CHICAGO -- As David Peterson headed off the field in the seventh inning on Tuesday night, the lefty experienced his first ovation from the Wrigley Field faithful. With each step off the mound and toward the dugout, the volume level ticked up in the old ballpark.
“It’s special,” Peterson said. “To get that applause after tonight was a good feeling.”
Within an 11-2 rout of the Tigers, Peterson delivered the kind of performance the Cubs hoped might be coming when they swung a trade with the Mets to land the left-hander late last month. There was a pressing need for innings amid multiple injuries to the rotation, but Peterson also represented an intriguing reclamation project.
Peterson used a six-run lead in the first inning to his advantage, giving the North Siders 6 2/3 scoreless innings in his fourth outing for Chicago. The lefty has logged at least that many scoreless frames just four times in his seven-year career in the Majors, and had not done so since June 11 last season.
So far, Peterson has given the Cubs three solid performances.
“It’s been pretty much what I’ve been expecting to see,” said Cubs outfielder Michael Conforto, who was teammates with Peterson with the Mets. “When he’s really good, he’s on the attack and he’s in the zone, able to command three, four good pitches.
“When I heard that we were bringing him over here, I was really excited, because I knew he’d fit in great.”
After the trade, Cubs pitching coach Tommy Hottovy said the plan was to let Peterson (who had a 6.09 ERA at the time) settle in before beginning to bring any ideas or potential adjustments to the pitcher. Chicago wanted to get an initial look at Peterson before beginning to build a plan for the subsequent weeks, while the front office still continues to scour the trade market for help.
Peterson said Hottovy has done “exactly that” since the pitcher came into the fold, which helped the lefty ease into things after being traded for the first time in his career. That runway allowed Peterson to get to know the pitching group and his teammates, while getting a feel for manager Craig Counsell and the way the Cubs operate as a whole.
“It's been a good transition. I was happy that the trade happened earlier,” Peterson said. “It was good to get in with a group and try to get as familiar as possible before the break, start working on everything and figuring out how the organization is run over here.”
Peterson said the recent conversations have centered around using his lower half more efficiently in his delivery. Against the Tigers, the lefty felt some of the work between starts paid off. He struck out four, issued one walk, generated nine outs via grounders and snapped a career-worst streak of six outings in a row with a home run allowed.
“Hopefully,” Counsell said, “we’re building some confidence with him that he can take moving forward.”
Since Peterson’s arrival, the Cubs have also had veteran righty Jameson Taillon return from his stint on the injured list. Right-hander Edward Cabrera is still sidelined with a left hamstring and adductor strain, but he is on the comeback trail and projects to be back around the second week of August, barring a setback. Chicago recently acquired righty Aaron Civale from the A’s to offer another layer of insurance behind the starting group.
And in the days leading up to the Aug. 3 Trade Deadline, president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer and his front-office team will be looking for more reinforcements for the rotation and bullpen. Peterson was an early move out of necessity, but so far it has mostly netted positive returns.
“You’ve got to go prove it every time out there,” Counsell said. “He’s going to have a challenge. His next start is against St. Louis. So his next start is against the team that he struggled against. That’s a big challenge in itself.”
In three of his four starts, Peterson has spun a 1.56 ERA in 17 1/3 combined innings against the Brewers, Orioles and Tigers. As Counsell noted, however, there was the start on July 3, when the lefty surrendered 10 runs and lasted only 3 2/3 innings against the Cardinals.
That was Peterson’s first Wrigley Field experience. This one had Cubs fans back in his corner.
“He’s a competitor on the mound,” Conforto said, “and a guy that, I think, the best is ahead of him, for sure.”