Pedro Strop said yesterday that he’d be available for today, and then the Cubs put him on the Wild Card Game roster. So, there’s a chance.
And Joe Maddon is making it sound even better than that:
#Cubs plan to deploy Pedro Strop "almost as normal," Joe Maddon says. Strop has been out nearly three weeks with a hamstring strain.
"If he tells me he feels rested and fine, we'll throw him out there at the appropriate moment," Maddon says.
— 670 The Score (@670TheScore) October 2, 2018
*insert obligatory joke about Strop being used as a hitter, ha ha, his hamstring, HA HA HA HA HA SHUT IT*
In all seriousness, I do like the cryptic-ness here. You tell the Rockies that, yes, it may very well be the case that Strop – a devastating righty – will be available like normal tonight. Then, should it come to pass that Maddon and Bud Black are locked in one of those will-they-won’t-they moments of decision about a particular pinch hitter, Black will have to keep in his mind that Strop may come into the game and blow up whatever plans he was laying.
Strop is still only about three weeks out from a moderate hamstring strain. For him to be back on the mound, even if the implicated hammy is his landing leg, is really incredible. Can he *actually* pitch high-leverage, competitive innings? Can he field his position? Will his velocity be there? His command? Will it be in the back of his mind?
I don’t want to be the pessimistic guy, because I’d love nothing more than to watch Strop shock everyone and come into tonight’s game and finish it out with some trademark arm pumps and hat-to-the-lefted-ness. But I have my doubts that, when the time actually comes, Strop will be summoned over other available arms.