Chicago Cubs Rookie Pushing Team Towards Playoffs

The Chicago Cubs rookie pitcher is starting to play his best baseball during the final stretch of the season.

The story to start the season for the Chicago Cubs was about their pitching staff. Marcus Stroman was performing like an ace and Justin Steele was putting together a case for NL Cy Young.

That tune quickly turned to the hot hitting by the big named players as the pitching started to fade away.

It was a perfect time for the hitting to pick up the slack of the pitching. After being under .500, the Cubs have played themselves right into the thick of the playoff race.

With the bats likely to cool down to a median level, all eyes will be on the pitching staff to help them get into the playoffs.

Chicago rookie pitcher Javier Assad is stepping up during the final stretch of the season.

He started the season on the major league roster but was shelled to the point of having to split time between Triple-A and the Cubs.

Assad made an appearance against the San Diego Padres on June 5th out of the bullpen. He threw two innings, giving up one earned run on three hits. That performance was good enough for Chicago to keep the 26-year-old rookie on the roster for the rest of the season.

He's earned that trust by performing when it matters most.

The right hander was primarily used out of the bullpen, but David Ross moved him into the starting rotation in August. In his two starts, Assad put together a 1-0 record with a 2.53 ERA.

That comes on the heels of allowing only three runs in his last seven appearances, recording an ERA of 1.23.

The Cubs moved veteran Drew Smyly to the bullpen to give Assad more innings as a starting pitcher.

They're hoping that the upside of the rookie will push them into the playoffs. Right now, he's doing just that.