Cubs pitching update: Thielbar’s struggles and Maton’s torn tendon

WASHINGTON — Caleb Thielbar still can channel humor amid a challenging stretch for the Cubs’ 39-year-old lefty reliever.

He entered the Cubs’ three-game series against the Washington Nationals without walking a batter in his last 15 appearances, avoiding a free pass since June 29.

“Oh great, we can’t talk about that,” Thielbar said wryly before Tuesday’s series opener.

The lack of walks has been one of the few things going Thielbar’s way on the mound lately.

During that 15-appearance span, Thielbar owns a 7.30 ERA thanks to 10 runs on 18 hits, including five home runs. One of the most confusing parts of this stretch has been the largely same underlying metrics as he posted during his stellar 2025 season. He’s still striking out batters — 15 in his last 12 1/3 innings — and his average fastball velocity is up 0.5 mph from last year. Combined with the strong strikeout-to-walk ratio, Thielbar should be seeing better results.

“I’m honestly trying not to dive into it,” Thielbar told the Tribune on Tuesday. “Because I know that strikeout rate and walk rate are very well correlated to success, and it’s not happening right now, right? And so I don’t know. I guess I’m just trying to hang on until it turns around without losing my mind. That’s kind of the main thing.”

Thielbar has been more unlucky this season compared to last year. His Batting Average on Balls in Play (BABIP) sat at .226 in 2025 and is currently .314. He surrendered two runs on three hits in 1/3 of an inning in Friday’s win against the Royals. While his hard-hit rate is a career-high 40.6%, an increase of nearly 9 percentage points from last season, he didn’t allow any hard-hit balls in Friday’s outing.

“It’s hard to say that’s a step in the right direction, but at least it wasn’t balls getting pounded all over the yard against some pretty good hitters too,” Thielbar said. “I don’t deal with the mental game too much. Go home, get a good night’s sleep, and come back the next day with a good attitude.”

As the Cubs search for answers, part of the problem can be linked to less-crisp command with too many pitches left in the zone getting hit for damage.

The Cubs need a version of Thielbar closer to what they got last year when he was one of their best relievers and a go-to reliable option in high-leverage spots. The home runs allowed have been particularly problematic for Thielbar. He’s given up a career-high 10 this season in 35 2/3 innings. His previous high came in 2021 with the Minnesota Twins when he surrendered eight in 64 innings. Most of the damage has come against his fastball and slider.

Between Thielbar’s strikeout-to-walk rate and his pitch shapes being similar metrically to how he threw in 2025, manager Craig Counsell said those numbers “make it a little bit harder to figure out exactly” what is leading to poor results.

“So then you go to the softer stuff: Are we calling the right pitches? Are we sequencing things right? What does our command look like?” Counsell said. “That’s the next level you go to, and so that’s the things we’re trying to unlock. I mean, he’s throwing as hard as he ever has. The pitch shapes are identical. He is striking out hitters. He’s not walking hitters. Those are all extremely good signs and usually the things you’re most worried about. Giving up home runs is an issue, for sure.

“I know Caleb’s going to have to get big out still, and we’re going to continue to use him in big spots because he’s going to be our best matchup in some situations.”

Phil Maton’s return this season uncertain with partially torn patellar tendon

Veteran reliever Phil Maton is still holding out hope he can pitch this season.

But his knee issue is more than just stubborn tendinitis that won’t go away.

Maton is dealing with a partially torn patellar tendon, which creates significant doubt about whether the 33-year-old can return by the end of the year. His knee problem had been labeled as tendinitis when he went on the injured list July 20 for the third time with the same ailment. The Cubs, at this point, are not counting on Maton contributing down the stretch.

When the knee soreness first popped up during the second half of last season with the Texas Rangers, Maton was able to pitch through it, albeit painfully by the end. There had been no acute injury that triggered the knee issue, Maton told the Tribune, though in hindsight he laments not having imaging on his right knee following the 2025 season to check for further damage. But Maton said he had no reason to believe that he had anything beyond soreness from possibly tweaking something that became worse through in-season usage.

Maton didn’t experience problems during his offseason throwing program, and nothing caused a red flag during the medical progress before he signed a two-year deal with the Cubs in late November. However, the right knee again began bothering Maton two weeks into spring training, and he hasn’t been able to put it fully behind him since then. Imaging eventually revealed the partially torn patellar tendon.

He had a platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection on July 21, and Maton still has another week or two until he and the Cubs decide whether to push an attempt to return. He’s been able to throw on flat ground but hasn’t gotten off the mound yet. By late August, both sides must determine if his knee is at a place where they can resume the build-up process. It’s unclear at this point whether he will need an offseason procedure to address the partial patellar tendon tear.

Braxton Garrett appreciative of new opportunity

The Miami Marlins were all left-hander Braxton Garrett had known in his 10 years of professional baseball.

A seventh-round draft pick of Miami in 2016, the Cubs acquired Garrett on Aug. 3 at the trade deadline. Garrett described the last week as “a lot of craziness” but is happy to have joined the organization. Hearing that president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer targeted him and had been interested for years gave him a lot of confidence, Garrett said.

“There were plenty of talks of being traded, so it wasn’t a surprise,” Garrett said Friday. “But I tried to keep my mind off it the best I can, and obviously I wasn’t for sure it’d be the Cubs either. So, I was just waiting back, seeing what happened, and I’m happy with the way it worked out.”

Garrett missed all of the 2025 season following his second Tommy John surgery and struggled to get his command back early this season, which he called “the best part of his game.”

“It took a minute to figure that out, but it’s really cleaned it up,” Garrett said. “And I feel I’m a pitcher who’s looking for contact. I love getting strikeouts like everybody, but I also like to challenge guys, get in and out of at-bats and try and go as long as I can.”

When Counsell talked with Garrett on Thursday, he conveyed to the 29-year-old that he’s starting pitching insurance for the Cubs right now, but that, however brief his time in the majors might be, it can be valuable. Garrett ultimately was only called up for two days, getting optioned before Saturday’s game against the Royals to open an active roster spot for starter Clay Holmes.

Counsell believes it was important for Garrett to learn some of the Cubs’ pitching language and how they see him moving forward because even though he’s unlikely to have a big role in the final seven weeks, the Cubs envision he could be an important piece next year.

“It’s absolutely part of it for sure,” Counsell said of Garrett’s past success. “And then there was an injury, and now you’re kind of coming back from it, and he gets dinged for that a little bit almost. But we think he’s coming into a really good spot. He pitched very well in Triple A this year, and we’re optimistic.”