Chicago Cubs renew focus on Chris Volstad’s pitching – MLB News
The Chicago Cubs' manager Dale Sveum on Wednesday, July 4, admitted for the first time that Chris Volstad might not have followed the script when it came to pitching. There appears to be some communication gap as the pitcher is struggling to maintain his grip on the game.
The Cubs on Tuesday lost by 10-3 margin against the Atlanta Braves, raising a lot of questions over the dependability of the starter as an effective, resourceful and powerful pitcher. The communication gap which seems pretty visible now is to be addressed before it leads to further complications for the defence.
The team manager, nonetheless, said he will soon speak to Volstad and try to get to the bottom of the problem faced by the young starter.
"I haven't talked to him yet, but I will talk to him," Sveum said Wednesday. "There was a lot of shaking off going on. We'll try to get to the bottom of it."
Volstad struggled to firmly hold the Braves hitters in Tuesday’s game. While he was supposed to be a strong force bringing victory for the team, he allowed six invaluable runs in just over four innings, causing huge pressure on the team as a whole – with the offence already in trouble.
The pitching coach Chris Bosio had his own version to offer once he was asked to comment on Volstad’s pitching. However, Bosio’s emphasis was on the fact that Volstad has to make improvements.
"He said he tried to make a perfect pitch [to Hinske], and he didn't," Bosio said. "He threw some good pitches, and he threw some other pitches that were questionable in certain counts. His tempo was good, and he battled. ... There's still a lot of improvement that needs to happen with Chris, and not only mentally, but physically."
As the season progresses, there are a lot of expectations attached to this starter when it comes to lending support to the defence is concerned. With a clear game plan and the help of the pitching coach, Volstad will be able to put things in order.
Whether he succeeds in attaining that goal is something that remains to be seen.
Tags: