CLEVELAND — Colin Rea had the unenviable task Friday against the Cleveland Guardians.
Chosen as the replacement to the game mid at-bat with a runner on first base when Chicago Cubs starter Cade Horton departed in the second inning, Rea had to get ready on the fly.
He quickly threw a few weighted plyo balls in the bullpen before entering the game to warm up on the mound, needing roughly 15 pitches to get going as the game resumed. Rea told the Tribune on Saturday that was only the second time in his career he entered a game as an injury replacement. He had done a light lift pregame and thought it had helped that his body and arm were still warmed up.
Rea gave up one run and four hits in 3 1/3 innings in the Cubs’ 4-1 loss. He will be an option to fill Horton’s spot in the rotation, which comes up again Wednesday in Tampa, Fla.
Before Friday’s game, manager Craig Counsell acknowledged the value in having Rea and right-hander Ben Brown as multi-inning options in the bullpen during the early part of the season.
“It shows their importance in terms of what we thought was going to kind of happen in the first week or two or three weeks of the season, so it’s valuable,” Counsell said. “And then the other part of it’s good is that they’re still fairly stretched out in case something would happen, it’s a good sign too.
“The bullpen is a unit, man. They take care of each other, they protect each other, they make each other’s job easier, and everybody’s got a role in that. Both those guys have done a good job with it so far.”
Game postponed, Sunday doubleheader scheduled
Impending rain forced the postponement of the Cubs-Guardians game Saturday at Progressive Field.
The game has been rescheduled for a traditional doubleheader Sunday starting at 12:10 p.m.
Right-hander Edward Cabrera gets the Game 1 start for the Cubs while left-hander Shota Imanaga, originally slated to go Saturday, starts Game 2. The Cubs’ first trip of the season, which began Friday with a 4-1 loss to the Guardians, will finish with a three-game series against the Rays starting Monday.
Injury updates, impending roster move
The Cubs won’t know how long they might be without Horton until likely Monday at the earliest when the right-hander is expected to be examined and undergo imaging on his forearm discomfort.
What route they take to fill his spot on the pitching staff will be worked out in the coming days. Left-hander Riley Martin was brought up from Triple-A Iowa and joined the Cubs at the ballpark Saturday. The Cubs did not officially make a roster move to add Riley to their active roster because of the murkiness of whether the game would be played. They could either officially add him Sunday or use Riley as the 27th man for the doubleheader.
Riley, 28, would be making his MLB debut if he gets into a game. The Cubs selected the lefty in the sixth round of the 2021 draft from Division II Quincy. Predominately used as a reliever in the minors, Riley’s lone appearance with Triple-A Iowa came in a three-inning start in which he gave up one run on three hits.
Right fielder Seiya Suzuki’s rehab continues at Double-A Knoxville, where he was expected to get in the lineup Saturday as the designated hitter and be back in right field Sunday. Before he departed to start his rehab assignment, Counsell said Suzuki (PCL sprain) would play three to seven days before rejoining the Cubs.
