Cubs News: Maddon, on sweep: 'You still pet your puppy and move on.' |
CINCINNATI — Speaking to reporters following the Chicago Cubs' collapse against the Cincinnati Reds, Cubs skipper Joe Maddon touched on the numerous pitching letdowns that hindered the Cubs throughout the four-game sweep. Specifically, Maddon addressed reliever Pedro Strop's disastrous seventh-inning performance on Sunday, in which Strop was charged with four of the Reds' seven runs in the frame.
Maddon indicated that there was a plan in place for Strop to get the Cubs out of the jam that Cubs starter Mike Montgomery got himself into before being pulled in the seventh, which would then pave the way for Chicago reliever Steve Cishek to take to the mound with a lead to work with in the eighth. Unfortunately for Maddon and the Cubs, it did not pan out that way. "I thought that Strop was going to get out of that jam," Maddon said. "Give (the Reds) credit. They swung the bats extremely well. They garnered momentum by starting off the inning the way they did." Maddon also touched on the theme of the Cubs' upcoming road trip to Los Angeles for a four-game series against the Dodgers. With the coaches slated to wear bib overalls, as well as T-shirts featuring artwork from Maddon's Respect 90 collection, Maddon was happy to discuss the quick turnaround and positive vibes surrounding the next series. "I'm going to put my bib overall on in a second over there, and I'm going to get on that airplane," Maddon told the media. "This was pre-planned." In typical Maddon fashion, the laid-back skipper did not seem at all dismayed by Sunday's letdown, which saw the Cubs blow a 6-1 lead, or the four-game sweep as a whole. Instead, he opted to focus on what lies ahead for his club. "You still eat. You still sleep. You still pet your puppy and move on." With starting pitcher Tyler Chatwood away from the team right now to be with his pregnant wife, who went into labor on Sunday, the Cubs will turn to Duane Underwood, Jr., for Monday night's start on the bump. Underwood, Jr., who was only just called up from the minors by the Cubs, has a career minor-league ERA of 3.79. A call-up from the Triple-A Iowa Cubs, Underwood, Jr., will make his big-league debut in the starting spot against the Dodgers. He will look to right the ship for a Cubs pitching staff that is coming off its worst series of the season. Underwood, Jr., will certainly have his work cut out for him, though, as he has accrued a subpar 3-7 record and 4.27 ERA with Iowa this year.
