Bullpen ready to contribute as Cubs chase series win vs. Astros

While the Cubs' seven-run fourth inning laid the foundation for an easy 12-3 road victory over the host Houston Astros on Saturday, how Chicago was able to set up its bullpen for the series rubber match on Sunday was tied to the opener.

Veteran right-hander Chris Flexen worked four shutout innings of relief after the Cubs fell into a seven-run deficit on Friday and his performance enabled Chicago to preserve their bullpen for the final two games of the series.

The blowout victory on Saturday, combined with what Flexen produced in the opener, leaves the Cubs with their high-leverage relievers available for the finale.

"In your bullpen, the guys are connected to each other," Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. "Chris made somebody else more effective (Saturday and Sunday), and I think that's a big deal.

"There's no statistic for that, there's no metric, there's no analytics for that. He made our team better (Saturday), he made a particular player better, and that's in addition to throwing four scoreless innings."

Right-hander Jameson Taillon (7-5, 4.47 ERA) is scheduled to start the series finale for the Cubs on Sunday.

Taillon has dropped back-to-back starts after winning five consecutive outings through mid-June, recording a 14.63 ERA and .379 opponent batting average in those outings. He allowed a season-high eight runs on eight hits and two walks with three strikeouts over a season-low-tying four innings in an 8-7 road loss to the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday.

Taillon is 1-1 with a 4.50 ERA in five career starts against his hometown Astros. In his last appearance against Houston, he allowed two runs (one earned) on seven hits and two walks with four strikeouts over 5 2/3 innings in a 4-3 road win on April 24, 2024.

Left-hander Framber Valdez (8-4, 2.88) has the starting assignment for the Astros in the rubber match.

Despite tossing seven scoreless innings against the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday, Valdez had his streak of six consecutive starts with a winning decision snapped when he did not factor into the decision of a 1-0 home victory. However, Valdez remains unbeaten over his last nine starts (7-0 with a 1.89 ERA) with 65 strikeouts over 62 innings. The Astros are 9-0 in those games.

Valdez has faced the Cubs once previously. He allowed four runs on seven hits and two walks with eight strikeouts in four innings but did not factor into the decision of a 6-4 win on May 15, 2023.

Given their spate of injuries to starting pitchers, the Astros sorely need veteran right-hander Lance McCullers Jr. to serve as a reliable member of the rotation for the second half of the season. McCullers returned from a 15-day stint on the injured list and allowed eight runs on seven hits and four walks while recording one strikeout and only 10 outs. He threw 79 pitches.

It marked the eighth start of the season for McCullers, who missed the previous two seasons with injuries. With right-hander Hunter Brown and Valdez the only experienced options currently in the rotation, the Astros are hopeful that McCullers can stay healthy and return to past form.

"Just the fact that we got him back out there and got him close to 80 pitches (is important)," Astros manager Joe Espada said of McCullers. "It's just one that we've got to put behind him and get ready for the next start."

--Field Level Media