Tsuyoshi Wada works wonders for the Iowa Cubs

Tsuyoshi Wada fought through the spring as he struggled to find a good grip on the baseball in the dry Arizona weather.

Wada now has a good grip on the ball and his season.

The lefty delivered another strong outing for the Iowa Cubs, who split a doubleheader with the Omaha Storm Chasers at Principal Park Thursday.

Iowa won Game 1 of the twinbill 1-0 and lost the nightcap 8-6 before an announced crowd of 3,728 fans. Both games were seven innings.

The highlight of the drizzly day was Wada, a soft-throwing southpaw who tossed five scoreless innings for the Cubs in the opener.

“It’s definitely the best season for me since I moved to the United States,” Wada said through a translator.

Wada, a star in the Japanese Pacific League, is in his third season of professional baseball in America. He spent the first two seasons in the minors with the Baltimore Orioles.

But after making just one start in the 2012 season before undergoing Tommy John surgery, Wada struggled to find consistency in 2013 and eventually went looking for work with a new team following the season.

He eventually landed with the Cubs and didn’t appear to put his troubles behind him in spring training when he posted an 8.38 ERA with Chicago. The struggles led to the Cubs releasing Wada, who signed a new deal with them shortly after.

Wada pinpoints some of his troubles from difficulties gripping the baseball. Toward the end of the spring, he made the adjustment. That’s when things really began to click.

“I think it’s helped and has helped me to pitch here,” Wada said.

Wada has never looked better.

The 33-year-old allowed just two hits, walked one and struck out eight. With the win, Wade improved to 4-1 and lowered his ERA to just 0.57.

“He’s pitching outstanding,” Iowa manager Marty Pevey said.

It could be a matter of time before the Chicago Cubs come calling.

“He’s got to continue to throw up zeros,” Pevey said.

Wada said his arm is good and he looks even better.

“It’s not my decision to be called up or not,” Wada said. “But I’m going to be ready whenever the big league team calls me up.”

Wada’s win helped the Cubs extend their season-long winning streak to seven games.

The streak didn’t last long, though, as the Cubs committed three errors and allowed the Storm Chasers to climb out of a four-run deficit in Game 2.

Iowa begins an eight-game trip Friday in Nashville before heading to New Orleans.

“Hopefully we start another one (winning streak),” Iowa catcher Luis Flores said.

via Tsuyoshi Wada works wonders for the Iowa Cubs.