Chicago Cubs: Adbert Alzolay next up as Kyle Hendricks hits the 10-day IL

Chicago Cubs: With Hendricks heading to the IL, will Alzolay be next man up?

The first and foremost thought in most Cubs’ fans’ minds upon hearing of Hendricks’ IL stint: does this mean Alzolay will be called up to start a game? And, quite honestly, who can blame anyone for wanting to see a guy who we’ve all heard about for the last couple years?

Alzolay, after suffering a lat injury to end his 2018 season, has been really effective at Iowa this season, and the Cubs might want to see what he can do in a start before bringing him up in the pen later in the season. Alzolay has also been lights-out of late, giving up only six runs in his last 28 innings, spanning 5 starts since May 22.

In fact, Theo Epstein recently touted the effectiveness of the Cubs’ top pitching prospect and didn’t pull any punches when admitting that Alzolay might be an option heading into next week. With the front office’s desire to get him a spot start, rather than just throwing him into the pen, Alzolay might want to keep his phone’s ringer on the next few days.

Alzolay’s first big league start would serve a few purposes for the Cubs and their fans. First and foremost, it could help the club win if he pitches well in a spot start for the injured Hendricks. Secondly, it could show the club if their top farmhand is ready for the big lights of Wrigley.  It could also create an easier (or much more difficult, depending on your perspective) decision regarding whether or not to add more ammo to a bullpen that has been oft-maligned this season.

Chicago Cubs: Could Tyler Chatwood get another spot start?

Another option for the Cubs, should they decide that Alzolay isn’t ready or they don’t want to mess with chemistry at the big league level: Tyler Chatwood. If you recall, the former starter has made just one start on the season, but it was a big one. In that start on April 21, Chatwood pitched six shutout innings against the Diamondbacks, allowing only two hits and two walks en route to a 2-1 Cubs win.

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While Chatwood has been the definition of inconsistency out of the pen, giving up runs every other game he’s appeared in dating back to May 16, he was really good in his one start this year, and another could give him the consistency and feel he’s been missing while jogging out sporadically from the pen.

Chatwood has improved upon his walk numbers from last year, but then again, there wasn’t any place to go but down from 8.2 BB per nine innings. Sitting at 5.4 per nine at the moment, it’s a marked improvement on last year, and it’s possible that allowing Chatwood to start a game and work through his command will enable better results from the ground-ball inducing right-hander.

His fastball might not sit at 97 or 98 as a starter, but his stuff has never been the problem. If the front office feels like Alzolay isn’t ready, Chatwood is definitely another possibility and one that makes a lot of sense.

Chicago Cubs: If Alzolay and Chatwood aren’t tapped, could it be Montgomery?

Mike Montgomery is no stranger to getting spot starts and has been fairly good at making them in his time as a Cub. While his numbers in relief have been far superior to those when he starts, he has nonetheless turned in some fine performances as a starter and has made it a point to let everyone know that he would rather be starting.

One issue that might prohibit Montgomery from starting right now is that he hasn’t really been stretched out all year and he hasn’t made any starts this season. He also saw time on the IL himself this year, so the Cubs may be hesitant to have him change his routine, even if he’s done it in the past.

The last time Montgomery threw two innings in a game was May 20, and the only time he threw more than two this year was on May 9 when he piggybacked off a Yu Darvish four-inning start, finishing the game with five solid frames to pick up the win.

While it’s not likely the left-hander would start in Hendricks’ absence, he has had the most success as a starter in a Cubs uniform out of the three options. As always, the other point to consider with Montgomery is his left-handedness and what Maddon/Epstein think would benefit the team the most in a start against the White Sox or Mets. With an off-day on Monday to keep the rest of the rotation on schedule, the Cubs have about a week before they have to make any real decisions on this front.

While I’m hoping for an Adbert Alzolay sighting at Wrigley Field, at this point, I really don’t care who pitches as long as the Cubs are winning ball games. But, Alzolay being given a chance and acclimating to big league ball certainly makes things easier down the stretch when we’ll need him in the pen.