Stroman's solid return to Toronto comes after Duke reunion at Wrigley
Marcus Stroman took the mound Tuesday in Toronto, where he spent his first six major league seasons.
Stroman had a solid outing and left the mound with a 2-1 lead, but the Cubs' bullpen failed again in a 5-3 loss at Toronto.
There was another reunion of sorts for Stroman earlier this month at Wrigley Field. Duke basketball coach and Northbrook native Jon Scheyer threw out the first pitch and Stroman made sure to greet him wearing some Blue Devils gear.
Stroman spent three years at Duke. He was a freshman when Scheyer helped lead the Blue Devils past Butler to win the 2010 NCAA Tournament.
The next year, Kyrie Irving was on campus, but missed a majority of the season due to injury. The following year, with Austin Rivers, Seth Curry and a couple of Plumlees, the Blue Devils were ranked in the top 10 for most of the season, but lost their opening tournament game to Lehigh.
Stroman's favorite basketball game as a Duke student? Well, he doesn't have one because he never attended a game.
"I didn't get to go to any of those games, because the students would wait out for days," Stroman said. "We had no special privileges as athletes at Duke. So I've seen more games since I left than I did when I was there. It was impossible to get in those games. Those kids are camping out for days."
Cameron Indoor Stadium seats just 9,314 and getting in as a student is a complicated process. There are tents, check-ins and plenty of waiting, which is not conducive to the schedule of a Division I baseball player.
"Ever since I left I've had more of a connection with Duke basketball," Stroman said. "I used to go back and Coach K (Mike Krzyzewski) would let me watch practices. He'd set up a chair for me and give me like the game plan. I'd just go in there by myself and watch them practice."
Stroman said he never really got to know Irving or Rivers. He became friends with Scheyer and Nolan Smith after leaving college. The 2010 title game he watched in the dorm just like the rest of the students.
"Duke is like a small little family, man," Stroman said. "It's a tiny private school. You kind of know everybody, then as life progresses, you kind of start to see everybody around the country in different areas. It really is like a brotherhood.
"Getting to know (Scheyer), he's just an unbelievable human being. Obviously, he's taking over for Coach K and there's no one more deserving than him. I'm all about Duke, man."
Stroman was solid on Tuesday, allowing just 1 run and 3 hits. He left after 88 pitches in 5 innings and was in line to get the win after solo homers by Willson Contreras and Christopher Morel gave the Cubs a 2-1 lead.
"My sinker was good today," Stroman told reporters after the game. "When my mechanics are on and my sinker is going, I feel like I can always roll against any lineup. I felt like I was throwing it pretty good, in to righties, mixing in my slider, mixing in the four-seam. I feel like me and Willie have been on a roll."
The major-league debut of Brendon Little didn't go well, though. He started with a hit batter, infield single, then a 3-run homer by Teoscar Hernandez.
Jeremiah Estrada delivered a scoreless big-league debut in the eighth inning. He hit a max of 98.8 mph on his fastball, according to Statcast, finishing with 2 strikeouts and a walk.
The Cubs squandered a 4-0 lead in the opener against the Blue Jays, after the bullpen allowed 15 runs in the last two games of the Milwaukee series.
Contreras limped around the bases early in the game and was eventually replaced behind the plate by P.J. Higgins. He said the pain "came out of nowhere" when he woke up Tuesday morning. Contreras now has 21 home runs on the season, matching last year's total.
Davis hits Triple A:
Cubs outfielder Brennen Davis returned to Triple A on Tuesday for the first time since May 3 and homered while going 1-for-3 in a 4-0 win at Columbus. After recovering from back surgery, Davis played a few games at the rookie level, then Class A South Bend.
Twitter: @McGrawDHSports