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Walks again hurt Chicago Cubs rookie Caleb Kilian in a blowout loss: ‘It’s super frustrating’

PITTSBURGH — Three starts into his big-league career, Caleb Kilian is searching for answers.For a pitcher who didn’t walk many batters in the minors since joining the Chicago Cubs organization last July, walks have plagued the rookie right-hander in his last two outings. Kilian’s big-league debut in early June provided excitement for Cubs fans who haven’t had much to cheer about this year.AdvertisementCommand problems derailed Kilian again Monday in a 12-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates.“It’s super frustrating, actually, because I feel like I’m digging myself in a hole with walking people and getting behind in counts,” Kilian said. “I feel like it’s not far off. I feel like it’s close. And once it clicks, it’ll be a lot better.”AdvertisementKilian surrendered seven runs (five earned) and struck out three in 2⅓ innings, hurt by five walks and shaky defense.[ [Don’t miss] Why the Cubs chose to option right-hander Adrian Sampson to Triple A after a stellar outing ]“I do best when I am aggressive or have an aggressive mindset, but I still was trying to be too fine with my misses,” Kilian said. “Instead of missing in the zone when I was missing just away earlier and then getting behind in counts, the walks — I just hurt myself, you know?”Too often Kilian threw noncompetitive pitches that were balls out of his hand.Kilian is the first Cubs pitcher to walk at least five hitters in consecutive outings since Yu Darvish in May 2019. Kilian’s issues against the Pirates felt similar to his previous start Wednesday versus the San Diego Padres, in which he surrendered five runs and five walks in four innings. “Just not like myself,” he said.Cubs starter Caleb Kilian, center, hands the ball to manager David Ross during a pitching change in the third inning Monday, June 20, 2022, in Pittsburgh. (Gene J. Puskar/AP)Before the blowout loss, Cubs manager David Ross indicated the focus between starts for Kilian was “cleaning up the consistency of his mechanics” so he could feel he’s able to move the ball in and out of the zone as he wants. Kilian mentioned doing drills that helped him get back into his legs and find better timing.“We’ve got to give this kid a little bit of runway before we start changing too many things,” Ross said. “The more information we’re able to gather at this level and what he looks like, then we’ll be able to assess and continue to work start to start.”Chicago Tribune SportsWeekdaysA daily sports newsletter delivered to your inbox for your morning commute.Kilian, though, couldn’t harness what he found between outings. Afterward, he wasn’t sure what led him to get out of sync against the Pirates.Advertisement[ [Don’t miss] Column: From yuppies to ‘Cuppies,’ Wrigley Field bleachers are still the place to ignore the Cubs’ failures ]“If I knew I would have probably fixed it out there,” he said. “It kind of just got out of whack a little bit today and then it didn’t go too well.”The Cubs, losers in 13 of their last 16 games, can give Kilian time to work through his command issues in the majors if they want. Ross recalled former teammate Jon Lester saying a pitcher will have five really good starts, five that stink and it comes down to the other 20 starts.Only 33 of Kilian’s 66 pitches were strikes, including 14 foul balls and five balls in play that either scored a run or were not an out.The Pirates’ Bryan Reynolds scores on a wild pitch by Cubs starter Caleb Kilian (45) during the third inning Monday, June 20, 2022, in Pittsburgh. (Gene J. Puskar/AP)“I definitely would say the big leagues is different than the minor leagues for sure,” Ross said. “He’s got a long big-league career ahead of him and he’s a hard worker. He’ll go back to work.”At some point, it might pay off for Kilian to implement the adjustments at Triple A, where there is less scrutiny, but right now there is an opportunity to work hands on with pitching coach Tommy Hottovy and the big-league staff. Kilian is trying to learn as much as he can, from the trainers to the strength coaches, and soak it in.“I’ve just been picking people’s brains,” Kilian said. “Maybe I’ve got too much going on in my head at the moment, but I think in the long run it’ll pay off.”

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Photos from Summer Smash 2022

Photos by Dylan Barnedo Since its launch as a one-day festival in 2018, Lyrical Lemonade’s Summer Smash has grown into a three-day extravaganza that can go…

Sports

Why the Chicago Cubs chose to option right-hander Adrian Sampson to Triple A after a stellar outing

PITTSBURGH — Right-hander Adrian Sampson did everything in his control to stick on the Chicago Cubs roster.Sampson impressed Sunday, shutting down the Atlanta Braves over 4⅔ innings of relief with five strikeouts, no walks and only one batter reaching base. But when the Cubs needed to remove one pitcher from their active roster by Monday’s deadline for the 13-pitcher limit, Sampson was the odd man out.AdvertisementThe rule initially was set to be implemented for the start of the season, then was pushed back twice because of the 99-day lockout’s impact on pitchers’ ability to build up.Manager David Ross described an “extremely difficult” conversation with Sampson when informing him of the decision to option him to Triple-A Iowa. Sampson is unavailable for three days because of how much he pitched Sunday, which played a part.Advertisement[ [Don’t miss] Theo Epstein is leaving Chicago 2 years after leaving the Cubs. Here’s how he spent his final weekend in the city. ]“The guy goes out there and saves your bullpen, saves the team, allows us to reset the bullpen with really probably one the better performances I’ve seen him have and one of the better performances out of our bullpen,” Ross said Monday before the series opener against the Pittsburgh Pirates. “At this moment in time, we cannot afford to be short with no off days coming up. “So it’s a difficult conversation. It’s some of the worst ones I have, especially when it’s not performance-based. As bad as it stinks, he also made an impression on everybody, and when you come out and do that, the sooner you’re going to be back when you’re fresh.”The Cubs recalled outfielder Nelson Velázquez to replace Sampson and give them an equal split between pitchers and position players on the 26-man roster. Velázquez is expected to be used as a pinch hitter and could get starts against left-handers. Ross said Velázquez’s role would be similar to how Clint Frazier was used while he was on the roster.“Right now he’ll come off the bench and be a pinch hitter and an extra outfield body,” Ross said.Cubs outfielder Nelson Velázquez hits an infield single against the Brewers in his major-league debut May 30, 2022, at Wrigley Field. (Charles Rex Arbogast/AP)Chicago Tribune SportsWeekdaysA daily sports newsletter delivered to your inbox for your morning commute.This likely will be another short stint in the majors for Velázquez. David Bote resumed his rehab last week after bouts of dizziness put his return on pause as he works back from left shoulder surgery. Bote was off Monday and will play seven to nine innings Tuesday at Iowa.Seiya Suzuki is working out at the team’s complex in Mesa, Ariz., while the Cubs are on a seven-game trip. Ross said Suzuki’s strained left ring finger showed less swelling when Ross saw it before they parted ways ahead of the trip to Pittsburgh.The Cubs should have a better idea by the end of their four-game series against the Pirates how long Frank Schwindel could be sidelined by his low back strain. Schwindel dealt with similar back issues in the spring, so expect the Cubs to take a cautious approach and not push the first baseman to return too quickly.The Cubs can’t seem to catch a break with injuries. As of Monday, they have 13 players on the injured list. An inexperienced rotation will need to step up after the loss of the extra reliever, starting with rookie Caleb Kilian, who started Monday against the Pirates.Advertisement[ [Don’t miss] Column: From yuppies to ‘Cuppies,’ Wrigley Field bleachers are still the place to ignore the Cubs’ failures ]“It’s going to be even more important that we find those guys that can get us outs out of the bullpen and keep us in games or keep us with the lead and give us multiple innings,” Ross said. “Because you’re not going to be able to use everybody every day, and we’ve got a long season and a lot of back-to-back games. Pitchers, especially the bullpen guys, get worn out.”Multi-inning arms carry added value for teams needing to cover innings out of the bullpen. Right-hander Alec Mills knows pitchers like him will become even more important as teams adjust to having one fewer pitcher on staff.“I need to be ready to go every day,” Mills told the Tribune on Monday. “With less pitchers, sometimes I need to wear a couple just so we can save the bullpen. I think we saw that, especially right when I came up almost two weeks ago now, but I needed to go out there and do it right then. The bullpen was fried, so I was happy to do it.”

Sports

Tim Anderson comes off the injured list for tonight’s Chicago White Sox game, while Yoán Moncada heads to the IL

The Chicago White Sox reinstated shortstop Tim Anderson from the injured list ahead of Monday’s game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Guaranteed Rate Field.In a corresponding move, the Sox placed third baseman Yoán Moncada on the 10-day IL retroactive to Saturday with a strained right hamstring.AdvertisementAnderson went on the IL retroactive to May 30 with a strained right groin. The All-Star suffered the injury during a May 29 game against the Cubs.Anderson is having another sensational season, slashing 356/.393/.503 with nine doubles, five home runs, 19 RBIs, 24 runs and eight stolen bases in 40 games.