Kay remembers new teammate Cuas as Cape Cod shortstop
There are some interesting long-range connections in the Cubs clubhouse, and they all seem to point toward reliever Anthony Kay.
Kay and new addition Jose Cuas were teammates for Wareham in the Cape Cod League in 2014. Two other recognizable names were on that squad: former Cubs reliever Scott Effross and Cardinals catcher Andrew Knizner.
"He (Cuas) was actually a shortstop," Kay said. "I think it was my freshman year (at UConn), his sophomore year (at Maryland). He was a really good shortstop. I really haven't talked to him since then. Once I saw that we traded for him, I was pretty excited."
Kay spent two years with Wareham before becoming a first-round pick of the Mets in 2016.
"I don't think Wareham is really technically on the Cape," he said. "We were the farthest west, I think."
Kay also went to the same high school as the Cubs' top Triple A pitching prospect, Ben Brown: Ward Melville High School, on the north shore of Long Island. Cardinals pitcher Steven Matz is another major leaguer from that school.
"I was a senior when (Brown) was in eighth grade, I think, but I've always kept in touch with him and followed his journey along the way," Kay said. "He was at my wedding, so we're pretty close.
"When I first met him in eighth grade, he was like this big, pretty thick kid. Still had baby fat on him and everything like that, so just to see him develop into the pitcher he is now is pretty cool."
One other connection, Kay was traded from the Mets to Toronto in 2019 for fellow Long Island native Marcus Stroman.
Smyly easy on lefties:
In his last four starts, Drew Smyly has 25 strikeouts, which is the most he's had over a four-game stretch since 2020 when he pitched for the Giants.
But things aren't going great overall. His last seven starts have produced an 8.40 ERA. He gave up 5 runs in less than 5 innings Wednesday against the Reds, but it didn't matter after the Cubs offense exploded.
"Not happy about it, obviously," Smyly said. "I know I'm better than that. I have to be way better against lefties. It's really the lefties that have been killing me. I feel like I have a really good game plan and approach against righties. I've got a lot of swing and miss, soft contact."
Smyly is a left-handed pitcher, but he's posted reverse splits this year, with left-handed batters hitting .327. Joey Votto hit 2 home runs against him Wednesday.
"I feel like since all-star break, I've kind of changed my approach and there's a lot of positives," Smyly said. "There's been a lot more strikeouts and swing and miss. I'm attacking, I'm not walking anyone. But at the same time, I've got to keep the ball in the ballpark and limit home runs."
Around the horn:
The Cubs are the first team in MLB history to have at least 5 home runs and 10 extra-base hits in consecutive games. ... Jeimer Candelario is the first player since at least 1900 to have 8 hits in his first two games with a new team, after changing teams in the middle of a season. ... Since the all-star break, the Cubs lead MLB with 145 runs scored, with second place shared by Atlanta and San Diego, who were a long way back at 102 heading into Thursday's action. ... The Cubs also lead with a .309 team batting average since the break, 40 points better than second-place St. Louis. ... Atlanta is planning to start left-hander Max Fried on Friday at Wrigley Field. It will be his first major-league outing since May 5 because of a forearm injury.
Twitter: @McGrawDHSports