The Chicago Cubs desperately needed to get back in the win column on Friday and they did, defeating the Colorado Rockies 6-0 and then David Ross dropped a major bombshell at the end of his postgame press conference.
Marcus Stroman, who returned from the injured list a week ago against the Arizona Diamondbacks and made two relief appearances last weekend, will now be the starting pitcher on Saturday.
Left-handed rookie Jordan Wicks was scheduled to get the starting nod against the Rockies, but now Stroman will get his first start since July 31.
Right now, it's still not clear if Stroman will be used as a traditional starter, seeing that he did not have much time to build up his stamina and pitch count after spending several weeks sidelined with two different injuries. The Cubs may very well deploy Stroman as an opener, meaning he'll technically be the starting pitcher, but won't be in the game for more than a few innings. Of course, if Stroman can be efficient, then the team may give him a longer leash against the Rockies.
As for Wicks, he faced the Rockies last week in Colorado and pitched well at Coors Field, allowing just one run on three hits and a walk in six innings of work. The lefty has a 2.67 ERA in 27 innings through his first five starts in the majors.
Stroman made back-to-back relief outings against the Diamondbacks after missing a little more than six weeks of action. He tossed two scoreless frames and then came in during Saturday's extra-innings game, when he did allow an un-earned run in the 10th. That was his last appearance, so Stroman has had some time to refresh in preparation for Saturday's outing against the Rockies.
Overall this season, Stroman has recorded a 3.76 ERA in 131.2 innings.
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