NEW YORK — Cubs left-hander Drew Smyly walked in a run to end a start Monday that served as a microcosm of his recent poor results.
Smyly, who allowed seven runs in five-plus innings in the Cubs’ 11-2 loss to the Mets, did give up some hard contact, too. Pete Alonso’s two home runs were the most obvious examples.
Since the All-Star break, Smyly has been focusing on shifting to an attacking mindset with his fastball. And his strikeout numbers have been up. But he has given up five homers in his last two outings.
The Cubs have been trying to tap into the success he had earlier in the season, but the results haven’t fallen into line.
In the first inning, Smyly issued a walk to Francisco Alvarez after throwing two consecutive sinkers for strikes to begin the at-bat. Then Francisco Lindor hit a single through the right side of the infield to put two runners on for Alonso’s first homer.
Lindor found another gap for a single in the third before Alonso’s second homer.
Smyly settled in for the next two innings and went out for the sixth. But he issued three consecutive hits, including a comebacker bunt and an infield single, to load the bases. He wrapped up his night walking in a run with no outs.
Next step for Stroman
Right-hander Marcus Stroman is set to throw a bullpen session Tuesday, his first since landing on the 15-day injured list last week with inflammation in his right hip.
Stroman said he took a cortisone shot Wednesday to treat the injury. He remains on track for about a minimum IL stint, manager David Ross said.
Rain delay
A downpour halted the game after six innings, but play resumed after a two-hour delay.
Right-hander Caleb Kilian, who faced two batters in relief of Smyly and got three outs, likely would have thrown multiple innings under normal circumstances. But the long break forced Ross to dip deeper into his bullpen, and right-hander Daniel Palencia took the mound coming out of the delay.
