Rafael Soriano’s struggles put the Cubs back in the market for veteran bullpen help and Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com reports that they’ve acquired Orioles reliever Tommy Hunter in exchange for infielder/outfielder Junior Lake.
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Tommy Hunter #29 of the Baltimore Orioles pitches during the game against the Miami Marlins at Marlins Park on May 22, 2015 in Miami, Florida.
Hunter, 29, is 2-2 on the season with a 3.63 ERA and 1.16 WHIP, serving as a late-inning stopper before Baltimore closer Zach Britton.
The Cubs have a 54-47 record and are 10.5 games behind the division-leading St. Louis Cardinals in the NL Central standings.
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The Cubs and Orioles are two games behind the current wild card leaders in their respective leagues. He was initially drafted by the Texas Rangers with the No. 54 pick in 2007 out of the University of Alabama – and later packaged with slugger Chris Davis in the Koji Uehara trade. He had a 4.71 ERA over the first two months and clearly moved behind Darren O’Day in the team hierarchy. In 661 innings, he has struck out 408 and walked 148. Also, since July 19 Lake was out of options, so couldn’t be recalled without then going through waivers if the Cubs wanted to send him back to Iowa. 315 with seven homers at Triple-A this season.
