Kevin Gausman’s status remains uncertain following a dramatic defensive collision, forcing manager Craig Counsell to weigh the veteran’s shoulder.
The Chicago Cubs don’t know whether a key starter will be ready for Game 1 of the Wild Card Round.
Kevin Gausman is currently battling some shoulder soreness after getting banged up in his last start on September 23. Gausman threw the ball well in that outing against the Marlins, delivering 5 ⅔ innings of two-run ball with seven strikeouts.
However, Gausman injured his non-throwing shoulder in that start.
It happened later in his outing on Wednesday. He induced a ground ball up the middle that both Dansby Swanson and Nico Hoerner went after. With the shift in place, third baseman Pedro Ramirez then went to cover second base.
But as Swanson threw to first base, the Marlins runner tried advancing to third base. Michael Busch threw the ball to Gausman, who was retreating over to third base to get the lead runner. Gausman dove and extended the tag to get Heriberto Hernandez out at third base.
That’s the moment that Gausman felt something wrong with his shoulder. He left the contest after that play and still felt some shoulder soreness days after making that incredible diving tag.
The good news is that Gausman did throw a bullpen session on Sunday prior to the Cubs’ final regular season game. His shoulder is at least improving enough that he was able to throw just two days before the start of the Wild Card Round.
The bad news is that neither Gausman nor manager Craig Counsell would commit to the veteran right-hander being ready to go for Game 1.
“Yeah, I don’t know,” Gausman told reporters in Tampa about his status for Game 1. “That’s tough. The biggest question mark is how I feel tomorrow. That decision is not up to me as well. The good thing is we have a lot of guys. I’d feel confident with any of these guys starting Game 1 or 2 or any game. That’s a good problem to have.”
Monday marks a big day for Gausman, as how his shoulder recovers from that bullpen session will be telling about whether he can pitch in Game 1. Since he last pitched on Wednesday, he’ll be on five days' rest for this start.
If he can’t go, the Cubs could turn to Matthew Boyd for Game 1. He would be pitching on four days’ rest after last throwing seven innings of one-run baseball against the Marlins on Thursday. His numbers are similar on four days’ rest (3.86 ERA, 1.262 WHIP) and five days’ rest (3.97 ERA, 1.142 WHIP), suggesting the shorter turnaround may not be a major concern. The southpaw could be the answer if Gausman can’t go.
Chicago would obviously love to turn to Gausman to open this three-game series. He has plenty of experience pitching in these kinds of game environments, and the Cubs could then potentially turn to Boyd for Game 2.
All will depend on how Gausman’s shoulder feels on Monday. Right now, it's unclear whether he will be ready for Game 1.
