Ryan Pressly played a key role in the Chicago Cubs‘ 5-4 comeback win over the Miami Marlins in front of 38,083 fans at Wrigley Field on Tuesday night.
With bases loaded in the seventh inning, Pressly was asked to step in for Julian Merryweather with bases loaded and two outs and the scoreboard reading 4-2 Marlins. Pressly let out a shout after earning a strikeout of Miami left fielder Kyle Stowers.
Pressly only pitched a third of an inning on Tuesday night. The 36-year-old veteran began the season as the closer, but his role changed after the right-hander surrendered nine runs in the San Francisco Giants’ 14-5 win over the Cubs in the 11th inning on May 6.
The Cubs inserted him in the sixth inning of their 7-2 loss to the New York Mets on Friday.
The Chicago Cubs demoted Ryan Pressly from closer
During an appearance on 670 The Score’s “Spiegel & Holmes Show” on Wednesday, Cubs manager Craig Counsell said he let Pressly know his role would change following his collapse against the Giants.
“We let him know that the roles were going to change for a period of time, and then you kind of go to work on trying to help him improve on some things,” Counsell said. “And that doesn’t happen like overnight, but hopefully we’ve started that process, and hopefully making some strides for progress there.”
Pressly is tied for the fourth-most saves in the league this season with four saves in 14.1 innings pitched and 16 appearances. He has just seven strikeouts compared to nine walks, a bad ratio for a closer in the MLB. He’s posted an ERA of 6.91, giving up 18 hits and 13 runs.
The Chicago Cubs were direct on expectations for improvement
While the Cubs demoted Pressly from the role of closer in May, Chicago hopes he will return to closer at a later point in the season. Counsell sent Pressly a direct message on what he needed to work on before he would return to closing out a game.
“We’d like to get him back to the back of the game,” Counsell said of Pressly. “We got to tell him the news. You’ve got to tell him what’s going on. You got to be honest with him and direct with him, and then go to work on trying to make improvements.
“And Press has been he’s a he’s a consummate pro. He cares about trying to do it for the team and getting it right. And he’s handled this, as well as you can handle it, and he’s handled the right way, and tried to just keep a comeback and getting better.”
Chris Flexen earned the win as the Cubs’ closer on Tuesday night. He gave up one hit and no runs in two innings pitched. He has an ERA of 0.00 through four appearances and 7.0 innings pitched.
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