DREW SMYLY NEWS

Might stay in bulk relief Smyly is not certain to start Friday against the Cardinals, Tony Andracki of Marquee Sports Network reports.

Impact The 34-year-old lefty was used in bulk relief, with Michael Fulmer operating as the Cubs' opener, on what would have been Smyly's last turn through the rotation July 22 versus St. Louis. It sounds like manager David Ross is considering doing something similar for Friday's game at Busch Stadium. Smyly has posted a brutal 9.86 ERA over his last 21 innings (four starts, one relief appearance) dating back to June 28.

JULY 26, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Available out of bullpen Smyly will be available out of the bullpen for Saturday's game against the Cardinals, with Michael Fulmer set to open, Tim Stebbins of MLB.com reports.

Impact The Cubs haven't officially indicated that Smyly will handle the bulk innings, but considering that he's on turn to start and that Fulmer isn't likely to thrown more than an inning or two after appearing in relief Friday, it seems likely. Smyly has had his moments this season, taking a perfect game into the eighth inning against the Dodgers back in April, but he's stumbled to a 9.87 ERA over his last four starts, so it's no surprise he's lost his manager's confidence.

JULY 22, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Struggles again Monday Smyly (7-7) took the loss against Washington on Monday, allowing five runs on eight hits and one walk while striking out seven batters over six innings.

Impact It didn't take long for Smyly to fall behind in the contest, as he gave up a two-run homer to Jeimer Candelario in the first inning. The southpaw ended up surrendering five runs in the contest, the fifth time in 19 starts he's yielded at least that many runs in a game. Smyly at least managed to make it through six frames after going no more than four innings in each of his previous three appearances, but he wasn't able to put an end to his recent struggles. Over his past four contests, he's gone 0-3 while compiling a 9.87 ERA, 2.08 WHIP and 17:9 K:BB in 17.1 innings.

JULY 18, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Gets tagged early Smyly (7-6) took the loss Saturday, allowing four runs on six hits and four walks over four innings against the Yankees. He struck out three.

Impact Smyly was victimized by the long ball early, surrendering a solo homer to Giancarlo Stanton in the first inning and another solo shot to Josh Donaldson in the second. The right-hander allowed runs in each of his first three innings of work and failed to make it beyond the fourth inning for the third consecutive start. He's now lost five of his last seven starts and has given up at least two homers in three of his last five.

JULY 9, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Struggles in no-decision Smyly did not factor into the decision Monday, allowing three runs on four hits and three walks over 3.2 innings against Milwaukee. He struck out five.

Impact Smyly got through the first two innings unscathed, but the Brewers tagged him for three runs in the third before forcing the left-hander out of the game in the fourth. Smyly has struggled to a 6.49 ERA over his last seven outings after pitching to a 2.60 mark in his first 10 starts. Overall, the 34-year-old southpaw is 7-5 with a 4.10 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 76:30 K:BB across 90 innings this season. Smyly will look to get back on track in his next outing, tentatively scheduled for next week against the Yankees.

JULY 3, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Knocked around by Phillies Smyly (7-5) took the loss against Philadelphia on Wednesday, allowing seven runs on nine hits and one walk while striking out two batters over 3.2 innings.

Impact Smyly had eight days to rest since his previous start, but the time off didn't seem to do well for him. The left-hander allowed a season-high seven earned runs and recorded his second-shortest start of the campaign while tying a season-low mark with just two punchouts. Smyly gave up multiple homers for just the second time this year, though both of those instances have come across his past three starts. He has been mostly boom-or-bust in terms of performance this season, allowing two or fewer earned runs in 11 starts but surrendering five-plus earned runs in four of his remaining five appearances.

JUNE 29, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

What's Smyly's secret to success at PNC Park? PITTSBURGH -- There’s something about Drew Smyly and PNC Park. The Cubs left-hander once again gave a solid though laborious start as a visi...

JUNE 20, 2023 • MLB.COM

Cruises to seventh win Smyly (7-4) tossed five scoreless innings to earn the win Monday against the Pirates. He allowed three hits and five walks, while striking out four.

Impact The Cubs scored three runs in the second inning and that was more than enough for Smyly in the 8-0 victory. The lefty struggled with control, issuing a season high in walks, and needed 94 pitches to cover five innings, but he was otherwise strong as he lowered his season ERA to 3.38. Smyly is now tied for second on the team in wins, one behind Marcus Stroman. The veteran will look to build on this in his next outing, which will likely come early next week against the Phillies, as the Cubs have two off days this week that will push the whole rotation back.

JUNE 20, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Struggles early but earns win Smyly (6-4) earned the win Wednesday, allowing five runs on nine hits and a walk over six innings against Pittsburgh. He struck out four.

Impact The Pirates jumped on Smyly for three runs on a pair of homers in the first inning, but the veteran left-hander settled down, holding Pittsburgh to two more runs over his final five frames as the Cubs came back for a 10-6 win. The win snapped a three-game losing streak for Smyly, who's pitched to a 6.04 ERA over his last four outings after he hadn't allowed more than two earned runs in his previous nine starts. He now sports a 3.59 ERA with a 1.20 WHIP and 65:21 K:BB through 14 starts (77.2 innings) this season.

JUNE 15, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Takes fourth loss Smyly (5-4) took the loss Thursday, allowing three runs (two earned) on seven hits and three walks over six innings against the Angels. He struck out four.

Impact Smyly suffered from a lack of run support in this one, as he actually had a solid day on the mound. The southpaw has been fairly consistent this year, not allowing more than two earned runs in 10 of his 13 starts this year. The veteran is tentatively slated to face the Pirates at home in his next start.

JUNE 9, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Solid in third loss Smyly (5-3) took the loss Saturday versus the Padres, allowing three runs on seven hits and three walks with four strikeouts over 5.2 innings.

Impact Smyly was no match for opposing pitcher Yu Darvish, who allowed just three baserunners over seven innings. It was a rather pedestrian effort from Smyly, who came up an out short of a quality start. He's given up 10 runs over his last 15.1 innings with an 11:7 K:BB in that span. The veteran southpaw has a 3.56 ERA with a 1.11 WHIP and 57 strikeouts over 65.2 innings through 12 starts this season. He'll look to get back on track with a road start versus the Angels next week.

JUNE 4, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Hit hard by Cincinnati Smyly (5-2) took the loss against the Reds on Sunday after allowing five runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out two over 4.2 innings.

Impact Ironically, Smyly's two losses have both come against the Reds after they also hot to him in his opening start back on April 3. Sunday was a similar outing for Smyly, who managed to go less than five innings for just the third time in 11 starts. Cincinnati tacked on two runs in the second, another in the third and two more in the fifth to chase him out of the game. The 34-year-old has given up 12 runs in his two outings against the division foes and 12 runs in his nine other starts total. He now sits at a 3.45 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 53:14 K:BB over 60 innings and will look to bounce back in a road test against the Padres next weekend.

MAY 29, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Earns fifth win Smyly (5-1) got the win over the Mets on Tuesday after allowing two runs on four hits and two walks while striking out five over five innings.

Impact Smyly kept the Mets' bats quiet until the fourth after Pete Alonso took him deep to center. He coasted through the fifth and wound up being pulled with the bases juiced in the sixth after allowing the first three hitters to reach. Jeremiah Estrada replaced him and allowed just one of the inherited runners to score. The 34-year-old gave up six runs in his first outing of the season and has since posted a 2.13 ERA, 0.83 WHIP and 48:10 K:BB over 50.2 innings. He lines up for a home start against the Reds over the weekend.

MAY 24, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Strong start goes to waste Smyly allowed a run on four hits and struck out eight without walking a batter over six innings in a no-decision versus the Astros on Wednesday.

Impact Smyly did his part, but the Cubs' bullpen allowed six runs over 2.1 innings to squander his quality start. The southpaw hasn't allowed more than two runs in any of his last eight outings after he was tagged for seven runs (six earned) in his season debut. He's now at a 2.86 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 46:10 K:BB through 50.1 innings this season. Smyly is projected for a home start versus the Mets next week.

MAY 18, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Earns fourth win Smyly (4-1) allowed two runs on four hits across six innings to earn the win Friday against the Twins. He walked one and struck out four.

Impact Smyly allowed two runs in the second inning before settling in to toss four straight scoreless frames and earn the victory. The lefty has been solid this year as he now has a 3.05 ERA to go with a sparkling 0.97 WHIP. Smyly doesn't always go that deep into games, as this was only his third time tossing six innings or more across eight starts, but he's otherwise been effective. The veteran is tentatively set to take the mound again Wednesday against the Astros.

MAY 13, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Early exit in no-decision Smyly didn't factor into the decision in Saturday's 4-2 win over the Marlins, giving up two runs on three hits and three walks over 3.1 innings. He struck out five.

Impact The veteran lefty didn't have sharp command and needed 83 pitches (50 strikes) to record 10 outs in his shortest start of the year so far, but the Cubs got him off the hook for a loss with a three-run eighth inning. Smyly still has a 3.05 ERA and 34:9 K:BB through 38.1 innings, and he'll look to rebound in his next outing, likely to come next weekend in Minnesota.

MAY 7, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Excellent again Monday Smyly (3-1) earned the win over Washington on Monday, allowing one run on six hits and no walks while striking out two batters over seven innings.

Impact Smyly made one significant mistake in the outing, serving up a 424-foot solo shot to Lane Thomas in the second inning. Aside from that, the lefty hurler faced little resistance, as he allowed multiple batters to reach base in only one frame. Smyly nabbed his second quality start in his past three appearances, and he's now given up one or zero runs in four of his six starts this season. The veteran was lit up for six earned runs over 4.2 frames in his 2023 debut against Cincinnati, but since then he's been outstanding, posting a 1.48 ERA and 0.69 WHIP over 30.1 innings.

MAY 2, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Swanson homers, Smyly sharp as Cubs beat Nationals 5-1

Dansby Swanson hit a two-run homer and Drew Smyly delivered seven solid innings as the Chicago Cubs bounced back from a rough series at Miami to beat the Washington Nationals 5-1

MAY 2, 2023

Cubs' Drew Smyly set to face Nationals' MacKenzie Gore After one of their more impressive wins of the season, the Washington Nationals open a four-game home series against the Chicago Cubs on Mon...

MAY 1, 2023 • KANSASCITY.COM

Drew Smyly's unique curve is a pitch opponents know is coming and still can't hit The data may make it appear underwhelming, but it actually has arm-side movement, which is generally unheard of for a curveball.

APRIL 27, 2023 • THEATHLETIC.COM

Pitches well in no-decision Smyly allowed two runs on four hits across five innings but did not factor into the decision in Wednesday's loss to the Padres. He walked one and struck out four.

Impact Smyly pitched well and was in line for the win when the Cubs made it 3-2 in the bottom of the fifth inning, but the bullpen blew the lead in a 5-3 defeat. He tossed 89 pitches and failed to complete six innings for the fourth time this year in five starts, which makes sense given his age and injury history. Despite not going deep into games, the lefty has been solid with a 3.21 ERA and 0.93 WHIP to go along with 27 strikeouts across 28 innings this season. Smyly will look to keep rolling in his next start, which is likely to come early next week against Washington.

APRIL 27, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Cubs' Drew Smyly looks to stay hot vs. light-hitting Padres After flirting with perfection in his most recent start, Chicago Cubs left-hander Drew Smyly will look to continue his success at home.

APRIL 26, 2023 • SACBEE.COM

MLB notes: Max Scherzer fallout, Drew Smyly's history, the Brewers' youngsters Why managers look at no-hit bids differently than fans, plus a look at Milwaukee's success and what Scherzer's suspension means.

APRIL 24, 2023 • THEATHLETIC.COM

MLB roundup: Cubs' Drew Smyly flirts with perfection vs. Dodgers Drew Smyly took a perfect game into the eighth, allowed one hit and struck out 10 over 7 2/3 innings while Nico Hoerner and Patrick Wisdom c...

APRIL 22, 2023 • SACBEE.COM

Nearly perfect Friday Smyly (2-1) picked up the win in Friday's 13-0 rout of the Dodgers, allowing only one hit over 7.2 scoreless innings. He struck out 10 without walking a batter.

Impact The veteran southpaw teased making history as he took a perfect game into the eighth inning, but David Peralta led off the frame with a swinging bunt down the third-base line that turned into a single when Smyly got tangled up with catcher Yan Gomes as the two scrambled to field it. Smyly's last three outings have been very sharp since he got lit up by the Reds in his season debut, and he'll take a 3.13 ERA and 23:5 K:BB through 23 innings into his next start, likely to come next week at home against the Padres.

APRIL 22, 2023 • ROTOWIRE