32 Tyler Chatwood RP

Chatwood said he feels like he can carry momentum from a strong finish to 2019 and a good spring training into the regular season, Scot Gregor of the Chicago Daily Herald reports.

Chatwood is widely expected to be the Cubs' No. 5 starter when the season gets underway, which could be in July if a proposal from MLB owners is approved by the players' union. The righty had a 2.84 ERA in 31.2 innings after the All-Star break last season and looked sharp in spring training before play was suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic. Chatwood has some sleeper potential this year, though it's best to temper expectations in the early going.

Chatwood tossed 3.2 scoreless innings in Tuesday's Cactus League game against the Giants. He allowed three hits and struck out four.

Chatwood entered the spring as the leading candidate for Chicago's fifth rotation spot, and the righty has only bolstered his case so far. He now has a 1.86 ERA and 11 strikeouts across 9.2 Cactus League innings. With Colin Rea and Adbert Alzolay getting optioned to Triple-A Iowa Tuesday, Chatwood and Alec Mills are left to compete for the role, and the former seems to have the inside track.

Manager David Ross said Chatwood remains "in the lead" for the fifth spot in the starting rotation, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Chatwood had a rebound season in 2019 as a reliever and spot starter with a 3.76 ERA and 1.33 WHIP over 76.2 innings, and he's pushing for a return to the rotation this spring. The 30-year-old has made three Cactus League starts and has performed well, allowing two runs on three hits and two walks while striking out seven over six innings.

Chatwood allowed one run on one hit across three innings in Wednesday's Cactus League game against the Reds. He struck out five.

Chatwood allowed a solo home run to Josh VanMeter, but otherwise, the righty was locked in, lowering his ERA to 3.00 through six spring frames. The 30-year-old is considered the early favorite for the rotation's fifth and final spot, and he's staking a strong claim to the role thus far.

Chatwood (shoulder) is scheduled to start Sunday's Cactus League game against the Dodgers, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.

Chatwood will follow Alec Mills, who is scheduled to start Saturday's spring opener. The right-hander battled shoulder soreness near the end of last season but is good to go heading into Cactus League play. Chatwood is reportedly the favorite to break camp as Chicago's fifth starter after spending the majority of 2019 in a relief role.

Chatwood (shoulder) could serve as the fifth starter in the Cubs' rotation to begin 2020, Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune reports.

After struggling as a starter for the Cubs in 2018, Chatwood managed to clean things up while serving primarily as a reliever in 2019. After posting an 85:95 K:BB in 2018, the right-hander improved with a 74:37 K:BB and a 3.76 ERA last season. After his success out of the bullpen, pitching coach Tommy Hottovy called Chatwood the favorite to land the fifth spot in the starting rotation. Alec Mills, Colin Rea and Adbert Alzolay could also be in the mix for the job, but it appears that the job is Chatwood's to lose as spring training begins.

Chatwood hasn't been available to pitch lately due to right shoulder soreness, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.

Chatwood hasn't pitched since Sept. 20, and the shoulder soreness is apparently responsible for his absence. The 29-year-old ends 2019 with a 3.76 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 74:37 K:BB across 76.2 innings.

Chatwood (5-3) gave up one run on three hits and four walks while striking out seven through 3.2 innings to take the loss against the Brewers on Sunday.

Stepping in after Yu Darvish was scratched from his scheduled start, Chatwood struck out seven of the first nine batters he faced, but he couldn't make it through the fourth inning in the loss. Outside of several spot starts, Chatwood has worked primarily out of the bullpen and will likely return to that role after this start. Chatwood has a 4.14 ERA with 65 strikeouts and a 4.66 FIP through 67.1 innings this season.

Chatwood will start Sunday's game against the Brewers, Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Chatwood will make a spot start for Yu Darvish on Sunday, as Darvish was a late scratch with forearm soreness. Chatwood hasn't reached 25 pitches in an outing since Aug. 8, so he's likely to be limited to a few innings. The 29-year-old should return to the bullpen after the outing since Darvish is only expected to miss one start.

Chatwood (5-2) allowed two runs on three hits in his lone inning of work and took the loss Sunday against the Nationals.

Chatwood was the eighth Chicago pitcher to enter the game, and he was ineffective in the 11th inning. The righty started the frame by allowing back-to-back hits, and then he uncorked a wild pitch that brought home a run to put Washington up 6-5. Chatwood has a middling 4.31 ERA this season and should stick in a long-relief role for the Cubs.

Chatwood allowed a run on three hits across three innings Sunday, striking out five batters and earning a save over the Brewers.

It was Chatwood's second save this season and he rarely sees these opportunities. However, Sunday's 7-2 victory provided him a chance to earn one in long relief. The 29-year-old lowered his ERA to 4.14 with a mediocre 47:28 K:BB over 54.1 innings.

Chatwood allowed one earned run on four hits and a walk while striking out five across four innings Wednesday against the Giants. He did not factor into the decision.

Chatwood was called upon to make a spot start after Jon Lester was unable to take the mound due to illness. He looked more than capable in just his fourth start of the season, shedding his usual trouble with walks to turn in an efficient outing. He'll likely head back to the bullpen unless another injury occurs to the Cubs rotation, though he has just one hold on the season to go along with a 4.14 ERA and 1.48 WHIP across 50 innings.

Chatwood will make a spot start Wednesday against the Giants after Jon Lester (illness) was scratched from the outing, Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

The Cubs appear to be viewing Lester as day-to-day while he recovers from a bout with bronchitis, so Chatwood will likely only be in store for one turn through the rotation before transitioning back to a relief role. With no appearances since July 14, Chatwood is well rested heading into the contest, but he'll likely still be subjected to an unspecified workload restriction. He hasn't made a start for the Cubs in nearly a month and didn't surpass 20 pitches in either of his two relief appearances thus far in July.

The Cubs don't list Chatwood as one of their probable starters for their four-game series with the Pirates that begins Monday, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.

Chatwood is expected to transition to the bullpen by Tuesday, when he'll be available on four days' rest following his most recent start. Kyle Hendricks (shoulder) will return from the 10-day injured list Tuesday and essentially replace the injured Cole Hamels (oblique) in the rotation, while rookie Adbert Alzolay will stick as the fifth starter over Chatwood. In three starts this season, Chatwood has covered 15 innings and posted a 4.80 ERA and 1.40 WHIP.

Chatwood (4-1) was credited with the win against the Braves on Thursday despite giving up six runs on six hits and four walks in five innings. He struck out five.

In his third start of the season, Chatwood was far from impressive but picked up the win due to a Cubs offense that provided plenty of run support. That was about all that went right for the Chatwood on Thursday, as he gave up season highs in runs and baserunners allowed. Overall, the 29-year-old has posted an uninspiring 4.50 ERA and 1.55 WHIP along with an unsettling 35:26 K:BB in 44 innings this season. He may stick in the rotation as the sixth starter for the time being, which would put him in line to next pitch on the road against Pittsburgh on Wednesday.

Chatwood will start Thursday's game against the Braves, Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic reports.

He led off a piggyback with Albert Alzolay earlier this week and gave up two earned runs in four innings while recording just one strikeout. Since Alzolay will be starting Tuesday's game, it seems likely that Chatwood will have a fluid role after working as a sixth starter next week.

Chatwood allowed three runs (two earned) on six hits and one walk across four innings in a no-decision Thursday against the Mets. He recorded one strikeout.

Chatwood allowed an unearned run in the second inning before surrendering a two-run home run to Pete Alonso in the third. Although he put runners on base at a high rate and recorded just the lone punchout, he induced eight groundball outs to help him avoid further damage. Chatwood was overshadowed by rookie Adbert Alzolay, who picked up the win in relief, and the latter could get the next turn in Kyle Hendricks' vacated spot in the rotation. In that scenario, the veteran would remain in his role as a long reliever and occasional opener.

Chatwood will make a spot start Thursday against the Mets, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.

After posting a 5.30 ERA and walking more batters than he struck out in his first season in Chicago, Chatwood has a much stronger 3.60 ERA this season, though his 14.1 percent walk rate remains far too high. He'll make at least one start in place of Kyle Hendricks (shoulder).

Chatwood (3-1) took the loss Saturday against the Cardinals, allowing three runs in two innings of work. He gave up five hits and struck out one.

After a rain delay of nearly four hours, Chicago starter Jose Quintana exited the game having completed four innings, which set Chatwood up for long-relief work. He didn't look sharp when play resumed, and the rough outing bumped his ERA from 2.76 to 3.45. Perhaps a silver lining was the lack of any walks in his two innings of work, as Chatwood has struggled with throwing strikes the last two years. Despite the hiccup, the 29-year-old will remain a key long reliever for the Cubs, as he's been mostly effective this season.

Chatwood recorded his first save of the season and the third of his career Saturday against the Reds, tossing a scoreless ninth inning while allowing two hits.

Chatwood somewhat surprisingly got the ball with a two-run lead in the ninth inning. He allowed back-to-back singles to start the inning but got out of a potential jam via a double-play grounder and a flyout. It's unclear if his usage Saturday was purely the result of a taxed bullpen or if he's earned the occasional high-leverage opportunity moving forward.