Cubs reliever Craig Kimbrel stuck with what was working. He pounded the strike zone with one high fastball after another against Manny Pina. Kimbrel was rewarded with a strikeout to end the inning.
In the Cubs' 4-3 loss to the Brewers on Friday, Kimbrel pitched a shutout ninth inning to give his team the chance to rally. Instead, the Cubs' bats went cold. But the stadium lights illuminated Kimbrel's progress.
"He looked really good," Cubs manager David Ross said. "I've been trying to find a spot for him, and the feedback has been great every time I talk to the pitching guys, and his bullpens and the work he's put in. I think you saw that tonight. The ball was exploding out of his hand really well. Some bad swings. Looked sharp."
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It should be noted that the spot Ross found for him was in a one-run game. Kimbrel, who entered the season as the Cubs closer, at least temporarily lost that job after a string of rough outings. The Cubs blamed mechanical issues.
On Friday, Kimbrel didn't allow a hit with the game on the line.
One of the biggest developments for Kimbrel is that he's now throwing his curve ball for a strike, therefore not allowing opposing hitters to simply gear up for a fastball.
The third pitch he threw on Friday was a curve ball. Avisail Garcia already had two strikes on him, and then he fouled off a curve at the bottom of the strikezone. Kimbrel sat him down with a high fastball clocking in at almost 98 mph.
"I don't think he was far off (all year)," Cubs starting pitcher Alec Mills said, "and I think tonight he started putting a few more things together, fastball up in the zone and some good curve balls. It was good to see, for sure."
As Kimbrel's teammate, Mills may not be speaking from a position of objectivity. But he knows pitching, and he said he's been excited about Kimbrel's fastball all year.
"Even that first inning in Cincinnati," Mills said. "The ball was coming out really good. It was electric. It was more like the Craig that I remember from past years."
The Kimbrel from past years was a seven-time All-Star from 2011 to 2018, the year he won the World Series with the Red Sox.
But from 2017 to 2019, the average speed of Kimbrel's fastball dropped from 98 mph to 96mph. It has remained right around 96 mph this year. On Friday, Kimbrel was locating it more effectively, while his curve ball helped put batters off balance.
Kimbrel still walked a batter – he stopped short of overpowering. But even against the one batter he walked, Justin Smoak, Kimbrel got ahead in the count early. He threw two curve balls for strikes. The first Smoak watched. The second he whiffed.
One outing isn't a guarantee that Kimbrel will win back his role as closer. But it does show that the positive feedback Ross is getting translates into games. And that Ross is ready to trust him in close games.
"I'm still going out there trying to compete," Kimbrel said earlier this month.
On Saturday, he sure did.
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Cubs' Craig Kimbrel rises to the moment in 'sharp' outing against Brewers originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
