Maddon continues to back Schwarber's outfield defense

Kyle Schwarber was back in the Chicago Cubs lineup Tuesday night in left field after pinch hitting in Monday night's series opener against the Giants.

Even though Schwarber came up as a catcher and has been characterized as a DH by many observers, Cubs manager Joe Maddon praised Schwarber's outfield defense.

"He attacks everything, as you know," Maddon said. "He's made some really good plays out in the outfield. There was that dive the other day, the ball near the wall, going over the wall. He's made some good throws, too.

"He's really learned how to come and charge a grounded ball. I've seen that as coming a lot better. He threw somebody out at the plate not long ago and also made a really close play at second base a couple times and at the plate."

Maddon cited areas of improvement in Schwarber's outfield play.

"His footwork and throwing have improved," he said. "There are times he'll look slightly awkward going after a flyball. Some of it could be impacted by just the wind and not being used to it out there. But I think he's making some great strides, actually.

"His feet have gotten better. He's got a stronger arm than people give him credit for, but his throwing's gotten more accurate based on his feet. And overall his routes have gotten better, too. I think he's making a lot of progress."

Needing some quality:

The Cubs continue to lag well behind last year when it comes to their pitchers turning in quality starts.

Through the first 43 games of this season, the Cubs had 17 quality starts, compared with 30 a year ago through the same amount of games.

In quality-start games this year, the Cubs entered Tuesday 12-5, with the starters having an ERA of 1.86. In non-quality starts, the team was 10-16, and the starters' ERA was 6.63.

Another roster move:

The Cubs continued their Des Moines shuttle Tuesday, optioning left-handed reliever Zac Rosscup to Class AAA Iowa and recalling right-hander Felix Pena from that club.

Rosscup pitched in Monday's series opener, going two-thirds of an inning and retiring both batters he faced. It was his first major-league action since Sept. 23, 2015. Rosscup missed all of last season because of a shoulder injury that required a cleanup in May. He was recalled Monday, when the Cubs sent pitcher Dylan Floro back to Iowa.

Another delay:

The start of Tuesday's game was delayed by 1 hour, 5 minutes. Weather has posed a challenge in the opening weeks of the season.

"Primarily, mentally," Joe Maddon said. "It's just when it gets cold and rainy, too. That's when it gets like a little bit of both. If it's warm out and it's raining, you could kind of deal with it a whole lot better. When it's windy and cold, it really exaggerates the effect. Our game is not meant to be played in those elements. We're fine. The guys will be fine."