Edward Cabrera's Wild Night Ends On IL, And The Cubs Pitching Staff Is Officially In A 'Rough Spot'

Man, you gotta feel for some of these guys, even when they're not wearing the green and blue! The news dropped: Cubs right-hander Edward Cabrera is hitting the 15-day injured list. It’s a gut punch for them. He left Chicago’s 9-6 win against the Mets Wednesday with a nasty strain to both his left hamstring AND left adductor. Yikes. That's a double whammy, and Cubs manager Craig Counsell is already sounding alarms about their pitching depth. This is getting real, real fast.

The Play That Got The Out, And The Injury

Picture this: fifth inning, Cubs are up 7-2. Runners on first and second, two outs. Mets guy Jared Young hits a ground ball between first and second. Their second baseman, Nico Hoerner, makes a sliding grab, flings it to first, and Cabrera stretches out. He gets the out, saves the inning. But then he crumbles. Stays on the ground, clutching that left leg. He tried to get up, hobbled, but it was over. Carted right off the field. You hate to see it. Cabrera, through his interpreter, said, "What can I tell you? In that moment, all I was thinking about was, Get that out." That's true dedication.

Playing Through The Pain, All Season Long

And here’s the kicker: this wasn’t even the first time Cabrera got roughed up in that game! Back in the second inning, Young again, hit a comebacker that smacked Cabrera in the groin. Ouch! Counsell and the trainer checked on him, but Cabrera, tough as nails, stayed in. He told himself, "I can’t leave the game this early, so I have to make it as deep into the game as possible." He threw five soli

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d innings, giving up two runs and striking out four after that. That's serious grit. This isn't his first rodeo with injuries this year either. He had a right hand cramp on June 16 and a right middle finger blister on May 21. Still, he’s staying positive, saying, "I’m a believer in God. So I believe everything happens for a reason. So I stay positive. That’s my mindset, and we are going to go from there. I’m a positive person, and I’m a believer." You gotta respect that mindset.

The Pitching Puzzle Gets Rough

But here’s the cold, hard truth: this new injury is putting a HUGE strain on Chicago’s pitching staff. Counsell is concerned about their depth. They already have Jameson Taillon out with a left hamstring strain, Cade Horton recovering from right UCL surgery, and Justin Steele with a left elbow flexor strain. It’s like an infirmary over there! The Cubs picked up Vince Velasquez to fill Cabrera’s spot. Their rotation is looking thin. The only upside? Left-hander Matthew Boyd is expected back for Thursday’s series finale against New York. Counsell summed it up perfectly, saying, "We are in a rough spot. I think we could get through it through the All-Star break. ... It’s going to be a little bit of a puzzle until then." Puzzle is right, coach. So, what's next for the Cubs? They're gonna need every arm they can find, especially with Boyd just returning. That Thursday game against the Mets is gonna be a real test of their patched-together staff. This "rough spot" Counsell is talking about isn't going away overnight. You gotta wonder how long they can piece things together. We’ll be watching to see if they can find some answers on the mound. Go baseball!

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.