Double Trouble: Wells, and Cashner To The DL

If things were not already bad for Cubs fans with Andrew Cashner being forced to leave his first major league start because of shoulder tightness, today’s news figures to put Cubs in an even worse mood than they were in when they woke up today. Not only will Andrew Cashner be placed on the 15-day disabled list, but he will be joined by fellow starting pitcher Randy Wells as well. Just like that, the injury bug that attacked the Milwaukee Brewers, and St Louis Cardinals has now bitten the Chicago Cubs.

Here is Andrew Cashner’s description of what happened during his final moments of his start…

"“The last two pitches I threw to [Willie] Bloomquist [in the sixth inning] felt a lot more discomfort,” Cashner said on Wednesday. “[Trainer] Mark [O’Neal] came out, and I was honest with him. We went and got it checked out. I have a little rotator cuff strain and we’ll go from there.” ESPN CHICAGO"

After watching the replay of Cashner’s final pitch it was clear that something was wrong, as you could see his right shoulder drop after he let go of the ball. It is encouraging to know that it is only a rotator cuff strain and that there is no structural damage. The Cubs still intend to be very cautious with Cashner, and it is expected that Cashner will remain on the disabled list for about a month or so. The Cubs are taking the right approach with Cashner, as you want to be extremely careful when dealing with a 24-year old starting pitcher. Especially when the Cubs are hoping that he will one day be a front of the line starter in their rotation.

On to Randy Wells going to the disabled list, which seemingly caught everyone off guard when it was announced today. According to Randy Wells, the injury first surfaced during his final start of Spring Training…

"“I was feeling really good in camp. My body was in great shape,” Wells said. “During my last tuneup [in spring training] I felt a little soreness [the forearm]. I came in the next day and told the trainers about it. I got some treatment, did what I had to do. Then I threw my side and felt great.“I also threw my side before my start and felt great. Warming up for the start I felt great. But after the game and toward the middle I felt a little uncomfortable. Afterwards, I came in and the plan was to see how I felt the next day. I came in [Tuesday] and felt a little sore. I went and got it checked out and it turns out to be a little sprain.”Wells said he is not going to rush a return to the rotation.“I’m going to make sure I’m completely healthy and start a throwing program to make sure I’m 120 percent when I go back,” he said."

It is a tad interesting that Wells sustained the injury in Spring Training, and for the most part it went unnoticed. But in all fairness, I’m sure Wells’ soreness in Spring Training could have easily been attributed to a “dead arm” which most pitchers encounter while in Spring Training. Like with Andrew Cashner, the Cubs are going to be really cautious with how they treat Wells. Wells figures to miss about a month before returning to action.

It never is an encouraging sign to see two of your five starting pitchers go to the disabled list, let alone in the same week. But the Cubs are in position where they should not be affected too much by the injuries to Wells and Cashner. Casey Coleman will join the team this weekend in Milwaukee, and he figures to be the fourth starter while Wells is rehabbing. Reliever James Russell is also expected to join the rotation as the fifth starter. The Cubs have the option to be flexible with the fifth spot, as they do not technically need the fifth starter until the last week of April.

By the way, how dumb does Carlos Silva look now? If he would have accepted his assignment to Triple A-Iowa, he would have been the pitcher to replace either Wells or Cashner in the rotation. Instead, he is sitting at home with no teams calling. You know what they say about Karma.

(Courtesy of What70sShow)