Chicago Cubs News: Russell lifts Cubs past Giants; Update on Strop

Last night, the Chicago Cubs were unable to go yard but managed to rally past the visiting San Francisco Giants. Thanks to their bullpen who was lights out after Mike Montgomery‘s exit.

Alright, we are all aware of how shaky this bullpen has been over the past decade, however, things are looking brighter. Especially for this Chicago Cubs’ arsenal that is a mix of young arms and veteran’s, which is great.

Aside from the bullpen, shortstop Addison Russell, and Kris Bryant helped their club in the batter’s box. Bryant recorded a single in the first inning while Russell came through with the go-ahead two-run single in the seventh.

There is no doubt, that both men will receive a handful of votes when it comes to N.L. MVP honors. Well, Bryant may end up winning but Addison is making a strong case for himself and continues to grow.

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Honestly, that is the scariest thing about this whole scenario. Just wait until Kyle Schwarber is back in the lineup next season. Schwarber has a chance to come back from an injury, like Russell, and put up huge numbers, like Russell.

During the month of August, Russell hit seven home runs, 23 RBI, three doubles, and scored 14 times while slashing an impressive .318/.511/.829. In fact, those seven home runs and 23 RBI just so happen to be a career-high for a single month.

Plenty of time to improve those stats, surely.

This club is talented, obviously. Which means multiple players are more than capable of emerging as MVP’s at the end of every season, throughout their baseball careers. But for now, let’s go back to the bullpen.

Minor Setback

As we all know, right-hander Pedro Strop suffered a torn meniscus in his left knee, resulting in him needing surgery. An injury that would sideline him from anywhere between 4-to-6 weeks until he suffered a setback according to the Chicago Tribune.

If you haven’t heard, Strop injured his groin while working out. An injury that was revealed to be a slight strain in his right groin. Not the most comfortable thing to have to deal with after suffering a knee injury.

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Strop will return to the Cubs near the end of the month. Until then, there is absolutely nothing to worry about, especially if Carl Edwards Jr. continues to shine on the mound.

For the first time in his young career, Edwards recorded a save. Aroldis Chapman was unavailable following a long ninth inning against the Pirates on Wednesday. So it was time for the young right-hander to shine and that’s exactly what he did.