Chicago Cubs pitcher (young pitcher, gasp) Andrew Cashner had an MRI yesterday after leaving his first career start in the sixth inning with shoulder tightness. The results are expected today, but, for now, the Cubs don’t seem as terrified as, say, I might be.
“He just felt a little tightness,” Cubs manager Mike Quade said. “We’ll be cautious with everybody, especially early in the season.
“He didn’t have any trouble in camp. This caught us off guard completely. He was honest with us, and hopefully we were able to get him out of there before anything bad happened.”…
“The requirements and the things we’re asking of him are the same,” Quade said. “But we’re not asking for 17, 18 pitches to get three outs and adios. I am glad he was here last year and he’s had the Wrigley Field experience. I’m glad he’s at the back end of this [rotation] and has had a chance to watch his four counterparts first.”
Catcher Koyie Hill said he didn’t notice anything wrong in Cashner’s delivery during Tuesday’s game that might signal a problem.
“I didn’t even realize anything was going on with him,” Hill said. “I noticed the inning before he was doing a really good job separating each pitch, taking his time, really concentrating on his pitch. I remember thinking back a couple pitches, before O’Neal came out there, he was doing something [with his arm] and I didn’t think anything of it.
“I think something had grabbed him in his shoulder, and that was it. It’s kind of a bittersweet ending to what was turning into a real nice start.” cubs.com.
Pfft. Koyie Hill screws the pooch again. Kidding.
With an offday tomorrow, the Cubs will be able to give Cashner an extra day of rest if they’d like. Alternatively, they could call up Casey Coleman for a spot start next week. If Cashner is out for an extended time, that sound you will hear will be Carlos Silva kicking himself for not accepting an assignment to AAA Iowa (it will sound a bit like kids bouncing on a moon walk).