Cabrera faces 6 hitters in Cubs debut ... and sets each one down

MESA, Ariz. -- Edward Cabrera’s debut was worth the wait.

The right-hander retired all six batters he faced in his first Cactus League appearance during the Cubs' 8-6 win over the Guardians at Sloan Park, flashing the electric arsenal that enticed Chicago to acquire him from the Marlins this winter.

Cabrera threw 31 pitches and mixed in five different offerings -- his signature changeup, a sinker, a curveball, a slider and a four-seamer that topped at 98.1 mph. He capped off the first inning by blowing a 96.9 mph fastball past Rhys Hoskins for his first Cubs strikeout.

“I felt good,” Cabrera said through translator Fredy Quevedo Jr. “I was trying to get all my pitches in the zone. That was my goal.”

The Cubs have been calculated with Cabrera’s ramp-up this spring, pushing back his first start so he could throw an extra live batting practice session and have more time to adjust to his new club.

“This just allowed us to be more deliberate in the live BPs, talk about things that you wouldn't have an opportunity to have when you're in the game,” said Cubs pitching coach Tommy Hottovy. “We've thrown a lot at him, and I think he's done a fantastic job of being open to conversations and still being true to what he knows he needs to do to be successful.”

There’s certainly a strong foundation to build off. Cabrera is coming off a career year in which he posted a 3.53 ERA and career-highs in innings pitched (137.2) and strikeouts (150) for the Marlins. The 27-year-old leaned on his off-speed stuff in Miami -- primarily a unique changeup that sits in the mid-90s and a tight curveball -- then played his four-seamer off of it.

Cabrera said he wants to make his fastball a more prominent part of his arsenal -- he threw 10 four-seamers on Friday, more than any other offering -- but Cubs manager Craig Counsell doesn’t envision any big changes.

“That's not what the trade was about,” Counsell said. “We just think this is a talented pitcher coming into the right part of his career. The health part of this is a real thing that we have to get right to the best of our ability.”

It’s no secret Cabrera has struggled with injuries. He has only pitched 100-plus innings in a season twice since his pro debut in 2016. Even last year, Cabrera opened the season on the injured list due to a blister on his right middle finger, then missed the first few weeks of September with a right elbow strain.

The Cubs are optimistic they can build a regimen that best suits Cabrera’s mechanics.

“It’s creating some dynamic-type movement in the weight room that will work on strength and mobility and the ability to hold positions through time,” Hottovy said.

“I think one thing that we take pride in here is tracking workload, tracking performance, looking for signs of things getting out of whack, or signs of fatigue that we can get ahead of. So I think it's just about communication, making sure that what we're seeing and what the players are feeling are in line, and then we can kind of adjust from there.”

If Cabrera can stay healthy, he could be the missing piece for the Cubs. Their rotation was already one of the best in baseball last season, but lacked the elite spin and velocity that Cabrera displayed Friday.

Hottovy is excited to break down the film.

“It’s a real weapon for him for sure,” he said. “Having powerful repertoires that you can unleash in the strike zone gets hitters into swing mode, and then that only helps the rest of your pitchers, too. It sets that tone that we're gonna come at you and then really opens up areas we can attack.”