Thielbar (hamstring) adds to Cubs' injury woes on pitching side

CHICAGO -- An already injury-plagued Cubs pitching staff suffered another tough blow on Thursday afternoon.

Reliever Caleb Thielbar was removed with left hamstring tightness two batters into the ninth inning in an eventual 8-7 walk-off win over the Phillies at Wrigley Field.

"He just felt it tighten up on him when he was out there," manager Craig Counsell said. "Probably have more information on that tomorrow."

The Cubs didn't yet know postgame whether they would need to make a roster move ahead of a six-game West Coast trip that includes series against the Dodgers and Padres.

"We've got to talk about it," Counsell said. "We've certainly got some guys that have been used a lot."

Thielbar was called on to try to nail down the save against the Phillies in the ninth inning, but he gave up a leadoff homer to Adolis García to tie the game at 7. Thielbar moved to a 2-1 count on Trea Turner before Counsell and a member of the athletic staff jogged out to the mound. After a quick conversation, Thielbar headed back to the third-base dugout.

The Cubs ended up pulling out the victory on a 10th inning walk-off hit by Dansby Swanson. Riley Martin relieved Thielbar in the ninth and shut the door on the Phillies before Javier Assad tossed a scoreless top of the 10th.

Chicago already has five relievers on the IL -- closer Daniel Palencia, Phil Maton, Hunter Harvey, Ethan Roberts and Porter Hodge.

"You just got to manage what's in front of you," Counsell said. "I think that's what we're trying to do. That means opportunity for some guys, and a lot of guys have done great with those opportunities. In the end, as we move forward, that's going to be a positive and that's going to be something that helps us as we get healthier. Hopefully, we have more options to go to and some guys that have gotten some really good experiences.

"It's a Major League season. You like to script everything really clean and neat, and it's just not going to happen that way. That's OK. I think our guys have understood that and take what's in front of us and take that challenge, and try to go capture it."

As a result of the other injuries, Thielbar had been elevated into the top high-leverage role in the Cubs’ bullpen -- which meant closing duties at times. He picked up his first save of the season on Saturday and then his second on Tuesday during the team's winning streak.

"At the end of the day, when life throws you lemons, you make lemonade kinda deal," Swanson said after Thursday's win. "And so I think for us, it's just about guys being able to come in, do their job, be exceptional at it, do literally their best and that's gonna be good enough for us.

"There's a reason that we built this thing the way it was built. Just excited to keep going."