NEWSLETTER
Sometimes, without the proper context or any first-hand clarity, quotes from players and managers can be misleading, as they’re interpreted differently from person to person. Indeed, in most cases, even the current mood of the interpreter matters. And guess what? I’m in a bad mood.
I mean, after the way the Cubs weekend went, how it was handled, what it meant in the standings, and what it means for the rest of this week (not to mention that absolutely brutal loss by the Bears), I just can’t say I’m the cheeriest person out there this morning. But to be fair, I also can’t say that even the most optimistic fan among us would take any comfort in the description of Brandon Morrow’s long-awaited Sunday bullpen session.
According to The Chicago Sun Times and Chicago Tribune, injured Cubs closer Brandon Morrow did throw his 25-pitch bullpen session as scheduled yesterday, but it was characterized as lighter than anticipated and more “touch and feel,” than they had hoped. What does that mean exactly? Beats me. But apparently, it’s to be taken as opposed to any serious kind of test for “velocity, stuff, or the health of his arm,” as Gordon Wittenmyer of the Sun Times put it.
So, you know … WONDERFUL.
I suppose the good news here is that Morrow did in fact throw 25 pitches as planned and wasn’t immediately shut down, or anything like that. But hearing that his session was lighter than expected isn’t exactly a good sign, so you’ll forgive me if I’m not itching to get to the update expected sometime today.
“He hasn’t pitched since the All-Star break, primarily because of a bone bruise that developed in his elbow, and a bullpen session Sunday was supposed to be his next big test toward planning a timeline for his return,” per The Chicago Sun Times. Now, however, we’re waiting around for an update that feels almost certain to be bad.
But who knows? Maybe it won’t be. And even if it we do get some bad news later today, that doesn’t mean Morrow’s season is entirely over. At least not yet. We are obviously getting close to the wire, but the Cubs are not actually expected to determine whether he’ll throw again this season until this weekend. Manager Joe Maddon has reportedly all but ruled out Morrow being healthy enough to pitch on consecutive days if/when he returns, but there is still time to see if that’ll happen at all.
So for today, hope that the update is positive (he feels strong after waking up and wants to get one more session in before returning, or something to that effect), but prepare for the worst. There’s a chance the Cubs have to finish this season and enter October without their closer. And that stings. Happy Monday.
