Flexen gets called up for Chicago do-over on North Side
PITTSBURGH -- Pitcher Chris Flexen will get a do-over in Chicago.
Last year, he had the thankless job of trying to slow the steady stream of losses for the White Sox. He started 30 games, second on the team to Garrett Crochet, and finished with a 3-15 record.
The right-hander signed a minor-league deal with the Cubs this season and was called up Wednesday after pitching well at Triple-A Iowa (1.16 ERA). He's expected to fill a long-relief role.
Flexen, 30, had a couple of solid years with Seattle in 2021 and '22. He credited the Cubs' coaching staff and pitch lab for helping him get back on track, with focus on a lower release point.
“It wasn't anything too crazy,” Flexen said. “I'm not a sidearm thrower now. I still throw very over the top. But enough to create a little more lasso whip in the arm and help me with consistency and command.
“Immediately when I came in, it was all hands on deck. I think they were phenomenal going through the labs and everything. Those guys endlessly looked at video, looked at data, looked at everything, trying to help me get back to where I want to be, ultimately.”
As for his year with the White Sox, well, accumulating the most pitching losses for a team that set an MLB record for losses is never going to be a proud achievement.
“For me, it was an opportunity to go compete,” Flexen said. “We had our struggles, there's no sugar coating that. Personally, pretty disappointing as well. But made a lot of good relationships there and I enjoyed playing in Chicago.”
For corresponding moves, the Cubs sent reliever Tom Cosgrove back to Iowa after tossing 2 scoreless innings on Tuesday, and moved pitcher Javier Assad (oblique strain) to the 60-day injured list.
Shaw heats up:
Matt Shaw has caught fire at the plate, going 10-for-17 with 3 doubles and a home run in his last four games for Triple-A Iowa. He was sent down on April 15 after hitting .172 for the big-league team.
“I take a look every day, for sure,” manager Craig Counsell said. “Just keep doing what he's doing. We've got a ways to go there, there's nothing imminent (as far as a call-up).”
Being Shota:
Craig Counsell on pitcher Shota Imanaga's success: “You want to see what's going on inside his head. He's really good at reading swings. He's got tremendous command of the baseball. We talk about command, put grades on it, use words on it, but he truly is at the top 10% of command in the league. The way he can throw a split finger for a strike when he wants, that's just such a powerful weapon.”