvC
— Cubs Insider (@realcubsinsider) May 23, 2021
• Names coming for Team USA:
Team USA Olympics roster, announced later, has some top names: David Robertson, Homer Bailey, Matt Kemp, Edwin Jackson, Todd Frazier, Anthony Gose, Matt Wieters plus top Red Sox prospects Triston Casas, Jarren Duran. Manager: Mike Scioscia. 1st game May 31 vs. Nicaragua @TeamUSA
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) May 23, 2021
• Unreal catch:
CATCH OF THE YEAR!!! Watch Bear River Center Fielder Olivia Taylor going airborne, clearing the fence to make this catch in the @UHSAAinfo State Championship game. @KSLSports l @BRHSinfo l @BearRiverCoach pic.twitter.com/9aw1f1Fhu5
— Sam Farnsworth (@Samsworth_KSL) May 22, 2021