Alzolay headed to Iowa for rehab assignment; Cubs rained out
Adbert Alzolay will do a rehab assignment in Iowa on Wednesday, according to Cubs manager David Ross. Alzolay has been on the injured list since Aug. 14 with a left hamstring strain.
"Adbert's going to throw a couple innings tomorrow in Iowa," Ross said Tuesday at Wrigley Field. "He's going to throw a little short stint there and we'll assess from there and make sure everything comes out clean."
Both teams were able to take batting practice in the sun, but them a storm rolled in and Tuesday's game was postponed. The Cubs and Rockies will play a split doubleheader on Wednesday, with games starting at 1:20 and 5:30 p.m.
While the weather was clear, catcher Willson Contreras ran around the bases a few times at full speed. Contreras has been rehabbing a right knee sprain and Ross has said he'll consider using Contreras at DH during the next two series when the Cubs will play in American League parks, against the White Sox and Minnesota.
The Cubs were still buzzing from the previous night, when they snapped a franchise-record 13-game home losing streak on Rafael Ortega's walk off home run in the ninth inning.
"That was nice," Ross said. "The comeback felt really nice, Ortega late, closer, just the whole thing and the crowd was into it. It was just nice to see them experience that.
"It felt like for the first time I was watching this group have a special moment. I think it was fun for everybody. The coaches were excited and in a good mood. We hadn't heard "Go Cubs Go" in a while."
Ross talked about watching guys like Ortega and Patrick Wisdom get a chance to play extended games in the major leagues, a spot they've been fighting to reach for a long time.
"I think that's rewarding for me," Ross said. "I think that's very powerful. Getting an opportunity that you may not have had, or maybe you had a short stint and it was do-or-die in 15 games, right? These guys have real, extended moments.
"Let's just take Patrick Wisdom for example, a guy in the rookie of the year talks. He's in the mix and leading National League rookies in homers."
Wisdom, who turns 30 on Friday, had short stints in the majors with St. Louis and Texas. But he's played well enough this season to be included in a Field of Dreams 2 promo last week.
"That stuff's really fun," Ross said. "I think you have these stigmas that we put on guys that are older that come from Triple A. It's like, 'Well it's not going to last, it's not going to last.' And just seeing some guys prove that wrong, I think, is fun for me.
"Frankie (Schwindel) has hit it as hard as anybody since he's been up here, been as consistent as anybody. He has a little smaller window than Patrick does. Rafy's window has been pretty extended now and he's having a lot of success. All of that for me is super rewarding and fun to watch."
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