What will the Cubs do when Willson Contreras comes back?
Fast-forward to next week, when the Chicago Cubs are in San Francisco.
Manager Joe Maddon will have some interesting roster machinations to ponder.
If all goes well, starting catcher Willson Contreras will come off the injured list. The Cubs then could have three catchers: Contreras, Victor Caratini and Martin Maldonado.
Veteran Maldonado joined the team in time to start Tuesday night's game against the Cincinnati Reds, one day after being traded from the Kansas City Royals for pitcher Mike Montgomery.
Kyle Schwarber gave the Cubs a 4-3 victory with a one-out homer to the basket in left-center in the bottom of the 10th inning off Reds closer Raisel Iglesias.
“I was actually trying to hit a single up the middle,” said Schwarber, who connected on his first career walk-off homer and his 21st home run this season. “I didn't want to get too big. I stayed up the middle but just got under it and hit it well enough for it to catch the basket there.”
Maldonado, who caught the season debut of starting pitcher Alec Mills on Tuesday, is the kind of veteran catcher all teams love to have. Contreras is an all-star, and Caratini has acquitted himself well.
Of course, as Maddon says, baseball can have a cruel way of deciding those issues for a team. But if he has all three catchers at his disposal, what's a manager to do?
“It would present differently,” Maddon said. “We'd have to parcel out the work in a manner that satisfies all of them, which would not be easy. But it would also open up pinch-hitting opportunities for guys in a good matchup situation. We haven't decided. We've talked about that a little bit. But it's hard to not acquire Martin Maldonado if he's available.”
Maldonado seemed to work well with Mills, about whom Maddon said in spring training: “This guy is better than you think.”
Mills fell behind 3-0 in the first after getting two outs, the second on a spectacular diving catch by center fielder Albert Almora, who slid onto the warning track with his back to the field to haul in Joey Votto's drive.
“That's probably the best play I've ever had happen while I've been pitching, by far,” Mills said. “That was unbelievable.”
Eugenio Suarez homered before Mills hit the next two batters, the first two of four hit batsmen by Mills. Nick Senzel and Jose Peraza followed with RBI hits.
The Cubs got 2 back in the second on a 2-run homer by Robel Garcia. Kris Bryant tied the game with his 19th in the sixth, a drive to the bleachers in left-center.
Mills came up from Class AAA Iowa to start, with lefty Cole Hamels on the injured list with a strained oblique. A right-hander, Mills got into seven games for the Cubs last year, making 2 starts. He worked 6 innings Tuesday for the first quality start of his career. He gave up 5 hits while walking one and striking out six.
“It was fun,” Mills said. “I found a lot of barrels early. But able to battle back and just try to go as long as I could.”
Maddon has long been a fan.
“When you see him on the (radar) gun, it does not blow you away,” Maddon said. “He's got great pitchability. He's a pitch maker. I've grown to appreciate and understand what he's all about. Once he figured out, 'I can do this, I belong here,' then he permitted himself to pitch like he's capable of … I think given opportunity, this guy will surprise people.”