Cubs place Brian Duensing on DL, recall Randy Rosario

Well the other day when I said Randy Rosario would most likely be back for September call ups, it turns out he would actually be back two days later. The team placed lefty reliever Brian Duensing on the DL and recalled Rosario to fill his role.

Duensing, who is suffering from back tightness, has been horrendous this season with a 7.34 ERA in 34.1 innings with 5 home runs and 26 walks to 22 strikeouts. His problem this year has been his command as hitters have an overall .276/.393/.440 line, which would be a solid season for any hitter. Duensing's numbers are a far cry from his excellent 2017 where he posted a 2.74 ERA in 62.1 innings. The Cubs have to hope Duensing will be able to turn it around as he is signed through 2019 at 3.5 million.

As I said the other day about Rosario, his actual results this season have been great, but the peripherals behind them suggest he has benefited from a ton of luck. It will be interesting if he will be able to keep his numbers going while Duensing is on the shelf

Cubs option Randy Rosario, add Brandon Kintzler

In order to make room for recently acquired reliever Brandon Kintzler the Cubs have optioned left handed reliever Randy Rosario to triple-A Iowa.

Rosario, 25, has been dominant in his 32 innings with the club with a 1.97 ERA and a .156/.283/.378 line against lefties. However, Rosario has been benefiting from some pretty extreme luck with a 4.91 xFIP and a 93.6% left on base rate. He doesn't miss many bats, but also walks a lot of batters which is never a good combination. Rosario will most likely be back with the team for September call ups, if not sooner.

The Cubs bullpen has been the biggest bright spot of the pitching staff with a 3.21 ERA that ranks 4th in Major League Baseball behind the Yankees, Diamondbacks, and Astros. Collectively they have walked the 3rd most batters in the MLB, but an excellent defense and an ability to limit opponents power has helped limit the damage.

Cubs minor league recap: 7/31/2018

Class-A Myrtle Beach 10-7 victory over Down East Wood Ducks

Notable performers:
DJ Wilson 2-4 with 2 runs
Andruw Monasterio 3-5 with a grand slam
Jared Young 1-2 with a home run and a walk
Wladmir Galindo 2-4 with 2 doubles
Manuel Rendon 2.2 IP 1 H 2 BB 2 SO

Class-A South Bend 5-6 loss against the Western Michigan Whitecaps

Notable performers:
Zach Davis 3-5 with a double
Miguel Amaya 2-4 with an RBI and a walk
Austin Filiere 3-4 with a walk and a run
Chris Donahue 2-4 with a double and 2 RBI
Erling Moreno 7.1 IP 8 H 6 R 3 ER 0 BB 5 SO

Low-A Eugene 3-6 loss to the Vancouver Canadiens

Notable performers:
Levi Jordan 2-4 with a run
Nelson Velazquez 2-4 with a home run
Jonathan Sierra 2-4
Sean Barry 2 IP 0 H 0 ER 0 BB 2 SO

DSL Cubs2 4-5 loss to the DSL Phillies White

Notable performers:
Pedro Martinez 1-2 with an RBI and a run
Miguel Fabrizio 1-4 with a double and RBI
Edward Vasquez 2 IP 0 H 0 ER 3 BB 2 SO

DSL Cubs1 5-0 victory over the DSL Indians/Brewers

Notable performers:
Rochest Cruz 2-3 with a walk and 4 steals
Jonathan Rodriguez 1-4 with a three-run home run
Josue Fernandez 1-2 with a triple and a walk
Andy Hernandez 5 IP 3 H 0 ER 1 BB 5 SO

AZL Cubs 8-3 victory over the AZL Mariners

Notable performers:
Christopher Morel 3-5 with 2 doubles and an RBI
Jonathan Soto 3-5 with a home run
Yovanny Cuevas 1-3 with 2 walks
Rafael Mejia 4-4 with a double and a walk
Dalton Hurd 2-4 with 2 RBI
Peyton Remy 4.2 IP 5 H 2 ER 2 BB 4 SO