Colin Rea Steps Into a Rotation Crisis and the Cubs Are Counting on Him to Stop the Bleeding Against Philly

The Chicago Cubs got absolutely hammered 13-7 by the Philadelphia Phillies on Monday night, and now they're desperate for damage control. Starter Javier Assad imploded, surrendering nine runs and 11 hits before getting yanked after 4 1/3 innings, with Chicago trailing 9-2 after five. They need a completely different result when these teams square off Tuesday, and veteran right-hander Colin Rea is the guy they're leaning on to deliver.

The Rotation Is Falling Apart, and Rea Just Became Essential

The Cubs' injury situation in the rotation is brutal. Left-hander Matthew Boyd landed on the 15-day injured list last week with a biceps strain, and things got worse when right-hander Cade Horton, who won 11 games as a rookie last season, was ruled out for the year with season-ending elbow surgery. That's where Rea comes in. He wasn't even scheduled to start his last outing against Tampa Bay last Wednesday, but the injuries forced him into action. He responded by allowing just one run and two hits over five innings in a 6-2 Cubs victory.

"Guys are going to have to step up and fill those roles," Rea said about the absences. Cubs manager Craig Counsell praised Rea's approach, noting that he doesn't try to overpower hitters. Instead, he stays in the strike zone and forces batters to put the ball in play. "Low heartbeat, however you want to say it, that's one of Colin's real strengths as a athlete and a competitor," Counsell said. "He's not going to let the situation change him, and he'd give you this effort if he was pitching a beer-league game on Tuesday night in Iowa."

Rea Has History Against the Phillies, But It's Mixed

Rea is 1-2 with a 3.13 ERA against Philadelphia in eight career starts. Last April, he threw five shutout innings in a 4-0 win in Chicago. But in June when the teams met in Philadelphia, Rea surrendered four runs and seven hits over 4 1/3 innings before the Cubs rallied for an 8-4 victory. He'll take the mound Tuesday after opener Riley Martin works the early innings. Martin has scattered two hits over 3 1/3 scoreless innings of relief this season.

Nola Takes the Ball for a Frustrated Phillies Squad

Aaron Nola starts for Philadelphia, and he comes in frustrated after his last outing. The Phillies got shut out 5-0 by the Giants on Wednesday with five pitchers combining to blank them. Nola threw five scoreless innings but then surrendered a three-run homer to Rafael Devers with two outs in the sixth. "Yeah, frustrating," Nola said. "He jumped on not a great pitch." Phillies manager Rob Thomson acknowledged leaving Nola in to face Devers, pointing out Devers was 2-for-15 in his career against him. "I thought that was his game right there," Thomson said. "He just left one over the plate, and he took advantage of it." Nola holds a 7-2 record with a 4.19 ERA in 11 career starts against the Cubs.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.