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After the Cole Hamels acquisition of the Texas Rangers on Thursday, the first question that Joe Maddon would inevitably face on Friday is how he would juggle his starting rotation. Specifically, if the Cubs went to a rotation of six men or would stay with five, the last option meaning that someone should either go to the paddock or the disabled list.
"We are talking about five," Maddon said before Friday's game against the Cardinals. "We're fine now, plus Lester du monde and Cole (Hamels), they like their regular slot machines … But whatever we decide, there's always a chance to get back to six (starters) for a Short Moment. "
Tyler Chatwood has drawn anger from fans throughout the season, having beaten one of the league's top 85 hitters in 94 innings with a 4.98 ERA. It has been even worse recently, posting a 7.71 ERA in its last five starts. The easy badumption would be that Chatwood is the odd man, with Hamels, Jon Lester, Kyle Hendricks, Jose Quintana and Mike Montgomery completing the rotation.
But it may not be so simple. Montgomery has been notable since he took over the wounded Yu Darvish at the end of May, posting a 3.50 ERA in 61 innings and 2/3 in 11 starts. However, the big southpaw did not fool anyone Friday against the St. Louis Cardinals. Montgomery made 12 hits in five innings, eliminating three hitters and dropping five earned runs.
He has been hard hit in his last six starts, allowing 44 hits and 20 earned runs in 32 innings. an EER of 5.63. Friday's game cost 87 innings to Monty, a total that he did not reach until August 6th. Theo Epstein casually dropped a key reference to Montgomery's workload
"(Trading for a starter) was always a priority because it's something that's hard to tackle after July 31," said Epstein. "And we're an injury away from being in a really difficult place.Some of the injuries we've suffered, some of the struggles we've had in some areas, Monty's sleeves become a problem as you move forward in the season.
"We had the impression that it would be irresponsible not to add at least one starting launcher, and so we knew we were going to do something in one form or another." [19659002] Since he ran out of gas After throwing 130 innings and 2/3 in the regular season, it's reasonable for the Cubs to be able to keep a close watch on Montgomery's heats this year. 29-year-old athlete believes this year could be a different story.
"I think last year was unique because it was really the first time I'd made so many starts and relieves Montgomery said. "And I also think that there was an injury that I tried to play until the end of the year, one of those fun things. It may have been because of the workload, but I feel good now. I think I have a better grip on how to stay healthy. "
Montgomery admitted that the team had not specifically told him about his workload and how he was planning to use it for the rest of the season. Cubs need to do.He also talked about whether the Hamels trade – in addition to the conversation about his sleeves – could have an impact on his place in the rotation.
"He could," he said. "I've been to and fro so many times, I'm at my best when it's like that, okay, you can not control the start, the looseness, this and that. I'll go out there and work on my game. "
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