CHICAGO – Kevin Gausman removed his glove and inspected his left hand, while Cubs manager Craig Counsell emerged from the dugout and made his way to the mound. It was the second time the veteran starter had to pause due to the issue and Counsell opted against pushing Gausman any further.
In the fifth inning on Tuesday night, Gausman’s outing in a 4-3 walk-off win over the White Sox ended earlier than planned due to cramping in his non-pitching hand. It became noticeable in the fourth inning, when the righty took off his glove and it was clear that he was having a problem trying to fully extend his thumb.
“It was just my thumb,” Gausman said. “I kind of couldn’t even put it in my glove there in the fourth before I got some electrolytes in me. … It’s pretty frustrating, to be honest. First start here as a Cub. Obviously, not what I’m trying to do.”
After that initial break, Gausman remained in the game and finished the frame with a strikeout of Sam Antonacci. One frame later, following an infield hit by Miguel Vargas, the Cubs pitcher again examined his hand, which appeared to be shaking. With his pitch count already up to 86 in the game, Gausman was pulled in favor of righty Javier Assad.
Gausman ended with three runs allowed on seven hits in his third start for the Cubs, who acquired him from the Blue Jays in exchange for a pair of prospects at the Aug. 3 Trade Deadline. He surrendered one run in each of the second, third and fourth innings, including allowing a towering homer to Munetaka Murakami.
Gausman did rack up five strikeouts in his 4 1/3 innings, but it was clear that his left hand was becoming a persistent problem. The righty said he had experienced a similar issue in the past, but never that early in an outing. After the game, Counsell said the pitcher saw improvement with the hand.
“He’s doing well,” Counsell said. “The cramp was on his glove hand, so that’s why I think he was able to keep going. But it didn’t really let up from the time we went out there in the fourth. … He went out there in the fifth and it just didn’t let up. It’s not necessarily affecting your pitches, but it’s a massive cramp in your hand that he couldn’t do any more with.”
Through three turns for the Cubs’ rotation, the 35-year-old Gausman has turned in a 6.19 ERA with 16 strikeouts against four walks in 16 innings. He looked strong in his debut for the North Siders on Aug. 7, when he held the Royals to two runs over seven innings. Gausman then struggled in his next outing – charged with six runs in 4 2/3 frames on the road against the Nationals.
The Cubs picked up Gausman and righty Clay Holmes to add a pair of October-tested veterans to a rotation that already includes Matthew Boyd and Shota Imanaga. Lefty David Peterson, Colin Rea and Assad offer starting reserves currently in the bullpen. Righty Edward Cabrera landed back on the 15-day injured list on Monday due to a blister issue.
Behind Gausman, Assad gave the Cubs three shutout innings, offering the lineup time to even things up and be in position to pull off the walk-off win. Alex Bregman delivered a game-tying RBI single in the seventh and then came through with a walk-off single in the ninth inning, making the collective effort by Assad, Caleb Thielbar and Jacob Webb pay off.
“Javy put the game back in order for us,” Counsell said.
Dating back to May 1, Assad has turned in a 2.24 ERA in 64 1/3 innings for the North Siders. That includes 10 relief appearances, seven starts and five games finished – a run in which the righty has also picked up four wins and two saves.
“I just felt like I couldn’t keep going,” Gausman said. “I kind of couldn’t grab my glove without it locking up on me. But, great win tonight. And Javy came in and pitched his butt off and really kind of saved the day for us.”