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The Chicago Cubs have made a roster move ahead of their series opener against the Cincinnati Reds, cutting pitcher Chris Flexen.
Chicago made the decision to waive the veteran pitcher on Monday, letting him go after 21 appearances. He's played for five teams throughout his career in the majors, first representing the New York Mets when they drafted him in the 14th round of the 2012 MLB Draft. He spent plenty of time in the minor leagues, not making his major league debut until the 2017 season.
Flexen's time with the Cubs was solid before they released him. He has a 3.09 ERA after 43.2 innings, striking out 22 batters while conceding 38 hits, 15 earned runs, and seven homers.
“The Cubs pulled the plug last week. Flexen concluded his organizational tenure with a 3.06 earned run average over 43 2/3 innings. Estimators like SIERA, FIP and xERA all felt his true level was closer to allowing five earned runs per nine — essentially a match for the 4.95 ERA he posted over 160 innings for the White Sox a year ago,” reporter Anthony Franco wrote.
“Flexen has the ability to log multiple innings out of the bullpen or build back out as rotation depth. That’ll at least get him interest on a minor league contract, and it’s not out of the question that he finds a big league deal. A signing team would only pay him the prorated portion of the $760K league minimum for the final couple months. That’d be subtracted from the Cubs’ commitments.”
How Cubs played against Reds after cutting Chris Flexen
The Cubs had their reasons to let go of Chris Flexen. However, their series opener ended in a tough 3-2 loss to the Reds on Monday night.
Chicago had a 2-1 lead after five innings, getting a two-run homer from Dansby Swanson. However, Cincinnati responded with a pair of runs in the sixth and seventh frames. The hosts were unable to fire back, getting cold on offense down the stretch.
It was a brutal night for the Cubs' offense, only landing three hits after 29 at-bats. As for the bullpen, they gave up six hits after 34 at-bats, having a decent display despite the loss.
Chicago fell to a 65-47 record on the season, holding the second spot in the NL Central Division standings. They are three games behind the Milwaukee Brewers for the top seed.
The Cubs will prepare for Game 2 of their series against the Reds. The contest will take place on Aug. 5 at 8:05 p.m. ET.
