Sampson Again-Again, Alzolay Looked Great, Hughes, Quiroz’s Big Moment, Wisdom’s Finger, and Other Cubs Bullets

Sep 21, 2022

At 63-85, with 14 games remaining, last night’s win ensured that the 2022 Chicago Cubs cannot lose 100 games! POP THE CHAMPAGNNNNNNNE!!!

Another Adrian Sampson start, and another day saying the same thing: didn’t miss a ton of bats, but stayed in the strike zone, stayed off the barrel, and got good results. It was his third straight start of at least 6.0 innings and allowing no more than one run. He just keeps doing it. (Even his FIP, 3.75, is now better than league average!)

How much longer does Sampson have to do this before we say he’s gotta be locked into a 40-man spot this offseason? I don’t think there’s anything he could do to say he’s locked into an Opening Day roster spot (much less a rotation spot!), but keeping him in the organization? A guy with options remaining who has demonstrated some success in the big leagues and can swing between rotation and bullpen? Keeping him on the 40-man seems like a good idea at this point.

This is just kind of a fun thing:

Adrian Sampson has started against Corbin Burnes, Jacob deGrom and Pablo Lopez this season.

In those 3 starts, he has a 1.02 ERA and 1.08 WHIP. Oh yeah, and the Cubs won all 3 games.— Tony Andracki (@TonyAndracki23) September 21, 2022

Adbert Alzolay looked fantastic last night in his second two-inning outing:

.@adbert29 tossed two perfect innings tonight 😤

2 IP / 0 ER / 0 H / 2 K pic.twitter.com/Z9oejuTc7h
— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) September 21, 2022

Alzolay was once again heavy on the four-seamer and curveball last night (like his first appearance), after becoming more of a sinker-slider guy last year (which, you’ll recall, was an evolution from him PREVIOUSLY being more four-seamer and curveball heavy!). The classification systems are calling some of his curveballs a slider (at least think that’s what is happening), when it’s really just a matter of him having tightened up the curveball this year (it’s got much less drop and more velocity) – unless he’s suddenly throwing his slider much slower than last year and with a similar movement profile to a curveball …

So far, through two appearances and four innings, Alzolay has looked exactly like you would hope in his return from the long absence: healthy, under control, and capable of going multiple innings. Really that’s all you need to see from him through the end of the season to have confidence that, if healthy in the Spring, he can be a multi-inning weapon in your bullpen in 2023.

Speaking of the Cubs’ bullpen, where Brandon Hughes looked good again last night in the 9th:

ERA in the 9th inning & later
vs.
Bullpen payroll pic.twitter.com/qUDyaYnDAo
— Jay Cuda (@JayCuda) September 21, 2022

That isn’t to say you HAVE to construct the back of your bullpen cheaply, but it is to say that the Cubs have been very successful in that area this year, even without the highest-dollar investments. They just seem to find a lot of those guys in free agency (and get the most out of them), and also are now developing them internally, too.

Esteban Quiroz notched his first big league hits in his first big league start last night, and was also showing off the glove:

Esteban Quiroz is all over the field tonight. pic.twitter.com/MjcnN4ETq3
— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) September 21, 2022

“It was a very humbling experience, really,” Quiroz said of his first start, via interpreter Will Nadal, per Cubs.com. “I dreamt of this moment, I was thinking about it a lot. It’s something that I’ve worked for. … I had the three at-bats back in Chicago [and] I didn’t really perform the way that I wanted to, so I wanted to make sure I went out there and performed well. I haven’t really done anything [yet]. I’m here to work hard and do the best that I can.”

It’s been a long road for Quiroz, and whatever comes next, it’s just nice to see him get these moments. It’s also nice to see that, in a situation where it was not going to hurt them in either direction, the Cubs chose to give a veteran like Quiroz this opportunity. We’ve discussed it before, but when it comes to attracting future minor league free agents, being known as an organization that tries to do right by those guys can only help. Plus, in general, can we all just be that way? Kind and helpful when possible?

5 years in the minors
7 years playing in Mexico

30-year old Esteban Quiroz collects his first MLB hit! pic.twitter.com/OJ7UTZaTJ1
— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) September 20, 2022

Willson Contreras took on-field batting practice yesterday as he continues to recover from the ankle injury (Montemurro).

If you’ve noticed that Patrick Wisdom isn’t playing much, even as he’s been off the IL, it’s likely because that finger injury is still bothering him (Tribune). It’s an unfortunate issue to be dealing with in a season where the production has slipped and the glove hasn’t looked as strong, and when the Cubs have a crowded 40-man group to consider this offseason. I tend to think Wisdom is still too valuable to just punt, but it probably would’ve been helpful for him to finish on a healthy and strong note, so that the Cubs could have at least explored trade options if they wanted.

The vaccine requirement from the Canadian side of the border is reportedly going to be dropped at the end of this month, which would have an obvious impact on the postseason for teams that have to travel to Toronto to face the Blue Jays (assuming getting back into the United States is not an issue).

The Reds are coming for the Cubs’ most cherished record:

Nick Lodolo hit Rob Refsnyder to begin the second inning. That's the 97th batter hit by a Reds pitcher this season, one shy of tying the MLB all-time record (Cubs, 98 in 2021).— Bobby Nightengale (@nightengalejr) September 20, 2022

New Tigers President Scott Harris, a former Cubs executive, says he will be hiring a GM underneath him – so that makes at least two GM-level openings right now in Detroit and San Francisco, with the Mets looking to hire a president.

written by

Brett Taylor

Brett Taylor is the Lead Cubs Writer at Bleacher Nation, and you can find him on Twitter at @BleacherNation and on LinkedIn here. Brett is also the founder of Bleacher Nation, which opened up shop in 2008 as an independent blog about the Chicago Cubs. Later growing to incorporate coverage of other Chicago sports, Bleacher Nation is now one of the largest regional sports blogs on the web.

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Sampson Again-Again, Alzolay Looked Great, Hughes, Quiroz’s Big Moment, Wisdom’s Finger, and Other Cubs Bullets

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