SAN FRANCISCO – Cubs lefty Drew Smyly started his day Saturday learning that Chris Martin had been traded to the Dodgers. The two, who have been teammates in three different cities and won a World Series together last year, were texting back and forth when Martin broke the news.
Later that night Smyly, who has also popped up in trade rumors, was scheduled for his last start before the trade deadline.
“I‘ve been traded at the deadline before,” Smyly said after allowing all five runs in the Cubs’ 5-4 loss to the Dodgers. “I’ve been traded [three times], once by the Cubs already. So, we as players just look forward to going to play in between the lines, and there’s nothing else we can really do about it. But we all realize that the Cubs will do what they think to make the best team going forward. So, our job is to keep playing.”
Back in November of 2018, the Cubs traded Smyly to the Rangers before the lefty had ever taken the mound for Chicago. He’d spent the year rehabbing from Tommy John surgery.
This time around, he’s put together 13 starts (4.42 ERA) as a Cub, despite being sidelined for over a month with a strained right oblique.
In his first game back from the injured list, three weeks ago, Smyly gave up four runs in two innings against the Dodgers. But then he limited the Mets and Phillies to one earned run apiece in his next two starts.
“Even today he made some good pitches,” catcher Yan Gomes said Saturday. “Those guys took good swings. Some of those times, you tip your cap. They started getting a pretty decent approach laying off his curveball, which we all know is a pretty important pitch for him.
“Coming back from the IL, he hit the ground running. He’s probably back to full strength right now, so I’m excited to see what the second half brings.”
The Giants did all their damage the second time through the batting order. In the third inning, Smyly issued a four-pitch walk to Darin Ruf and gave up an RBI double to Austin Slater and a one-run single to Yermín Mercedes.
To open Smyly’s next frame, Giants third baseman David Villar hit the lefty’s first pitch on the ground between Cubs shortstop Nico Hoerer and third baseman Patrick Wisdom, just out of Wisdom’s reach as he slid after it.
Smyly then fell behind in the count to Luis González and threw a sinker up and in. The left-handed hitter turned on it and sent a towering two-run homer into Levi’s Landing.
“I was just trying to go fastball away, and I missed up in,” Smyly said. “His first [at-bat], he hit one hard foul on a fastball up and in, and me and Yan recognize that maybe he’s onto that pitch. But in general, most lefties, that kind of a hard pitch for them to to hit left left on left.”
Smyly threw his next pitch, a cutter, up and in to right-handed hitter Joey Bart. He, too, pulled the ball over the fence to give the Giants a five-run lead.
Smyly induced groundouts from the next three batters he faced to get out of the inning and end his outing.
It wasn’t the kind of start, Smyly said, that he’d expect to sway his trade deadline fate one way or another.
“I’ve made it pretty clear that I love showing up to work every day being a Cub,” he said. “It’s a really fun team to be a part of, even though we’re not getting the wins we necessarily want. It’s a really good group of guys, and it’s enjoyable in that clubhouse. But if I get traded, it’d be fun competing for another championship, too.”
