Williams throws a gem in Cubs debut
The biggest question coming into the season for the Cubs was their rotation, and through four games, it has been an area of strength.
After the Cubs got quality outings in two victories against the Pirates, Trevor Williams spun a gem of his own in a 5-3 win Monday against the Brewers, retiring the first 15 batters he faced in his Cubs debut.
“Just a really special moment for my family and I,” Williams said. “Thankful that they were able to be in the stands to celebrate. It wouldn’t have been the same if they weren’t in the stands. To feel the energy from all the fans, that really was incredible. That’s something that I will remember and I’m going to cherish.”
Williams got the defense involved early and often, using a balanced mix of all five of his pitches. He got 10 groundouts, making quick work of Brewers hitters through five innings.
But no grounder was bigger than Williams’ last. After surrendering his first hit to Omar Narvaez in the sixth, Williams slowly began to unravel, allowing a walk and a hit by pitch to load the bases. Williams then got Keston Hiura to roll over on a 1-2 slider and ground into a 5-4-3 double play to end the threat.
“Strike one makes a big difference,” said catcher Willson Contreras. “I know this guy can throw strikes. We faced him a lot, and he’s got good stuff. What I like the most is the way he goes about his business. He is always wondering about the game.”
“I felt like he was ahead of almost every hitter, especially early on, and attacking guys,” manager David Ross said.
The right-hander allowed two runs and two hits over six-plus innings. He struck out six and walked two. He was backed on offense by three fourth-inning home runs from Contreras, Javy Baez and David Bote.
Over their last 12⅔ innings, Cubs starters have allowed just five earned runs.
Kimbrel off to hot start
The last two seasons have been filled with ups and downs for Craig Kimbrel, but the Cubs’ closer found success toward the end of the spring and has carried it over into the regular season.
The right-hander, who faced six batters and struck out five of them over his first two appearances of the season, has looked like the Kimbrel everyone remembers.
“My first few appearances have been good,” Kimbrel said. “Successfully hit my spots and executed the pitches. The life and movement of them on my pitches — they’ve definitely been there.”
Kimbrel’s first two outings not only have been good but also dominant, and MLB’s active leader in saves has had success with his signature knuckle-curve as well as his fastball.
“I think Craig’s in a good place,” Ross said. “He’s throwing strikes, getting good carry on his fastball. The ball’s above the barrel. You see a lot of foul balls that are straight back or pop-ups, which is telling me the ball is moving in the right place. He’s getting a secondary pitch over. I think those are keys to him. He’s on the attack.”
Cubs acquire Valdez from Padres
The Cubs acquired right-hander Darius Valdez from the Padres for right-hander James Norwood. Valdez has a 3.97 ERA with 14 saves in 122 career minor-league appearances for San Diego.
Norwood was designated for assignment Wednesday to make room on the 40-man roster for catcher Tony Wolters. Norwood was 0-2 with a 4.50 ERA in 23 career big-league relief appearances for the Cubs.