Javier

Assad

Walker Buehler is one pitcher mentioned by Patrick Mooney and Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic. Another addition would seemingly drop Javier Assad from the projected rotation, even though he was quite effective in amassing a 3.73 ERA in 29 starts last season. Perhaps the Cubs could sign a starter and trade Jameson Taillon, who received interest at the trade deadline, but that doesn’t seem to be the current plan.

Assad gave up eight hits, walked three and struck out three. This was easily his worst start of the season. Assad had allowed more than four runs in one start all season prior to Wednesday’s game. Trea Turner, Nick Castellanos and Kody Clemens all hit home runs off Assad. He finishes the year 7-6 with a 3.73 ERA, 1.40 WHIP and 124 strikeouts in 147 innings. Assad had a 3.34 ERA entering play Wednesday, but his 4.61 xFIP suggests his ERA isn’t repeatable.

Assad gave up a pair of run-scoring singles; one of them by CJ Abrams in the first and a two-run knock by Jose Tena in the third. The right-hander wasn’t horrible while picking up the victory, but far from dominant; not that anyone was expecting dominance from the 27-year-old. Assad still has a strong 3.34 ERA on the campaign, and his last start of the year will be Wednesday against the Phillies.

That’s a perfectly decent effort for a Denver start. Alas, the Cubs were down two when Assad exited, and while they did tie the game in the eighth, the good times didn’t last for long. Assad’s next start will come at home against the A’s. We don’t entirely trust him right now, but that’s a solid enough matchup for those hunting victories.

Assad continues to outperform his underlying advanced statistics as he managed to avoid a potential implosion against New York’s loaded lineup. He struck out five and also issued three walks. A run-scoring ground out from Austin Wells in the opening frame was the lone tally against him until a throwing error by catcher Christian Bethancourt allowed an additional run to cross the plate in the sixth inning. He draws a tough matchup on Friday against the Rockies at Coors Field in his next outing.

Assad had a solid day on the mound, tossing a quality start for his seventh win of the season Saturday. The Nationals brought a run in on a pair of base hits in the second inning. Andres Chaparro took him deep for a solo homer in the fourth. A double and a wild pitch scored a third run in the fifth. Assad’s day would be done after six with four strikeouts. The 27-year-old right-hander will take a 3.21 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, and a 106/53 K/BB ratio across 126 innings into a start against the Yankees in Chicago on Friday.

This was a tough start for Assad. The usually light-hitting Marlins lineup belted eight hard-hit balls and two homers. He did hang on through the seventh inning which saved his final line, but it looked like it could’ve gotten ugly in the first few innings. His sinker was just a bit off and sat in the heart of the plate too often. That was enough to catalyze this bad start from Assad who will look to get back on track next time out in Washington against the Nationals.

Assad finally made it through five innings and flirted with a sixth before being pulled with two outs. The righty allowed seven baserunners in this one, but the Tigers were unable to capitalize on the opportunities outside of an RBI single by Dillon Dingler in the second inning. It’s been a great August for Assad, who tied a season-high with his seven strikeouts. He’s allowed just five earned runs over 18 1/3 innings pitched this month and lowered his ERA on the season to 3.11 after tonight’s strong showing. Assad will look to pick up his seventh win of the season on Sunday when he takes on the Marlins.

If you’re a regular reader of our blurbs then you know that this is becoming a trend. This is now three straight starts that Assad has been pulled before finishing the fifth inning despite solid performances. On Tuesday, Assad wasn’t giving up damage, but he also wasn’t able to miss many bats with just two whiffs on 31 swings for a six percent whiff rate and 22 percent CSW. He’ll look to finally go five innings again in a good matchup against the Tigers next week.

It was another quick hook for Assad as he was lifted from Wednesday afternoon’s showdown at Wrigley Field after needing 75 pitches (48 strikes) to complete four frames. He finished with only one strikeout and also issued a pair of walks. The 27-year-old righty has worked past the fourth inning only once in five starts since returning from the injured list back on July 13, which certainly limits his realistic fantasy upside moving forward. He’ll square off against the Guardians next Wednesday in a tough road matchup at Progressive Field.