Yu Darvish returned to game action for the first time since a rehab start in August 2018, and while the right-hander didn’t get the best results on paper the Cubs have to be satisfied with his overall performance.
The Cubs righty topped out at 96mph on Tuesday against the Diamondbacks and used all of the pitches in his repertoire. However, Darvish walked four batters, two in the first inning with two outs and two more in the second before he was taken out.
Darvish threw 36 pitches, 17 for strikes in 1.1 innings and didn’t give up a hit.
Yu Darvish's day is done. He threw 36 pitches (17 strikes) in 1.1 innings. Walked four. Generated one swing and miss. No hits allowed, but control spotty in first start since Aug. 18 rehab outing. The positive is obviously health and velo (94-96 mph). pic.twitter.com/3P0eigugWD
— Jordan Bastian (@MLBastian) February 26, 2019
Darvish done with one out in the 2nd. Walked 4, but allowed no hits. No strikeouts. He was sitting 94-95 with his fastball, touched 96. Seemed to use quite a bit of his arsenal. He wasn't disastrously wild, but clearly wasn't as sharp as he'd like. That's what the spring is for.
— Sahadev Sharma (@sahadevsharma) February 26, 2019
On the radio broadcast on MLB.com, Cubs play-by-play announcer described Darvish as not missing the strike zone by much. In the second inning, Darvish seemed to have been missing low in the strike zone, while his velocity remained in the mid-90s.
So, the most important factor after Darvish’s first spring training start is how he feels. The walks? It’s Feb. 26. This is what spring training is for, to work out the kinks. At this point, Darvish’s health is what really matters, as he returns from his elbow injury that kept him out the final four months of the 2018 season.
I know some fans are bitching about the four walks, but here’s all that matters from Darvish’s start on Tuesday.
Darvish: “no pain. That was the huge part.”
— Mark Gonzales (@MDGonzales) February 26, 2019
Yu Darvish said he was excited to the point that today felt like the first game of his life. Breaking ball command off, but happy with how he felt physically. pic.twitter.com/c9IFd7buZK
— Jordan Bastian (@MLBastian) February 26, 2019
