CHICAGO -- The Cubs shuffled their pitching staff Sunday to accommodate the return of hard-throwing starter Edward Cabrera from the injured list. Javier Assad was optioned to Triple-A Iowa, and David Peterson was moved to the bullpen.
The idea is to keep as much depth as possible, while giving Cabrera a chance to find his footing after being shelved since late June with a left hamstring and adductor strain. In his return for the North Siders, Cabrera showed signs of rust and dealt with a blister issue in an 11-4 loss to the rival Cardinals, sending the Cubs to a series loss.
Here are three takeaways from Sunday’s loss:
1. Cabrera’s rough return
While Cabrera looked strong in his two most recent Minor League rehab outings, the righty ran into trouble out of the gates against the Cardinals in his first MLB start since June 23. After the loss, Cabrera’s right middle finger was bandaged and he noted that a blister flared up during the game.
“That’s what really affected me,” Cabrera said via team interpreter Fredy Quevedo Jr. “That final inning, I tried to push through it, but I wasn’t able to.”
Cardinals rookie JJ Wetherholt got things going with an automatic double that bounced into the stands up the left-field line to open the first inning. Two batters later, Alec Burleson launched a 1-1 changeup from Cabrera out to right-center field for a two-run shot -- a blast that traveled a Statcast-projected 421 feet.
Cabrera allowed a run via a pair of two-out hits in the second and then was chased from the game in the fourth. The Cubs starter issued three walks (including one with the bases loaded) in a span of four batters in that frame, leading to his exit after Iván Herrera delivered a sacrifice fly.
“It didn’t go well. And I think the lack of swing and miss, again, is concerning,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “He obviously got some big swing-and-miss in some of his rehab starts. To me, it looks like the separation between the changeup and the fastball right now, the hitter is not showing you that it’s a lot.”
When the smoke cleared on Cabrera’s effort, the righty was charged with seven runs on six hits in 3 2/3 innings. This came after he turned in a 7.55 ERA in the seven starts prior to landing on the IL. Against St. Louis, Cabrera logged 77 pitches and showed good life on his fastballs, averaging north of 97 mph with both the four-seamer and sinker, while topping out at 98.9 mph.
While Cabrera expressed optimism about making his next scheduled start, it is worth noting that the righty landed on the IL when a similar issue arose in late May. Asked if Cabrera would make his next start as planned, the manager replied: “We’re going to have to talk about that.”
2. Swanson’s early exit
A concerning scene for the Cubs arrived in the bottom of the third, when veteran shortstop Dansby Swanson swung and missed at a fastball from Cardinals starter Hunter Dobbins.
Swanson immediately grimaced in pain and threw his helmet to the ground as he jogged out of the batter’s box, following his swing. The shortstop was forced to exit the game due to “left side discomfort,” according to the Cubs. Counsell clarified after the game that it involved Swanson’s oblique, noting that the shortstop would be placed on the IL on Monday.
“It just felt like my left side kind of tightened up on me,” Swanson said. “It obviously was enough where I didn’t feel like I needed to keep going. So, we’ll just kind of see tomorrow once we get a better idea of what’s going on.”
With Swanson set to miss time, the Cubs at least have a built-in defensive contingency plan in Nico Hoerner. The two-time Gold Glove second baseman is a more-than-capable shortstop and took over at the position after Swanson exited. Chicago also has Pedro Ramírez and James Triantos as backups for second base.
3. PCA’s 30-30 pursuit
Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong is only the second player in franchise history to achieve a season with at least 30 homers and 30 steals. He is closing in on becoming the first in Cubs history to do so in consecutive seasons.
In the third inning, Crow-Armstrong ripped a first-pitch fastball from Dobbins out to right-center field with a 110.3 mph exit velocity, per Statcast. It was a two-run blast that came after the center fielder went just 1-for-22 in the period since his previous home run in the third inning on Tuesday against the Nationals.
The home run was the 28th of the season for Crow-Armstrong, who is also sitting on 30 steals this year. Sammy Sosa is the only other player in Cubs history to have a 30-30 campaign, but did not achieve the feat in back-to-back years (1993 and '95). Crow-Armstrong can also become the first National League batter to accomplish a 30-30 tour in consecutive years since 2011-12 (Ryan Braun).