Rea's steadiness continues to bring peace to Cubs' rotation

CHICAGO -- Colin Rea worked to a full count against Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber to begin the fourth inning on Friday afternoon. The Cubs starter then returned to his bread-and-butter fastball, firing it up and away, and sending the pitch beyond Schwarber’s swing for a strikeout.

“He pitched with this fastball pretty well today,” Schwarber said. “That was pretty much the story.”

Rea helped guide the Cubs to a 4-0 victory over the Phillies with five strong innings at Wrigley Field, continuing what has quietly been one of the more important stories for the North Siders in this first month. The soft-spoken veteran moved into Chicago’s rotation and to date has shored up a staff in need.

The Cubs were dealt tough news earlier this month when Justin Steele’s season came to a premature end due to a left elbow injury. Prior to Friday’s game, manager Craig Counsell revealed that righty Javier Assad reinjured the left oblique that landed him on the injured list in the spring.

Amid those setbacks for the Cubs’ rotation, Rea has stepped up as a steady hand.

“That’s why you go sign a guy like Colin Rea,” Cubs pitching coach Tommy Hottovy said recently. “He’s a veteran guy, knows how to compete, can pitch in different roles and can kind of just step in when something happens.”

The Cubs signed the 34-year-old Rea to a one-year, $5 million contract over the offseason to add a pitcher who could serve as a multi-inning reliever or fill in as a starter. He logged 167 2/3 innings a year ago for the Brewers and Counsell managed him in 2011-22 with Milwaukee as well.

Counsell understood that Rea was the kind of pitcher who would embrace whatever role was available throughout this crucial season. For a Cubs team trying to capture the National League Central crown, that willingness to tackle any job is an important trait when it comes to names around the roster’s edges.

“You need everyone to get you through the season,” Rea said. “I think we definitely have the guys to do that -- step in those roles and do whatever it takes to help the team win. [There are] a lot of unselfish guys in this clubhouse, willing to do whatever it takes.”

Friday’s win offered the latest example along those lines.

Veteran Jon Berti -- one within a rotation of players being mixed in at third base while top prospect Matt Shaw gets his feet back under him at Triple-A Iowa -- contributed an RBI double in a two-hit showing. Lefty Drew Pomeranz (recently acquired from the Mariners to help the Cubs’ bullpen) worked the eighth inning in his first MLB outing since Aug. 10, 2021. Hard-throwing righty Daniel Palencia worked the ninth, sealing the win and continuing to earn Counsell’s trust.

“It’s a collective group,” Pomeranz said. “Usually teams that are really good, everyone knows their roles and they’re just really good at taking care of your role. You piece that together, that’s how you win a lot of games.”

Rea’s role right now is to keep the rotation stable.

“Obviously, you can never replace a guy like Justin [Steele],” Berti said. “But Colin’s been doing a great job and it’s been fun to watch. I’ve always liked the way he’s pitched.”

After rain delayed the start of the game for two hours and 10 minutes, the Phillies worked Rea for 28 pitches in the first inning. The righty bent -- issuing two walks -- but did not break, escaping the jam unscathed. He stranded five baserunners, finishing with seven strikeouts in a 92-pitch effort.

Rea also racked up nine whiffs, including seven via his four-seam fastball, per Statcast. The pitch is not necessarily overpowering (93.8 mph on average), but the righty threw it 49 times (53%) and used it to help set up his other six pitches.

“He’s got good command of the pitch,” Counsell said of Rea’s fastball. “I think the hitters have always said it’s a little sneaky. And he’s got a repertoire that makes you defend multiple speeds and multiple pitches.”

In the fifth inning, Rea unleashed a four-seamer in a 1-2 count to Phillies shortstop Trea Turner. The pitch began outside before moving over the outer edge of the zone, freezing Turner for another strikeout.

Rea strolled off the mound, looking like more than just a stopgap solution for the Cubs.

“And he’s still willing to learn and grow and continue to find ways to improve,” Hottovy said. “And that’s fun for a veteran guy who has the versatility that he has.”