The Cubs can survive a thin rotation for a while, but each new pitching problem keeps landing on a staff with less and less room to absorb it.
Cabrera’s blister hits a depleted staff
Chicago placed Edward Cabrera on the 15-day injured list on May 24, retroactive to May 21, with a blister on his right middle finger. Craig Counsell said Cabrera got through a bullpen session but felt the blister more with every pitch he stepped on, enough to keep him from his next start.
On a fuller staff a blister is a minor footnote. On this one, it turned straight into a scheduling problem.
Chicago is arranging weeks at a time
Recalled lefty Jordan Wicks drew the Tuesday start in Pittsburgh, with Jameson Taillon and Colin Rea lined up later in the week. Each time another arm drops out, Chicago rebuilds the shape of the entire week around it.
Cabrera is eligible to return June 5 against the Giants, and Counsell is hoping for close to a minimum stint.
The injury list keeps the pressure on
Cabrera joins a rotation already without Matthew Boyd, recovering from left knee surgery, Cade Horton, out for the season after surgery, and Justin Steele, shut down with a left elbow issue and not expected back before the second half. Cabrera carried a 4.00 ERA with 47 strikeouts in 54 innings before the shutdown.
The arms still standing have wavered too. Shota Imanaga gave up seven runs and three home runs the same afternoon Cabrera went on the IL, his second straight rough start. Every stopgap now has to hold longer than planned.
The rotation is the bigger worry
A lineup can hit its way out of a slump over time. Rotation depth is harder to manufacture. When the Cubs enter a series unsure who covers the middle days, the rest of the staff gets pulled into short rest and bulk-relief patches.
The hope is that Cabrera misses only the minimum. Chicago no longer has the margin for small pitching injuries to stay small.
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