Escaping jams 'huge step forward' for Alzolay

In his start against the Cardinals on May 22, Adbert Alzolay proved how far he has progressed as a pitcher.

Alzolay, 26, made it through seven innings for the first time in his big league career. He didn’t walk a batter and threw 70 of his 86 pitches for strikes. He even set a career high by getting through the first 10 St. Louis batters without allowing a baserunner.

Friday afternoon's start against Cincinnati didn’t go quite as smoothly. The Reds put a runner on third in each of the first three innings against Alzolay and multiple runners in scoring position in the first and third, and they recorded two-out hits in the first, third and sixth innings.

“I know at least three times, he got the first two hitters out and then got in a little bit of trouble,” Cubs manager David Ross said. “I talked to him a little bit about that, staying focused in those moments and being able to put guys away, put the inning to bed.”

When Ross finally took the ball from Alzolay with two outs in the sixth inning, Alzolay had allowed five hits and walked three while throwing 103 pitches.

But even with all the trouble he faced, Alzolay managed to hold Cincinnati scoreless in Chicago's 1-0 win.

Alzolay’s previous start displayed his development in showing how dominant he can be when everything is working. Friday, he showed his progression as a pitcher who can do what’s needed to get himself out of jams.

“For me, it was a great day on the mound,” Alzolay said. “I mean, I got in trouble. I can say that for the first time in a long time now, being in trouble the first three innings, but for me it's just part of this game and part of my development. Be able to get in those situations and then be able to get [out of] those situations. So I feel that it's a huge step forward for me in that aspect.”

In just his third season in the Majors, Alzolay is becoming a key piece in the Cubs’ rotation. He has the best marks in a host of stats among Chicago’s regular starters, including ERA (3.81), fewest hits allowed (36), strikeouts (51) and WHIP (0.93).

A bit of luck and weather helped Alzolay secure his third win of the season Friday. But of the things he was able to control on the mound, Alzolay sees Friday’s outing as just another step in his progression.

“Even [though] I got in some jams there, I was able to keep pitching and keep executing my pitches and just keep competing, man,” Alzolay said. “I think that is what it's all about. Keep competing.”

Quick hitter
Per team historian Ed Hartig, the Cubs’ 1-0 win Friday was their 273rd 1-0 game since 1876. Of those games, 56 featured a home run for the game's only run. The last such games came back-to-back on Aug. 16-17, 2018, in Pittsburgh, with Ian Happ and Kyle Schwarber hitting solo shots for Chicago’s only runs. Bote is the 44th Cubs player to homer in a 1-0 win. The leaders are Ernie Banks and Andy Pafko, who each homered in three 1-0 Chicago wins.