After wrapping up his rehabilitation start with the Iowa Cubs on July 30, Chicago Cubs pitcher Javier Assad walked off the mound, did his traditional leap over the third base line and happily pumped his glove.
Assad’s appearance was a solid success, with the right-handed pitcher throwing into the fourth inning of Iowa’s game against Indianapolis at Principal Park.
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He allowed just two runs, one earned, on four hits and one walk in 3.2 innings of work. Assad struck out two, generated four swing and misses and topped out at 93.6 miles per hour. He left after throwing 53 pitches; 32 of them went for strikes.
Sep 19, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Javier Assad (72) delivers a pitch against the Washington Nationals during the first inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images
It was an important step in the road to recovery as Assad has been on the injured list all season with a left oblique injury. The pitcher, who turned 28 years old on July 30, was already on his way back from the injury and made two appearances with Iowa back in April.
The second start, on April 22, ended abruptly when Assad suffered a setback. The injury kept him out of action until earlier this month, when he made a July 24 start with the Arizona Complex League. During that outing, he tossed three scoreless innings.
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A true test for Assad came July 30 with Iowa, where he faced Triple-A hitters for the first time this season. Assad had mixed results early, with the first three hitters of the game reaching on an infield single, a walk and an error by Iowa first baseman Jonathon Long.
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The miscue by Long, a bouncer that got by him, opened the door for a big inning for Indianapolis. They tallied one run on the mistake and brought home another on a sacrifice fly to take a 2-0 lead.
But Assad was nearly flawless after that. He worked a perfect second inning, picking up two strikeouts along the way. Assad worked around a pair of one-out singles in the third by getting a 6-4-3 double play ball to end the inning. He retired the first two hitters of the fourth inning before reaching his pitch count for the day.
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The outing was a big step in the right direction for Assad and for the Cubs, who are in desperate need of pitching help, with injuries hampering the club’s rotation and bullpen for most of this season. Assad has been able to help in both areas.
Assad has appeared in 70 games from 2022 to 2024, making 47 starts and compiling 248 strikeouts across 294 innings in Chicago. He still has a little way to go before returning to Chicago and he is expected to make multiple starts for Iowa during his rehab stint.
Tommy Birch, the Register’s sports enterprise and features reporter, has been working at the newspaper since 2008. He’s the 2018, 2020 and 2023 Iowa Sportswriter of the Year. Reach him at tbirch@dmreg.com or 515-284-8468.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Cubs pitcher Javier Assad looks solid in rehab outing with Iowa Cubs