Cubs Rookie Ethan Roberts Had One of the Nastiest Strikeouts of the Year

You don't have to be a pitching expert to notice when there's some absolute nastiness happening on a mound and Cubs rookie Ethan Roberts showed off his filth against the Pirates on Tuesday. The 24-year-old came on to protect a 2-0 lead in the seventh inning and with two outs and a runner at second base he unleashed a lethal 3-2 slider against veteran catcher Roberto Pérez to end the inning. This isn't hyperbole either. Roberts' first strikeout was one of the nastiest during the first week of the 2022 season across MLB. Look at this thing move!

That slider had about 2 feet of horizontal movement, ranking at the very top among MLB pitchers. That alone is unfair for hitters, but Roberts also has a tricky vertical release point that will continue to give hitters problems moving forward.

Roberts was a fourth-round pick out of Tennessee Tech in 2018, and after moving up in the minors he was impressive during spring training which led to his first MLB Opening Day roster spot.

Fans have to love the genuine emotion that Roberts shows and we saw a glimpse of that after his first MLB strikeout on Tuesday. Pure giddiness getting off the mound after a big moment. You love to see it from Ethan Roberts.

Rotation off to Strong Start

Because of Friday's rain out and Monday's scheduled day off the Cubs only needed four pitchers for their first turn through the starting rotation. So far, David Ross has to be pleased, as Kyle Hendricks, Justin Steele, Marcus Stroman and Drew Smyly have combined to give up a total of two runs in 20.1 innings.

Hendricks will make his second start of the season Wednesday against the Pirates.

Starters vs. Rockies

Following the quick two-game set in Pittsburgh, the Cubs will be flying over to Colorado for a four-game series against Kris Bryant's Rockies. Three of the four starting pitchers have been named, but Saturday's starter is still to be determined.

Alec Mills, who began the year on the injured list because of back strain, recently throw 75 pitches during a bullpen session hypothetically was an option to join the rotation this weekend, but the Cubs are taking a cautious route with the right-hander.

We could see a bullpen game with guys like Jesse Chavez, Michael Rucker and Keegan Thompson pitching multiple innings on Saturday. There's also Iowa Cubs pitcher Cory Abbott, who can be slotted into the start against the Rockies. As for Keegan Thompson, he was suspended three games after hitting Andrew McCutchen. The Cubs' young righty has appealed his suspension.