Clayton Richard Looks Like A Steal For The Chicago Cubs – RantSports

The Cubs have been searching for a consistent No. 5 starter for most of the season after Travis Wood was moved to the bullpen following a bout of inefficiency in the rotation. If a team wanted him, the Pirates had to either add him to the major league roster, or trade him.

The 31-year-old lefty is 4-2 with a 2.09 ERA and 1.179 WHIP in nine starts for Pittsburgh’s Triple-A affiliate in Indianapolis.

Richard typically throws in the lower 90s with a two-seam fastball that averages 90.2 miles per hour that he compliments with a slider and curveball, while using a change-up as his primary second pitch. Richard is set to make his Cubs debut immediately, stepping in for the injured Tsuyoshi Wada for the Cubs game against the Miami Marlins Saturday evening.

Epstein said Friday that “demand far outweighs supply” in the current market and that everyone has to “recognize the trade deadline is not a panacea” for solving a team’s problems.

Indians manager Dean Treanor said Richard had “a real presence in the clubhouse”, and hopes his players picked up something from playing alongside a six-year major-league veteran.

During his first start with the Cubs, Richard ended up pitching 6.1 innings while giving up just two runs and eight hits.

Richard’s last full performance was June 16, 2013.

The Cubs have a critical need in the back end of their rotation. “That was nice. I got over the hurdle of worrying about what I’m doing on the rubber and gotten to the point where I can just really focus on executing the pitches”.

Richard, once a prized prospect in the Chicago White Sox organization, has not pitched in the big leagues since 2013 thanks to thoracic outlet syndrome and subsequent surgeries.

“I’ve never really felt like I wasn’t ready [for the majors], but I’ve gotten to the point where I think I could have a bad day and still be serviceable”.