CINCINNATI — Veteran right-hander Kevin Gausman has been riding a roller coaster since joining the Cubs before the trade deadline. It’s not something he’s enjoying.
‘‘It’s really frustrating,’’ Gausman told the Sun-Times, ‘‘especially after being really consistent for the last five, six years.’’
Gausman has alternated good and bad outings for weeks, going from seven innings of scoreless ball to four innings of allowing six runs, including three home runs. In eight starts for the Cubs, Gausman has a 5.04 ERA.
In his previous five seasons, one with the Giants and four with the Blue Jays, Gausman had a 3.34 ERA in 158 starts. With 2,083 innings on his arm in 14 regular seasons, he knows he’s dealing with wear and tear, and it isn’t easy.
‘‘You’ve got to give yourself a little bit of grace when it comes to the workload that I had last year,’’ Gausman said. ‘‘My 13th year, I made it to the World Series. So for 12 years, I had one way of doing the offseason. I’ve been in a lot of postseasons but never made it very far.’’
In his first 12 seasons, Gausman totaled 25⅔ innings in the playoffs. During the Jays’ run to the World Series last season, he totaled 30⅔. In 2024, a non-playoff year, Gausman began his offseason throwing regimen Oct. 28, the same day as Game 3 of the World Series. In 2025, he started Games 2 and 6 of the World Series.
‘‘So I threw for over a year, threw the most pitches in all of baseball, most starts in all of baseball, most innings,’’ Gausman said. ‘‘So with that and less time, it was tricky trying to figure out how I make sure that I’m ready for the start of this season while also giving myself a little bit of a break. I came to the realization that I just wasn’t going to have much of a break.’’
He might be feeling that now. After all, Gausman’s season with the Jays wasn’t rosy, either. He had a 4.38 ERA in 23 starts. Knowing the load he carried last season, the Jays had him build back up slowly in spring training. But, as Gausman said, there’s no manual to help a pitcher prepare for the season after a World Series run.
‘‘It’s hard to tell whether it was last year or just a combination of my whole career,’’ he said.
Cubs manager Craig Counsell said another factor is at play: Gausman is basically a two-pitch pitcher, fastball and splitter.
‘‘It puts a higher premium on his execution,’’ Counsell said. ‘‘The hitter’s got two pitches to think about. He’s paid for his mistakes a little bit more. But when you’re relying on those two pitches, that kind of makes sense.
‘‘The split-finger is also more difficult to throw. But when you get it going, it’s really hard to hit. When it’s not going your way, you’re probably going to throw balls with it. And he’s two pitches, so there’s not another pitch to go to.’’
Which begs the question: How will the Cubs use Gausman in the postseason? They acquired him with his postseason experience in mind, but he might not get a start in the wild-card series. He doesn’t know what his role will be in the playoffs.
‘‘I don’t think anybody knows,’’ Gausman said. ‘‘Nobody knew Chris Bassitt was going to throw [8⅔] innings out of the [Jays’] bullpen in the World Series and only give up one run. It’s going to take every single guy on this staff to do what we want to do, which is go to the World Series.
‘‘It’s all hands on deck. I’ve pitched out of the bullpen in the postseason. If you’ve been starting all year, it’s different. But you’ve just got to go into it with the mentality that it’s going to take everybody, and if you tell them you’re fresh, the phone might ring and it might be you.’’