Kyle Ryan has been the only left-handed reliever in the Cubs bullpen since the Mike Montgomery trade and Joe Maddon has mentioned how it would be nice to have another. Well, he got his wish before Tuesday night's game against the Giants.
After making his second start of the year, right-hander Alec Mills has been optioned to Triple-A Iowa and the Cubs have added another lefty to the bullpen in Tim Collins.
Collins has made eight appearances with the Cubs this year, allowing three runs in 7.2 innings. He's worked with a lot of base runners, giving up nine hits and three walks. At Triple-A, Collins has a 4.67 ERA in 27 innings.
At least Collins has been good against left-handed hitters, holding them to a .108 batting average, while posting a 1.59 ERA and 0.79 WHIP in 11.1 innings.
That being said, Collins has been worse against LHH during his MLB career, .725 OPS vs. LHH, .689 OPS vs. RHH. Yay.
So, that's where the Cubs stand as of right now. Tim Collins is their next best left-handed reliever option.
On the positive side, with Mills going back down to the minors, it does set up for a Cole Hamels return against the Brewers on Sunday. Hamels, who's been out with an oblique strain, will pitch with the Iowa Cubs tonight.
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