The Cubs’ offense clicked in today’s home opener, but there’s still some cause for concern. Left-hander Jon Lester exited the game in the third inning due to tightness in his left hamstring, per Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times. Lester had singled and scored in the prior frame, and Wittenmyer notes that the southpaw was slow to get up after sliding safely into home plate. More will be known after an MRI tomorrow, as Wittenmyer tweets. While Lester says he’s optimistic and isn’t even counting out making his next scheduled start, it seems safe to assume he’ll miss at least one outing. If that comes to pass, the Cubs would likely have to turn to righty Tyler Chatwood to make a start, given that Mike Montgomery is currently on the injured list due to a lat strain.
Here’s more from the NL …
- Clayton Kershaw will make what is expected to be his final rehab start tomorrow for the Dodgers’ Double-A affiliate, tweets Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register. If Kershaw is indeed ready to be activated after that outing, he’ll step back into the rotation in place of fellow southpaw Julio Urias, Pedro Moura of The Athletic tweeted last night. Los Angeles hasn’t exactly felt Kershaw’s absence in the win-loss column, as they’re sitting at 8-2 on the season, but he’ll nevertheless be a boon to an already dangerous roster that sports baseball’s best run differential (+36). Urias has shown a velocity uptick to open the new season, but the Dodgers will be happy to take things slow given that he only returned from injury in time to record 15 2/3 total innings last year.
- Rockies left fielder David Dahl exited last night’s game early due to an abdominal injury sustained on a swing, writes MLB.com’s Thomas Harding. While the outfielder himself doesn’t believe he’ll need to miss an extended period of time, manager Bud Black offered a more cautious outlook, simply stating that the Rox have their “fingers crossed” and are hoping for a slight tweak as opposed to something like an oblique strain that would require a trip to the injured list. Dahl has been brilliant to start the 2019 season for the otherwise offensively challenged ballclub, raking at a .343/.385/.629 clip and getting a look as the team’s cleanup hitter. Should he require an IL stint, Raimel Tapia would figure to fill in during his absence.
Aw that’s too bad about Lester. Isn’t he the only starter that’s any good?
Low quality trolling, even relative to you.
There’s 3 or 4 White Sox fan hooligans who consistently troll Cubs articles, and of course most are so pathetic it’s just sad.
@bocephus
Themed is actually a Cardinals fanatic.
Lester and Brach have been the only bright spots on the Cubs staff. Lester (2.57) and Brach (1.50) are the only pitcher’s with an ERA under 4. Only Kintzler (4.76) is the other pitcher under 5……
No, he’s not the only good starter.
He’s the only good pitcher.
Chatwood is the new version of Epstein’s Matt Clement signing. He sees 1 possible upside and just throws away a pile of cash at it, just like with Clement.
Have said before. Great guy for building a farm system and trades, but awful at FA signs. Needs someone else to have anything else in charge of them, they are nearly all busts.
Theo didn’t sign Clement. What are you talking about?
Check yourself.. Clement was one of his early FA signs.. December 2004.
Theo broke the two biggest curses in all of sports .
Anybody could have broken the Chicago “curse” with what the new ownership allowed him to do. Purposefully tank to collect high draft choices and an open checkbook for international amateur signings. The difference between him and another GM is instead of sending Torres out for Chapman a top 5 GM would have let Schwarber go for Andrew Miller. If he still had Torres available to trade the Cubs would be putting Sale out every 5th day instead of Q. Anyone that says Epstein is a top 5 GM only has to look at the Astros for proof that he isn’t. They had very similar rebuilds yet the Astros are still a championship caliber team. Luhnow’s big mistake was whiffing on Bryant but he landed Bregman who might be a bit better.
Trading Torres for Chapman was worth it to end the curse. Sure, he overpaid, but that deal won him a flag, and flags fly forever. On the other hand, why would the Yankees want Schwarber for Miller?
Yes anyone can win World Series. Dodgers and Yankees are doing it every year ??? Andrew Miller ? Wasn’t he the one who gave up a bomb to David Ross in game 7 of World Series? Andrew Miller who is stinking it up for cards? So if Theo Epstein says he is leaving Cubs nobody will sign him? If Yankees said Torres or nothing to break curse he had to do it .
Preach man. These idiots still won’t accept other possibilities with the cubs roster because they don’t have the vision. They’re hopelessly brainwashed by the koolaid.
BS, Jankeedynasty. Three months of a closer is not worth a potential ROY and future All-Star player. Had the chubbies paid Chapman to keep him in a five year deal, then it would have been worth it. They’re roster and minor league system is a mess because of the Theo’s inability to get value in trades and free agent signings.
Torres and Jiménez couldn’t help the cubs in 2016. Cubs were playing for the moment . Like dodgers who trade for machado and Darvish and still don’t win. If you aren’t a cub fan you will never understand . Only one team wins it every year. Look at Indians everyone thought they would be back in 2017. Astros last year . Look at Red Sox slow start this year.
The Yankees actually asked for Schwarber in return for Miller back in 2016.
Epstein signed Clement in Boston in 2005.
Matt Clement! Haven’t heard that name in a while. What a complete bust of a signing! Thanks for the memory
Ryu just left the game in the 3rd. Guessing Julio is going to stay in the rotation for the near future.
David Dahl is the new Tulo in Denver. He is an immense talent made of glass.
I don’t know why I am surprised by the Rox slow start. They lost Ottavino, CarGo, Parra, and LeMahieu and replaced all four with Daniel Murphy and minor leaguers. And now Murphy is out. I have a bad feeling that the Arenado extension is going to work out a lot like the Joe Mauer extension with the Twins.
I’d honestly rather keep a guy who might be headed to Cooperstown, then to let him go and “hope” to be competitive. Honestly hoping cubs give Bryant a blank check and re-Up Rizzo and Baez, and schwarber. Everyone else can be let go. Since they won the title, I don’t want to see them in another team’s uniform.
I agree with what you said and I am still thrilled Arenado is staying. Even though I love it, I still have a nagging feeling the deal is not going to be a successful one. I will still cheer on the Rockies whether they are winning 100 games or 60 games or anything in between. And like you, I am much happier cheering on players I know wearing the laundry I like versus players I don’t know wearing the laundry I like.
Interesting, hadn’t thought of it that way – and you’re right! The slow start DID surprise me, too. This was one year I was completely confident they’d win the division. They fooled me, but I don’t know how. This is going to be painful… last place – I’ve seen this picture before. Maybe moving Blackmon to RF, Desmond / Hampson to CF was a mistake. The new CF’s can’t seem to get to any distant balls near the walls and Blackmon looks confused in RF. Need a gazelle in CF, and why can’t they hit or pitch, suddenly? Murphy needs to be with the team, they are completely clueless at the plate without him. Let’s see what Magadan can do for them.
Urias’s 3 2/3, 4bb, 3er start was solid?
Fair … lazy writing. I’ll edit the post.
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