Mills pitching to 'strengths,' 'executing' 

CHICAGO -- Alec Mills went into Saturday's start against the White Sox with a full appreciation of how well their lineup can slug fastballs. That did not deter the Cubs starter from his plan of attack.

"Obviously, they hit fastballs well," Mills said. "It was one of those things where, I'm going to pitch to my strengths. I think I can locate the heater well, and I think I had that."

Over 8 1/3 innings in Saturday's 7-0 win over the White Sox, Mills fired 68 fastballs (sinkers and four-seamers) out of his 103 pitches. He held the South Siders to a .143 average (3-for-21) and .190 slugging percentage on those heaters.

Even with that showing, the White Sox currently rank fifth in the Majors with a .501 SLG against right-handed four-seamers and sixth with a .461 SLG against righty two-seamers/sinkers.

"Weak contact is still a thing," manager David Ross said. "You don't have to miss barrels all the time. I thought he just commanded the zone really well."

Is there a lesson there for the Cubs' younger starting pitchers -- arms like Justin Steele, Keegan Thompson or Adbert Alzolay -- who feature more velocity than the precision-based Mills?

"I think the one thing you take away there," Ross said, "is just executing, locating, attacking. I don't think the young guys are trying to stay away from contact.

"I think there's just the ability to have some seasoning under your belt and understand that, if you execute your pitches and locate your pitches, good things can happen, no matter how powerful or dangerous a lineup can be."

Mills only finished with three strikeouts, but he turned in the longest outing of the season for a Cubs starter. In fact, it was the longest start for a Cubs pitcher since Mills' no-hitter on Sept. 13 last year against the Brewers.

Since moving into the rotation again on a full-time basis, the 29-year-old Mills has a 3.68 ERA with 50 strikeouts against 15 walks in 60 innings. Seven of the 27 earned runs allowed in that span came in a tough start on Aug. 22 against the Royals.

More and more, Mills is showing he should be mentioned as part of the 2022 rotation plans.

"For me, he's been as consistent a guy that I've had since I've been here," Ross said. "That's a really good lineup he just ran through pretty efficiently. He's definitely a guy that's proven, every time he takes the bump, that he gives you a chance to win. It's a nice feeling."

Injury updates
• Ross said the Cubs are "still working through" the next step for right-hander Adbert Alzolay (10-day injured list, left hamstring). With an off-day coming on Monday, Chicago has flexibility with its rotation in the coming week.

• Catcher Willson Contreras (10-day IL, right knee) took on-field batting practice and went through running/agility work on Sunday morning. Contreras could head out on a Minor League rehab assignment as early as Tuesday, per Ross.

Down on the farm
• Triple-A Iowa: Lefty Brendon Little (first round in 2017 MLB Draft) struck out three with no hits or walks issued in two innings on Saturday. Has six strikeouts in five shutout innings in three games since moving up to Iowa.

• Low-A Myrtle Beach: Shortstop Ed Howard (No. 7 on Pipeline's Top 30 Cubs Prospects) went 1-for-2 with a three-run homer, four RBIs and two walks on Saturday. Howard was the Cubs' first-rounder in the '20 Draft.

• Arizona Complex League: Infielder James Triantos (second round in '21 Draft) went 2-for-4 on Saturday, giving him a .292 average through 12 games. Triantos, 18, is the Cubs' No. 11-ranked prospect, per Pipeline.

Quotable
"Age is just a number, right? We've kind of been some late bloomers, but at least we're bloomin'." -- Mills, on the recent success of some of the Cubs' older players