Cubs' Marcus Stroman: In line for Opening Day start
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Stroman should be in line to start for the Cubs on Opening Day after pitching in the World Baseball Classic, though Chicago manager David Ross hasn't set his rotation in stone, Tony Andracki of Marquee Sports Network reports.
With Kyle Hendricks (shoulder) on the shelf, Stroman is the natural candidate to lead Chicago's rotation to begin the season. The righty will pitch for Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic before returning to the Cubs. He registered a solid 3.50 ERA and 1.15 WHIP in 2022, though he only struck out 119 batters across 138.2 innings. That's in line with his career norms, as Stroman has never been a huge source of strikeouts.
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Cubs' Marcus Stroman: Gets nod for Cactus League opener
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Stroman will start for the Cubs in their Cactus League opener Saturday against the Giants, Andy Martinez of Marquee Sports Network reports.
Stroman will probably also get the nod on Opening Day of the regular season with Kyle Hendricks (shoulder) ticketed for an early IL stint. Stroman signed a three-year, $71 million contract with Chicago in December 2021 and went on to register a solid 3.50 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 119:36 K:BB over 138.2 innings (25 starts) in the first year of that deal.
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Cubs' Marcus Stroman: Set to lead rotation
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Stroman figures to begin the season as the Cubs' No. 1 starter with Kyle Hendricks (shoulder) likely opening the year on the injured list, Patrick Mooney and Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic report.
Stroman may have been the No. 1 starter even with Hendricks healthy, but the latter's shoulder injury should cement things. The Cubs did add Jameson Taillon in the offseason, but he figures to slot in as the No. 2 starter. Stroman finished 2022 with a 3.50 ERA and 119 strikeouts across 138.2 innings in his first season in Chicago.
Cubs' Marcus Stroman: Fans seven in scoreless outing
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Stroman (6-7) earned the win Sunday, allowing no runs on five hits and two walks over six innings against the Reds. He struck out seven.
Stroman finished the season on a high note with his second scoreless outing since the beginning of September and his fourth straight quality start. Additionally, his seven punchouts on the day were tied for his second highest mark of the campaign. In 25 starts this season, Stroman maintained a 3.50 ERA with six wins over 138.2 innings.
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Cubs' Marcus Stroman: Seven innings in win
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Stroman (5-7) earned the win Tuesday, allowing one run on four hits and one walk with six strikeouts over seven innings in a 2-1 victory over the Phillies.
Stroman held the Phillies in check most of the night as the only damage came via an RBI double off the bat of Bryce Harper in the sixth inning. The veteran has thrown seven innings in two of his last three starts and recorded a quality start in all three of those outings. Over his last 10 starts, Stroman owns a healthy 3.25 ERA but only two wins. He tentatively lines up to face Cincinnati this weekend.
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Cubs' Marcus Stroman: Quality start in no-decision
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Stroman pitched six innings, surrendering three runs on five hits and a walk while striking out seven in Wednesday's win over the Marlins. He did not factor into the decision.
Stroman tossed four scoreless frames before giving up a double and two home runs in the bottom of the fifth inning, accounting for all the damage against him in the contest. The right-hander pitched well after being moved up to start Wednesday, logging his second consecutive quality start and third in his last four outings overall. Stroman has produced a 2.79 ERA and 1.00 WHIP with 22 strikeouts over 29 innings in his last five starts.
Stroman is scheduled to start Wednesday's game against the Marlins, Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reports.
Stroman was set to get five days between starts, but fellow starter Drew Smyly (shoulder) will not start Wednesday as scheduled, so Stroman will go instead on regular rest. Stroman has had a couple rough starts in recent weeks, but he also posted a 2.35 ERA over his last four trips to the mound.
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Cubs' Marcus Stroman: Wins pitching duel Friday
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Stroman (4-7) picked up the win Friday, allowing one run on three hits and two walks over seven innings in a 2-1 victory over the Rockies. He struck out five.
The right-hander carried a shutout into the sixth inning, but Ryan McMahon took Stroman deep to account for the only blemish on his line. He got the hook after 85 pitches (57 strikes) in his sixth quality start since the All-Star break, a stretch in which Stroman sports a 2.95 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 45:17 K:BB through 64 innings.
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Cubs' Marcus Stroman: Four innings in loss
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Stroman (3-7) took the loss Saturday, allowing four runs on seven hits and one walk over four innings against the Giants. He struck out four.
All of the damage was done in the second inning, with San Francisco scoring four runs on four hits, a walk and a balk. Three of the four hits Stroman allowed in the frame went for extra bases, including Joey Bart's two-run home run. Stroman has a 3.91 ERA this season but only three wins in 21 starts. As a low-strikeout pitcher, he's susceptible to getting BABIP'd on occasion.
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Cubs' Marcus Stroman: No help in no-decision
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Stroman allowed just four hits and struck out five without walking a batter over seven scoreless innings, but he did not factor into the decision in Sunday's 2-0 loss to the Cardinals.
Stroman was excellent in a pitchers' duel with Miles Mikolas, but the Cubs failed to cash in any of their four baserunners. While Stroman is winless over his last seven outings, he's taken just one loss while posting a 3.29 ERA and 1.15 WHIP across 41 innings in that span. The strong stretch has trimmed his season ERA to 3.73 with a 1.17 WHIP and 90:29 K:BB through 108.2 innings across 20 starts this year. The right-hander is projected for a home start versus the Giants next weekend.
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Cubs' Marcus Stroman: Takes no-decision Tuesday
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Stroman allowed just one run on three hits across five innings but did not factor into the decision in Tuesday's game against the Blue Jays. He walked two and struck out one.
Pitching against the team he played for from 2014 until getting traded to the Mets in 2019, Stroman pitched well but had to settle for the no-decision. The righty lowered his ERA to 3.98, though he only has three wins to show for his efforts this year. Stroman did miss about a month with a shoulder injury, so he won't approach the 179 innings he logged in 2021, but he could be set for a strong finish if he stays healthy and gets some more run support. He tentatively lines up to pitch Sept. 7 against the Reds.
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Cubs' Marcus Stroman: Allows 13 baserunners
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Stroman (3-6) allowed five earned runs on 11 hits and two walks while striking out one across five innings to take the loss Thursday against the Cardinals.
Stroman didn't allow a home run, but he had two disastrous innings to sink his outing. He allowed five of the first six batters he faced to reach base to begin the game. Three frames later, he surrendered four consecutive one-out singles. Stroman has pitched well for long stretches this season, but he's now coughed up at least five earned runs in four of his 18 starts. That has inflated his ERA to 4.10 across 96.2 innings for the season.
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Cubs' Marcus Stroman: Fans five batters
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Stroman did not factor into the decision against the Brewers on Saturday, allowing two runs on two hits while striking out five and walking four over 7.2 innings.
Stroman tossed 62 of 96 pitches for strikes Saturday. One of Stroman's two earned runs came in the eighth inning after he was relieved by Rowan Wick, when Willy Adames knocked in Christian Yelich. With the two-run outing, Stroman picked up a quality start, his seventh of the year and his fourth in his last six games. In his last three starts, the righty has lowered his ERA from 4.20 to where it currently sits at 3.83.
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Cubs' Marcus Stroman: Takes no-decision Monday
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Stroman allowed four unearned runs on six hits across 4.2 innings and did not factor into the decision in Monday's game against the Nationals. He walked one and struck out four.
A Zach McKinstry throwing error to start the bottom of the fifth inning didn't help Stroman's cause, but the righty also labored a bit in needing 94 pitches to retire 14 batters. Stroman has now logged three straight no-decisions, allowing 11 runs (seven earned) across 16.1 innings during the stretch. He's been able to lower his ERA to a solid 3.96, though his 3-5 record reflects the Cubs' inability to provide much run support. Stroman will look to be a bit sharper and possibly pick up a win in his next scheduled start Saturday against the Brewers.
