(670 The Score) Cubs starter Marcus Stroman ended the month of April with a 6.98 ERA and was struggling to establish himself with a new team. He allowed just four earned runs over four starts in May and now has a 3.95 ERA on the season.
On Sunday, Stroman worked seven shutout innings in the Cubs’ 5-4 loss to the White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field. Despite missing two starts on the injured list in May, Stroman hasn’t skipped a beat. He’s looking like the steady starter that the Cubs hoped they were signing this offseason.
Stroman’s work has left an impression on manager David Ross, as he told the Laurence Holmes Show on Tuesday afternoon.
“I think he’s just finding his rhythm,” Ross said. “I say that a lot but he’s a rhythm pitcher. His mechanics, his body just need to line up. He just seems to be throwing multiple pitches for strikes to both sides of the plate, up, down. His breaking ball seems super sharp. He’s got two sliders; a hard one and a put away that he can land for strikes or finish with.
“It’s all been working for him. I just feel like he’s in the zone. I think there’s even a better version of him in there. His command is good in the zone but I know there are times that he’s just missing that outside corner, that backdoor two-seamer to righties. When he locks that in, he’s going to be even more dominant than last time.
“Now, he’s just continuing to build on where he was.”
The Cubs signed Stroman to a three-year, $71-million deal this offseason. With the Cubs (19-29) struggling this season, Stroman could become a potential trade chip in the coming months.
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