Marcus Stroman (Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports)
The Chicago Cubs ended their four-game losing streak on Memorial Day thanks to the nearly perfect performance by veteran pitcher Marcus Stroman.
Stroman pitched a complete game shutout one-hitter against the Tampa Bay Rays, who’ve easily been the best team in the league to this point.
He loves the big stage
“I know he’ll be feeling it today” said manager David Ross before the game, somewhat prophetically. “He loves the big stage and wants to be that guy that takes us and puts us on his back.”
The Cubs only run came by way of a sacrifice fly by Mike Tauchman, sending in Seiya Suzuki for a 1-0 lead. It would be enough thanks to Stroman.
Tampa got a hit by Wander Franco and spoiled the one-hitter. The hometown crowd was unphased.
You could feel the electricity rising
A “Let’s go Stroman” chant could be heard easily over announcers Jon Sciambi and Jim Deshaies, or JD as Sciambi refers to him. You could feel the electricity rising as the crowd started to anticipate the complete game shutout. Stroman claimed he was unaware of what was happening around him.
One might argue that this is hard to believe. That same person may not realize the focus it takes to pitch at this level of competition. When someone is as completely honed in as Stroman was today, in a sense they create their own tunnel vision.
“They’re digging the Stro show!” Exclaimed JD, totally swept up in the moment.
The last complete game by a Cubs’ pitcher was Alec Mills in 2020. Stroman had last pitched one in 2014. It was his second straight start with at least eight innings pitched. He also had eight strikeouts on the day.
During a high drama moment and the second to last batter up, he struck out Yandy Diaz who has the highest OPS in baseball.
Ross had high praise for Stroman
The crowd was loving the win so much they didn’t want to leave. It was still completely jam packed with them waiting around to sing Go Cubs Go and bask in the glory of a victory for once. They were loving it. JD even said he wanted to stick around and sing for 30 minutes.
“He’s a star that likes to shine bright” said Ross of Stroman in his mandatory post-game presser. Ross had high praise for Stroman but seemed annoyed at answering the same questions.
Stroman showed his intelligence and calm in his own press conference. He talked about his mechanics and adjustments a bit, but he really had a lot of praise for the people around him, naming a handful of people who help “make (his) job easier.”
When asked about his catcher Tucker Barnhardt, it was more of the same. Stroman said “I just have full trust in what Tucker’s calling.”
This could very well be the turning point
The last place Cubs are in desperate need of a spark, and this spectacular outing by Stroman may be just that. If the club manages to turn around the season this could very well be the turning point. It’s all smoke and mirrors until it happens.
They’ll see Kyle Hendricks face off against Shane McClanahan in tomorrow’s matchup. Hendricks struggled in his first appearance of the season but has been a reliable source of wins for the Cubs in the past. He’ll need to have a short memory to have success against McClanahan who’s one of the best pitchers in baseball.
