The Chicago Cubs keep losing players and winning games.
Hours after putting utility man Matt Shaw and reliever Ethan Roberts on the injured list, the Cubs recorded a 3-2 victory over the visiting San Diego Padres on Monday night for their seventh win in eight games.
Chicago will try to win the three-game series against the Padres on Tuesday night.
The Cubs used the injured list for the sixth time in the last week but again pulled up a pitcher who made an instant contribution. Gavin Hollowell came up from Triple-A Iowa and worked 1 1/3 scoreless, hitless innings to help the patchwork bullpen earn another victory.
Cubs manager Craig Counsell said he hopes Shaw’s 10-day stint on the IL will be all he has to sit out.
“We’re pretty optimistic here,” Counsell said of Shaw, who is sidelined with a hand injury. “We’ve ruled out everything else that could have been longer in terms of worrisome. As soon as we get the inflammation out, we think we can move forward pretty quickly.”
Tuesday night’s game will be a matchup of left-handers as Chicago’s Matthew Boyd (2-1, 5.02 ERA) will start against San Diego’s JP Sears (1-0, 3.18).
Boyd, who like most of the Chicago pitching staff has spent time on the injured list, last worked on Thursday night. He fired 4 2/3 scoreless innings in the Cubs’ 4-3, 10-inning win at the New York Mets, allowing four hits and four walks while striking out four.
Boyd is 1-1 with a 4.11 ERA in three career starts against San Diego.
Sears made his first start this year in the majors on Wednesday night. He gave up two runs on five hits over 5 2/3 innings with five strikeouts in a 5-2 win over the Atlanta Braves. Sears will face Chicago for the first time in his career.
The Padres were busy making moves before Monday night’s game as well, activating second baseman Jake Cronenworth from the seven-day concussion list and calling up reliever Bradgley Rodriguez while putting reliever David Morgan on the injured list.
Cronenworth missed the last two months after reporting symptoms consistent with a head injury after the team returned from Mexico City April 27. After a brief but successful rehab stint last week at Triple-A El Paso, the club decided to return him to the lineup.
Cronenworth was 0-for-3 on Monday, with a sacrifice bunt that preceded San Diego’s first run in the third inning.
“It was tough,” Cronenworth said of sitting out so much time. “There were days when I had good days. I also had some really, really bad days consecutively where I felt I was never getting better. I’d get a glimmer of hope every once in a while and just kept fighting through.”
Cronenworth’s return ultimately did little to spark an offense that again struggled to produce in key spots. San Diego was 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position, stranding nine runners, including the bases loaded in the eighth. Also, Fernando Tatis Jr. was thrown out trying to steal second for the second out of the ninth inning.
–Field Level Media
