Caleb Thielbar made his first rehab appearance Saturday afternoon in Appleton, Wis., pitching for the Cubs’ High-Class A affiliate, the South Bend Cubs, against the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, who are in the Milwaukee Brewers’ system.
If the Cubs were hoping to see how the left-handed reliever, who is recovering from a strained left hamstring, responded to a high-leverage situation, they were disappointed.
The Cubs held a 19-run lead when Thielbar entered the game in the eighth. He pitched a scoreless inning, allowing a single and walking one while striking out two. The final score was 24-4, Cubs.
Cubs manager Craig Counsell said Thielbar was expected to rejoin the team Sunday—unless, the manager cracked, Thielbar elected to spend the night in Appleton for the complimentary breakfast at the Best Western.
The 39-year-old Thielbar, who was originally drafted by the Brewers in the 18th round in 2009, actually spent the 2010 season with the Timber Rattlers as a 23-year-old. Even then, he was used exclusively in relief; in 10 seasons spanning 425 appearances in the big leagues— the first eight with the Twins, the last two with the Cubs—he has never made a start.
In eight appearances this season for the Cubs, Thielbar posted two saves in the absence of the injured Daniel Palencia, and also was credited with two wins.
Thielbar signed a one-year deal for $4.5 million with the Cubs. He almost certainly will be activated for the Brewers’ series that starts Monday. If the Cubs elect to keep just two lefties in the pen, Ryan Rolison appears the most likely to be optioned.
Home running
The Cubs did not hit a home run Friday and have hit just two home runs in their last six games, Alex Bregman and Ian Happ both going deep in Atlanta. They’re 5-8 in games in which they do not homer, 36-11 when they do. The most home runs the Cubs have hit in a game in Rate Field is five, which they’ve done twice, the last time on Sept. 25, 2020, when Willson Contrera hit two, and Kyle Schwarber, Javier Baez and Vic Caratini hit one apiece.
Cubs pitchers gave up three home runs in a game Friday night for just the sixth time this season. White Sox shortstop Colson Montgomery took Edwin Cabrera deep for his 12th home run in the second inning; Miguel Vargas took Rolison deep in the sixth inning for his 10th home run; and Jarred Kelenic hit his first of the season off Javier Assad in the ninth. All three home runs came with the bases empty.
Waiter, there is a golf ball in my soup
Counsell told a story Saturday afternoon from his playing days, when he was with Arizona. In one visiting clubhouse, Counsell said without mentioning names, there was a cook famous for the chili he served the players.
“It was good,’’ Counsell said. “That’s what everybody ate, the chili.’’
The players suspected, however, that cleanliness didn’t rank particularly high with this cook. So before they left town, knowing they would be back two weeks later, one of the players dropped a golf ball in the pot.
“The next time we came back,’’ Counsell said. “The golf ball was still there.’’
After that, Counsell said, the cook placed the golf ball on top of a chili bowl. From then on, he said, it was called “Golf Ball Chili.’’