{"id":246068,"date":"2026-04-01T02:41:40","date_gmt":"2026-04-01T02:41:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/246068\/"},"modified":"2026-04-01T02:41:40","modified_gmt":"2026-04-01T02:41:40","slug":"cubs-right-hander-edward-cabrera-shines-in-wrigley-field-debut","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/246068\/","title":{"rendered":"Cubs right-hander Edward Cabrera shines in Wrigley Field debut"},"content":{"rendered":"

After striking out Angels shortstop Zach Neto with a nasty curveball, Cubs<\/a> right-hander Edward Cabrera spun around on one leg before walking off the mound.<\/p>\n

He was in the type of groove that the Cubs envisioned when they acquired him from the Marlins for outfield prospect Owen Caissie. Cabrera struck out five and walked one batter in six scoreless innings in the Cubs\u2019 7-2 victory over the Angels on Monday at Wrigley Field.<\/p>\n

He incorporated all five of his pitches and effectively handled the Angels\u2019 lineup. Cabrera didn\u2019t allow his first hit until the third inning and was efficient, throwing 80 pitches (49 for strikes). He also induced 15 whiffs on 40 swings and limited hard contact. Only two of his 80 pitches were considered hard hit.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was a lot,\u201d manager Craig Counsell said of what impressed him. \u201cHe had to get everything working. And [catcher Carson Kelly] felt really comfortable with any pitch [in] any count. With [Cabrera\u2019s] stuff, if we get into that mode, it\u2019s going to be a tough night for hitters, and he got better as the game went on.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kelly and Counsell pointed to Mike Trout\u2019s at-bat in the first inning as the turning point. On a 3-2 count, Cabrera threw an 87.6 mph curveball for a strikeout of the former MVP, capping an eight-pitch at-bat.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnce you do that in the first inning, you set the tone,\u201d Kelly said.<\/p>\n

For Cabrera, he felt the energy before the game when he walked onto the field. After playing for desolate crowds in Miami, he got to experience a stadium with 36,702 fans. It was the eighth start of his career with six-plus scoreless innings and the first since Aug. 25, 2025.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe did a tremendous job,\u201d Kelly said. \u201c[Cabrera] had good command with everything and electric stuff. Having all those pitches and keeping guys guessing; there\u2019s not one pitch you can sit on, and that\u2019s what really makes it special.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cabrera leaned on his changeup and four-seamer but also incorporated his slider, curveball and sinker. Counsell said the key for Cabrera will be controlling counts, as he did Monday. He attacked the zone and had tremendous control all night. He did a good job getting ahead of hitters and gave the Cubs a glimpse of the pitcher they hope to see consistently.<\/p>\n

\u2018We\u2019re at the last steps\u2019<\/p>\n

Cubs right fielder Seiya Suzuki is inching closer to returning from the sprained posterior cruciate ligament he suffered in the World Baseball Classic.<\/p>\n

Counsell said that Suzuki might return on the Cubs\u2019 six-game road trip that begins Friday in Cleveland. Counsell said the next two days are critical for determining if Suzuki is ready for a rehab assignment.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re at the last steps,\u201d Counsell said. \u201cWe\u2019re at basically full speed, quick change of directions, quick stops, things like that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Catcher rotation<\/p>\n

Kelly got the nod at catcher. With Miguel Amaya healthy, the Cubs have a formidable tandem that\u2019s adept defensively and at the plate.<\/p>\n

How Counsell balances playing time will be watched. Last season was one of Kelly\u2019s most productive. He batted .249 with 17 homers and 50 RBI. Amaya appeared in just 28 games because of an oblique injury and an ankle sprain.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"After striking out Angels shortstop Zach Neto with a nasty curveball, Cubs right-hander Edward Cabrera spun around on…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":246069,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[163,165,164],"class_list":["post-246068","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-anaheim","tag-anaheim","tag-anaheim-headlines","tag-anaheim-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/246068","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=246068"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/246068\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/246069"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=246068"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=246068"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=246068"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}