Alzolay basks in success as Cubs confer on future rotation plan

Adbert Alzolay had four baseballs in cases at his locker Friday morning, each representing a first from his major-league debut Thursday night: his first pitch; first strikeout; last out of the game and the ball from striking out the side in the sixth inning.

Alzolay earned a victory in his first major-league appearance, a 4-plus-inning relief performance against the New York Mets.

He still was basking in the glow of the standing ovation he received when he came out of the game in the ninth inning.

"The best thing ever," he said. "Everyone was just standing and cheering for me. That's awesome."

Cubs general manager Jed Hoyer said the 24-year-old right-hander had every reason to celebrate.

"Our most fun days by far are debuts when a guy works his way up through the organization," Hoyer said. "In Adbert's case, he worked through some injuries. It's just super gratifying - all the scouts, all the coaches, all the front office. They get to know these kids really well. To watch a guy realize his dream, in Adbert's case, really successfully."

Alzolay came on in relief of Tyler Chatwood, who started because Kyle Hendricks is on the injured list with right-shoulder inflammation. Hendricks played catch Friday, but the Cubs won't rush him back.

It's possible that either Chatwood or Alzolay could start in the next turn of the rotation. The Cubs also could drop in a sixth starter at some point.

"We're very much in the process," Hoyer said. "We sat down after the game and talked through some stuff. We'll continue to talk through scenarios with it. You want your starters at some point to get a refresher, to get a little more time between starts. It's a long season. We haven't had tons of days off. Between now and the (all-star) break, we will definitely think through ways to get guys a little extra time."

Firsts for Alzolay:

Adbert Alzolay became the first Cub to earn the win in his major-league debut since Ryan O'Malley on Aug. 16, 2006 at Houston. He is the first Cubs reliever to earn a win in his big-league debut since Marc Pisciotta on June 30, 1997 against Kansas City.

No rush on Kimbrel:

Newly signed closer Craig Kimbrel was scheduled to throw Friday night for Class AAA Iowa. It's possible Kimbrel could pitch again Saturday for back-to-back outings. Either way, the Cubs say they won't rush Kimbrel.

"We've still got a little way go as far as getting him built up," said Jed Hoyer. "He'll go tonight, and we'll decided on a next outing after that."