46 Pedro Strop RP

Strop pitched 1.1 scoreless innings with one hit allowed and one strikeout to record his first save of the season Friday against the Pirates.

Regular closer Brandon Morrow had appeared in the last two games, so it appeared he was simply getting a breather, which allowed Strop to record his first save of the season. The 32-year-old righty has been solid for the Cubs this season, as he now has a 2.03 ERA and 1.05 WHIP across 26.2 innings of work.

Strop (3-0) retired the only hitter he faced and snagged the win Friday against the Brewers.

Strop came on in the top of the seventh with runners on the corners and two outs, and he retired Jesus Aguilar on just three pitches to get out of the jam. He then became the pitcher of record when the Cubs broke a 2-2 tie in the bottom half of the inning. Strop has a strong 2.79 ERA this season and he's on pace to surpass his career high in wins, which is currently five.

Strop (2-0) was the winning pitcher in Saturday's game against the Brewers. He retired both hitters he faced, with one coming via strikeout.

Strop has yet to allow an earned run in 4.2 innings of work this season and he's been rewarded with two wins. The righty tied a career high with five wins in 2017 and he could surpass that number if he keeps pitching well this season. He also should be a fairly consistent source of holds moving forward, though he's yet to record one in 2018.

Strop, who battled a calf injury in spring training, is expected to be on the Opening Day roster, Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Strop didn't make his Cactus League debut until last Thursday, but he was able to get in three appearances and seemingly did enough to convince the organization that he's ready to go for Opening Day. The 32-year-old righty will slot in as a key setup man in front of new closer Brandon Morrow and will look to build upon the 21 holds he posted each of the last two seasons.

Cubs manager Joe Maddon wants to see Strop make one more Cactus League appearance before deciding on his availability for Opening Day, Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Strop, who was slowed by a calf injury earlier in spring training, made his Cactus League debut on Thursday and then pitched again on Saturday. The right-hander tossed two perfect innings with two strikeouts, so he's trending in the right direction, but Maddon wants to see a little more before he deems Strop ready to go. Assuming Strop doesn't suffer any setbacks, it looks like he should be ready for the start of the regular season.