Cubs' call catches Cotts by surprise

Neal Cotts had just finished a nice dinner Wednesday night when an important call came. It was the Cubs, telling him he was coming to the big leagues.

"I didn't have a clue," he said Thursday. "I haven't read a single paper other than watched the team on TV. It was totally unexpected. I was having dinner, and I got a phone call."

The Cubs called the 28-year-old lefty reliever up from Class AAA Iowa and optioned right-handed reliever Jose Ascanio back to Iowa.

The move gives the Cubs two lefties in the bullpen: Cotts and Scott Eyre.

"Cotts, we're happy to have," manager Lou Piniella said. "He's been pitching very well down there, getting both left-hand and right-hand hitters out. He gives us more depth out of the bullpen left-handed. We'll use him in the middle of ballgames to start with."

Cotts was 2-0 with 3 saves and a 2.00 ERA at Iowa. The Cubs obtained him in a November 2006 trade with the White Sox for reliever David Aardsma. Cotts started last year with the Cubs before being sent to Iowa for the remainder of the season on May 20.

"I've been working on stuff and trying to get better to get back up here," he said. "I think I'm just throwing more consistent strikes, more quality strikes. That's where I think I got a little jumbled up last year in terms of not throwing enough strikes.

"I think I got in my own head about throwing strikes and trying to change things that didn't need to be changed."

Piniella said he was pleased with Ascanio, who was 0-0 with a 1.80 ERA in four games.

"He's going down there with a purpose, and that's to work on his breaking ball a little bit, to tighten it up some," Piniella said. "I said, 'You go down there and pitch, and we'll get you back here.' "

Cotts admitted he was disappointed to be left at Iowa for most of 2007.

"You're always hoping; I was hoping to be that guy (to get called up)," he said. "The first few times, I'd get disappointed and mad. I just went with the flow and kept on throwing, and if I kept doing the job, eventually I'd get up."