Varland threw a scoreless inning out of the bullpen Thursday against the Cubs, striking out a batter and allowing two hits and a walk.
Varland struck out Miles Mastrobuoni, the first batter he saw in his MLB career, before getting himself into and out of a bases-loaded situation in the seventh. The 26-year-old reliever has experience starting in the minors and will likely be used in a multi-inning role out of the bullpen this season.