KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Right-hander Nate Pearson played catch with former Blue Jays teammate Julian Merryweather in left field before the Cubs’ 7-3 win against the Royals on Sunday.
Pearson had been with the Blue Jays since they drafted him in the first round of the 2017 MLB Draft. But when they traded him to the Cubs on Saturday for a pair of prospects, Merryweather became the only familiar face on Pearson’s new team.
“I think it was time for me to get a new look, a new opportunity, especially being here with the Cubs,” Pearson said. “Right when I found out, I was taken aback and shocked – but also excited for the new opportunity because it's a bunch of new eyes on me, and they obviously think highly of me.”
The Cubs are cognizant of the jarring nature of a transition like this. They won’t throw too many adjustments at Pearson at once. But they identified him as a trade target because they thought they could tease out more of his potential.
“The long ball this year has been an issue for me,” said Pearson, who has surrendered eight homers in 40 innings this season. “I’ve just got to figure out a way to keep the ball in the yard. Fastball has been getting hit a little more this year, but that's when I've been relying on my secondary pitches.”
The Cubs will likely tackle pitch usage first, then look at tweaking his mechanics.
“Two things happen when fastballs get hit,” pitching coach Tommy Hottovy said. “They either lack optimal shape or they lack deception. And he could actually be a combination of both at times.”
The Cubs offense got rolling in their last two games against the Royals, bouncing back from being shut out on Friday.
Their 12 hits Sunday were their most in any game since the All-Star break. Pete Crow-Armstrong led the team with three hits, and Patrick Wisdom hit his second home run in as many games.
Catcher Christian Bethancourt made his Cubs debut, going 2-for-4 and guiding starting pitcher Javier Assad to a quality start (three runs in six innings).
The Cubs are 17-9 in interleague play this season.
Right-hander Hayden Wesneski (strained right forearm) will likely need more than a minimum stint on the 15-day injured list, Counsell revealed Sunday. Wesneski landed on the IL about a week ago and remains symptomatic.
“We'll probably delay playing catch until we get back in the homestand,” manager Craig Counsell said. “So that means he's been off for 10 days playing catch. That means we're going to have to build him back up a little bit.”
Reliever Adbert Alzolay (strained right flexor) threw 26 pitches in a rehab outing with Triple-A Iowa on Saturday, allowing two runs in one inning. It was his third rehab game and first with Iowa. The Cubs are playing close attention to his recovery in between outings, 11 weeks into a rehab stint.
“We're not going to push any recovery stuff with him,” Counsell said.
