PHOENIX — The stars were shining, the street was quiet, and Hayden Wesneski was fast asleep when he heard a knock on his bedroom door. It was his roommate and Triple-A Iowa teammate, Matt Mervis, who came in to tell Wesneski to check his phone. Wesneski was called. It was 1 a.m. in Des Moines.
Fourteen hours later, the 26-year-old Cubs right-hander stood in the clubhouse at visiting Chase Field, sleep-deprived but high on adrenaline. He was resting at least as much as he was on the plane, and he just had 12 important outs. With smoke rising in Chicago's bullpen, Wesneski held off the talented Diamondbacks offense for four scoreless innings, clinching a 5-3 series victory.
“This was probably the best pitching performance of the year,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said.
It was definitely a clutch. After two consecutive overtime games and 10 2/3 innings for the relievers, the Cubs started the day looking for fresh weapons, but Wesneski and reliever Colten Brewer were called up from Triple-A on short notice. That's why. Wesneski arrived at the park approximately two hours before game time, and although he had little rest, he was almost certain he could pitch. When Cubs starting pitcher Jordan Wicks retired with one out in the fifth inning, Counsell was replaced by Wesneski.
Over the next four innings, the right-hander held off a Diamondbacks lineup that had scored 12 runs the night before. Relying primarily on sweepers and fastballs exceeding 97.5 mph, Wesneski allowed only one hit, a double and one hit to Randal Grichuk in the sixth inning, with no walks. He had two strikeouts and only two fly balls into the infield. Counsell drove him into the ninth inning — during which the Cubs managed to take a three-run lead — before Grichuk started in the final slot before eventually pulling a reliever.
Wesneski left to a standing ovation from local Cubs fans.
“I don't know how to sleep,” Wesneski said. “I think when it crashes, it crashes. But right now, I'm pretty nervous.”
It was certainly a long day. After the wake-up knock from Marvis, he tried to get a few winks, but he was too excited to doze off. At 4 a.m., he headed to the ballpark to pick up his equipment and then headed to the airport to catch a flight to Phoenix. Wesneski said he and Brewer could barely make contact, but were able to doze off briefly in the air.
For his teammates, Wesneski's adventure made his performance against the defending National League champions even more admirable.
“It's unbelievable. Everybody had a lot of confidence in the dugout when he came in,” said Wicks, who allowed two runs in 4 1/3 innings. “He's a hard-working guy. It was very impressive to see him go out there and do it.”
If the Cubs return home with a series win, Wesneski's reward could be a second flight to Chicago within the same day. However, impending roster changes cloud that situation. Counsell confirmed after the game that right-hander Jameson Taillon has returned from the disabled list and will start Thursday against the Marlins. The Cubs will need to make room for him.
Rookie right-hander Ben Brown is not on the team's list of pitching options, but Counsell said Brown will not be ejected due to his recent strong pitching. Javier Assad, who fills a hole in the rotation, is expected to start Saturday against Miami. An unfortunate truth about Major League Baseball may be reasserted. When roster spots are needed, it's often the relievers who have just logged a ton of innings — as heroic as they may be — who are out. After all, he won't be able to pitch again for several days.
If so, it's not unfamiliar to Wesneski, who spent much of last year bouncing back and forth between the majors and minors. That was the scenario this spring, too, when he wasn't on the Opening Day roster. At the time, the Cubs thought it best to develop him in Triple-A, knowing that at some point they would need what he could offer. On Wednesday, they did just that, and Wesneski couldn't have done more to live up to the occasion.
“We got a great performance from someone who needed a great performance,” Counsell said. “It's about players making shots and doing something special, and we figured that out today.”
