Craig Counsell Reacts After Javier Assad’s Impressive Spot-Start for Cubs

After series losses to the Nationals and Guardians to begin the year, the Chicago Cubs were in need of a victory Tuesday night after losing the opener to the Tampa Bay Rays.

Although Chicago is expected to win the National League Central, they've gotten off on the wrong foot to start 2026, sitting last in the division through the first 10 games of the season.

Tuesday night's game also marked an important appearance for Cubs starter Javier Assad, who made his season debut after beginning the year in Triple-A.

Assad was called up to the active roster after left-hander Matthew Boyd was placed on the injured list with a left bicep strain. This was bad news for Chicago, as Boyd was coming off an impressive 10-strikeout performance his last time out.

Assad's impressive outing

However, Assad stepped seamlessly into the role of starter, as he has many times in the past. He attacked Tampa's hitters early and settled in to throw a scoreless outing. Assad went 5 2/3 innings, allowing one hit and two walks while striking out three.

Assad's outing was that much easier given Chicago's run support from the plate. The Cubs offense mashed a season-high 16 hits, as seven out of the nine starters had multi-hit games.

Tell Javy good job, please. 😌 pic.twitter.com/Dzia2EfbS6
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) April 8, 2026

Miguel Amaya and Michael Busch were the only players excluded from the fun, each going 0-for-5. Of the seven with multi-hit contests, Alex Bregman and Pete Crow-Armstrong may have been the most encouraging.

Bregman's three hits ended an 0-for-13 slump, moving his average to .200 on the year. As for Crow-Armstrong, he teed off on his first home run of 2026, a solo shot that accounted for one of his three knocks.

Following the game, manager Craig Counsell spoke about Assad's outing and the encouraging offensive performance as a unit.

"Javy (Javier) did an outstanding job just attacking the strike zone. I thought that was the big thing; the first three innings I think he had 32 pitches," said Counsell. "Javy has done that many times, stepped up when the team has needed. We certainly need it right now, and he delivered."

As for Crow-Armstrong's home run, Counsell said: "It's always good to see the first one."

"This is game 11. Pete's going to hit home runs this year."

Craig Counsell knows this was the first of many for PCA 💪 pic.twitter.com/p5MItthMgY
— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) April 8, 2026

Looking ahead to Wednesday's game, Chicago will have a chance to win the series after splitting the first two games.

In regards to Assad, all signs point to the right-hander remaining in the rotation for at least one more turn, if not longer.