Ben Casparius has had to learn to keep things fluid. He’d never been through a reliever’s routine until this spring training, but made his first Opening Day roster with the Los Angeles Dodgers as the team’s long man.

Even as right-hander Ben Brown struggled with command from the onset of his start against the Phillies on Wednesday, the Cubs needed him to cover innings. In the Cubs ’ 7-2 loss Wednesday, he at least delivered 5⅔ innings.

We're replacing BBC Sounds outside the UK and bringing you BBC.com, a seamless way to read, watch, and listen - all in one place.