MIAMI — Even when Javier Assad doesn't possess his best command, the right-hander finds a way to put the Chicago Cubs in position to win.
Assad worked around a season-high five walks as he grinded through 4 2/3 innings Saturday against the Miami Marlins , ultimately limiting enough damage in the Cubs' 6-5 win at loanDepot Park. Ryan Zeferjahn threw 1 2/3 scoreless innings to earn his first save as a Cub.
The victory assures the Cubs will maintain their hold of the National League's first wild-card spot over the Philadelphia Phillies as they go for the sweep Sunday with right-hander Clay Holmes on the mound.
"I try to stay calm and under control and work my game, and I've got the best defense behind me, and I let them work, and it came up huge," Zeferjahn said. "The biggest thing for me, honestly, is not chasing strikeouts. Like I said, I've got the best defense, and when you get a one-pitch out to start the ninth inning, so much weight's off your shoulders right there. So just focusing on that and then stay in the attack mode after that."
Making his first big-league start in a month, Assad gave up three hits and three runs, one of which scored when reliever Caleb Thielbar immediately surrendered a two-run home run to Griffin Conine , the first batter he faced.
"I wasn't as fine as usual," Assad said through an interpreter. "I fought through, pitch by pitch. … I felt good out there, and it was good to at least leave the game with the score up. The last thing I want to do is to allow those walks, especially with the infield that we have, the defense."
Saturday's performance had all the ingredients for a bad Cubs loss.
They wasted a first-inning scoring opportunity against Marlins starter Ryan Gusto when Pete Crow-Armstrong (walk) and Seiya Suzuki (single) reached to begin the game. Michael Busch followed with a strikeout on a pitch-clock violation for calling time a second time in the at-bat, then Alex Bregman hit into an inning-ending double play on the next pitch.
The top of the second wasn't much better as the Cubs recorded two of their three outs at third base. Marlins center fielder Jakob Marsee delivered a great throw to nail Ian Happ aggressively attempting to go first to third on Nico Hoerner 's single. Hoerner, who advanced to second on the throw, was easily nabbed trying to steal third to end the inning.
The Cubs lineup put enough pressure on Gusto to break through.
Michael Conforto continued his strong season with a solo home run in the third, his 14th of the year, and Happ's two-run single with the bases loaded that inning extended the Cubs' lead. Crow-Armstrong, Hoerner and Busch each drove in a run in the ensuing three innings to help them maintain the lead.
The Marlins kept trying to chip away, but the Cubs bullpen stepped up in the biggest moments. Left-hander Ryan Rolison entered with two outs in the seventh and stranded the tying and go-ahead runs by forcing Marsee to ground out. Manager Craig Counsell turned to Zeferjahn when the Marlins put the tying run on second against Rolison in the eighth. Zeferjahn handled the moment. He retired the next two hitters to escape with the lead intact and took care of business in the ninth to earn the save.
"We need him to be successful," Counsell said of Zeferjahn. "He's had a couple outings that didn't go his way. He's bounced back really good. The last couple I think have been very good, and he showed us tonight what he's capable of.
"It's a big-time performance. Those are tough ones to get, and he bailed us out tonight."
With the bullpen still looking for collectively consistency, Assad presence's on the pitching staff gives Counsell options.
Assad's versatility has allowed the Cubs to utilize him in a variety of ways this season. Following the trade-deadline additions of Holmes and Kevin Gausman , Assad's role became more flexible. That also meant, as one of the only Cubs pitchers with minor-league options remaining, he was the odd man out when reliever Daniel Palencia was ready to return from his two-month absence late last month.
"We've got a lot of confidence in Javier Assad, no matter the situation or if he's been up or down or in the bullpen or starting, it's just so much credit to his mentality and his skill set," Hoerner told the Chicago Tribune. "Those are hard things to deal with as a player so we have supreme confidence in him, and I thought he was great tonight.
"It's the sign of a very level-headed and confident person, and it's easy for those kind of outside factors to get in your head as a player sometimes, but we all really admire him and know that he's a huge part of this team."
With Assad's return, reliever Tyler Ferguson was optioned to Iowa as the corresponding move.
"If you have options, we create a better team through this and more flexibility through this and depth through this, that's what's best for the team," Counsell said. "And you have to do your job, and the team kind of has to do their job if that makes sense, and there's nothing Javier can do about that part of it, there's nothing Tyler Ferguson can do about that part of it. They control when they go out on the mound, and that's their jobs. Now that's easy for me to sit here and say to do, but they've done that part really well."
Saturday was the first day Assad could be recalled after spending the required minimum of 15 days at Triple-A Iowa. It aligned with the Cubs' desire to get the rest of the rotation an extra day of rest by using six starters for one turn. The upcoming off day Thursday — one of three during the final 22 days of the regular season — means the Cubs won't need to use six starters again to create additional rest for the rotation.
"Obviously things change," Counsell noted, "but the plan would be to not."
Assad hasn't shown any problems with the uptick in workload this season after being limited to 37 innings last year with the Cubs because of two oblique strains. Between Triple A and the Cubs this year, Assad has thrown 113 innings through Saturday.
"He's gotten people out, I mean, that's what you're here to do, and I think he's done a really good job of that," Counsell said. "And that means that we've won games when he's pitched, and he's done that as a starter, he's done that as a long reliever in the middle of a game, kind of putting the game back together where the start doesn't go well, so that's important."
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