Right-hander Trent Thornton is emerging as a much-needed weapon in the Chicago Cubs’ bullpen, which is exceeding expectations while closer Daniel Palencia remains sidelined with right elbow inflammation.
Thornton has made four straight scoreless outings for the Cubs, who face the host Cincinnati Reds in the rubber match of a three-game series on Sunday.
Chicago evened the series with a 5-3 win on Saturday. Alex Bregman hit a tiebreaking two-run homer in the seventh inning and Carson Kelly added a solo shot for Chicago, which won for the fourth time in its last six games.
The Reds had runners on second and third in the ninth inning before Thornton entered and retired Sal Stewart on a grounder to second base for his third save.
“He’s doing a heck of a job,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “He’s got guts; he’s got big guts. Credit to him. At the end of the game, that last out in the ninth inning is a difficult out. Thorny has certainly stepped up when we needed it.”
Counsell used five relievers and continues to juggle roles without Palencia, who is not expected to return until later this month.
“When the phone rings (in the bullpen), they don’t necessarily know who it’s going to be,” Counsell said. “But they’re all doing their jobs really well. I couldn’t be happier with what they’re doing.”
Cincinnati is looking to head into the All-Star break on a high note after losing Saturday for the fifth time in its last eight games. Nathaniel Lowe, Eugenio Suarez and JJ Bleday each hit solo homers for the Reds, who went 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position.
“We had some really good at-bats and we drove the ball out of the ballpark,” Reds manager Terry Francona said. “But when you don’t have a ton of opportunities, if you don’t cash in, it becomes more glaring.”
The pitching matchup for the series finale features a pair of left-handers as Chicago’s Matthew Boyd (4-1, 4.31 ERA) opposes Cincinnati’s Andrew Abbott (5-5, 3.92).
Boyd, 35, pitched six scoreless innings in a 5-2 road victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday.
“He was really good,” Bregman said. “I thought the fastball was really good. The slider was good, and the curveball, too. He was in a rhythm.”
Boyd is 2-0 with a 1.72 ERA in three starts since coming off the injured list. He has been limited to eight starts this season due to two separate IL stints.
Eugenio Suarez is 1-for-12 with six strikeouts all-time against Boyd, who is 1-3 with a 6.48 ERA in five career starts versus Cincinnati.
The Reds will counter with Abbott, 27, who allowed three runs over six innings in a 4-1 home loss to the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday.
Abbott retired the first seven batters before running into trouble in the third, when Kyle Schwarber capped a three-run outburst with a two-run homer.
“I kept a good offense pretty quiet other than one mistake,” Abbott said. “But then again, Schwarber is a good hitter. Fastball is one of my best pitches. He just put a good swing on it.”
Dansby Swanson is 6-for-17 (.353) with two homers against Abbott, who is 3-1 with a 2.23 ERA in eight career starts versus the Cubs.
–Field Level Media
