SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Chicago Cubs right-hander Jameson Taillon was placed on the 15-day injured list Wednesday because of a left groin injury that manager Craig Counsell doesn’t believe will keep him down for long.
The move is retroactive to Monday, a day after Taillon exited having thrown just 62 pitches but went five innings for the win against the Angels in Anaheim. He was throwing a bullpen session Wednesday at Oracle Park and only 12-14 pitches in when he didn’t feel quite right, Counsell said.
“It went pretty well but I think we’re in a position where we’re going to be safe here and to skip a start will probably be a good thing,” Counsell said. “I think it’s just smart. He’s got a little something going on an and we don’t want to push it. There’s a little something there that we think will resolve itself in five to seven days.”
Given Taillon’s right calf strain that sidelined him in late June, the Cubs aren’t taking a chance with him. Right-hander Javier Assad was recalled from Triple-A Iowa and he is set to start Saturday at Colorado.
This is the latest blow for what has been a beat-up rotation.
The 33-year-old Taillon is 9-6 with a 4.15 ERA over 19 starts this year spanning 106 1/3 innings.
Chicago also remains hopeful right-hander Michael Soroka will make an impact during the September playoff push with the club chasing Milwaukee in the NL Central. Soroka, acquired from Washington at the trade deadline, made just one start for the Cubs — tossing two innings against the Reds on Aug. 4 — before straining his pitching shoulder. He threw off a mound in San Francisco on Tuesday as he works his way back.
The Cubs have still somehow hung in there.
“Look, we’ve pitched well,” Counsell said. “We’ve pitched very well out of the starting rotation, no question about it. Everybody’s responsible for that. Five guys have taken a pretty equal turn in that, and it’s made us a consistent baseball team.”
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