There are games throughout a long, marathon season during which it is critical to begin considering the days ahead. As things began to spiral out of hand on the Cubs on Monday, manager Craig Counsell did just that by sticking with starter Javier Assad.

Pete Crow-Armstrong was one of seven Chicago Cubs to have a multi-hit game in Tuesday’s 9-2 win over the Tampa Bay Rays.

Javier Assad threw a scoreless outing Tuesday night after filling in for the injured Matthew Boyd.

Assad provided the Cubs with the lift they needed in Tuesday's 9-2 win. He threw 5 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing two walks and one hit with three strikeouts.

Injuries thrust Javier Assad into the rotation. He delivered a dominant, shutout performance, proving he belongs with the Cubs.

The Chicago Cubs are having to get a little more creative than they would like this early in the year with their pitching strategy.

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The Chicago Cubs take on the New York Yankees in their spring training finale today. The team has announced two roster moves ahead of today’s game with New York. They are optioning Kevin Alcantara and Javier Assad to Iowa to start their seasons in Triple-A.

At any rate, the Phillies had a 1-0 lead against the visitors from the Senior Circuit’s Chicago club. It was a battle between sinkerballers: Javier Assad and Cristopher Sánchez. Both got off to a bit of a rocky start: Assad with his inability to reach 52 batters without a barrel,