CHICAGO – Cubs starter Kevin Gausman called the diving tag he made on Miami’s Heriberto Hernández in the sixth inning on Wednesday night the best defensive play he has made in his career.
“By far,” Gausman said on Thursday morning. “Not even close.”
Unfortunately, that play in the Cubs’ 3-2 loss to the Marlins came at a cost. Gausman was forced to exit with left shoulder soreness, which led to a rough night of sleep and lingered into Thursday morning for the right-hander. Gausman called the next few days “important” in terms of gauging his availability for a potential Wild Card Series next week.
It is a day-to-day situation that adds yet another wrinkle to a complicated schedule for the Cubs over the coming days. Chicago is set to fly to Boston after Thursday’s game at Wrigley Field for a doubleheader against the Red Sox on Friday at Fenway Park. Sunday’s game was moved up due to a major storm expected to hit the region this weekend.
As things stand, there is also a game on the schedule for Saturday, but Major League Baseball, along with the Red Sox and Cubs, will keep an eye on the forecast in case a contingency plan is required. If Saturday’s game goes on as planned, lefty Shota Imanaga may need to make an appearance on short rest (he started on Tuesday against Miami).
“Obviously, it’s kind of a weird schedule right now,” Gausman said. “Not necessarily ideal, but it is what it is. We’ve got to go out there and do what we’ve got to do. Doubleheader on Friday and then kind of see after that. But I’m confident in any one of those guys pitching any game in the postseason, so that’s always good when you feel like you have multiple options.”
As things currently stand, especially with Gausman’s status unclear right now, things point to Matthew Boyd (starting Thursday) being the probable starter for a possible Game 1 in a National League Wild Card Series on Tuesday. Clay Holmes and David Peterson could be options for Game 2.
First things first: the Cubs are still trying to clinch their spot in the playoffs. That said, Gausman would, theoretically, be an option for Game 1 or Game 2, if he was able to recover enough in the coming days to be deemed available. The veteran right-hander was not willing to make any predictions about his availability just yet.
“I don’t know. I’m not going to make that judgment now,” Gausman said. “But I’ll do everything I can to be ready for whenever I’m asked to be ready. I can guarantee that.”
While the injury impacts his non-throwing shoulder, Gausman said having strength in that arm is crucial for his delivery.
“For me, specifically, I try to keep my front side as strong as I possibly can,” he explained. “I really try to grip the crap out of my glove and kind of use that as leverage to kind of pull myself down and bring my other arm through.”
Gausman will receive treatment over the next few days, while the Cubs’ staff assesses his progress.
“We’ve just got to go day by day with this thing,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “He’s a starter, so he’s got time off here. And we’ll see how it responds. If we get to the weekend and we’ve got an issue, then we’ll have to address that. But right now, he’s got some days to feel better.”
Bregman continues to check boxes
In his comeback bid from multiple facial fractures in his left cheek, Alex Bregman headed to left field prior to Thursday’s game against the Marlins and went through some running drills. That step came after the third baseman began hitting off the high-velocity Trajekt machine on Wednesday.
So far, the Cubs have not ruled out Bregman returning before the end of the regular season, following the foul ball that struck his face as he waited on-deck on Sunday in Cincinnati. Counsell has continued to stress, however, that the third baseman has to keep checking boxes to see how he feels through a variety of activities.
“He needs to get the swelling down still,” Counsell said. “I think that’s going to help him feel better. I think some of the pain has set in a little bit, honestly, which makes sense. But he’s feeling good in terms of the hitting part. That went well. He’s happy with how that went. So, we’ll just do a little more.”
Steele status in limbo
Lefty Justin Steele threw off a mound on Wednesday and continues to be in wait-and-see mode for the Cubs when it comes to a comeback this season. The left-hander has not pitched in the Majors since April of last season due to elbow surgery, but recently finished an encouraging rehab stint with Triple-A Iowa.
Counsell called Steele “an option” for the series against the Red Sox, but there are multiple factors the Cubs have to consider.
“The doubleheader is a real thing,” Counsell said. “We’ve just got to make sure we’ve got innings covered. … And then, you have to make roster moves. So, that’s kind of what we’re just considering – not just for Justin, but for anybody else. And right now, we’re not going to make a move. He’s available, but there’s no move.”