Chicago Cubs: Jake Arrieta hoping to make his next start, despite injury

Chicago Cubs right-hander Jake Arrieta is hoping to make his next scheduled start, despite leaving Monday’s outing with a right hamstring injury.

The Chicago Cubs’ Labor Day showdown with the Pittsburgh Pirates couldn’t have gone much worse. The team suffered a 12-0 trouncing, as Jake Arrieta left in the third with an apparent right leg injury.

It looked bad. But, initial reports indicate Arrieta expects to make his next start. The injury, at least for now, appears to be cramping.

“Everything looks OK,” Arrieta said. “It’s kind of a foreign feeling. But, yeah, I think it could have been a lot worse. No pop or anything like that, so that’s a good sign.”

An injury to the 2015 National League Cy Young Award winner is the last thing the reigning champs need right now. He’s been arguably the best pitcher in baseball over the last month-plus. In August, he earned NL Pitcher of the Month honors after going 4-1 with a 1.21 ERA in six starts.

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With Chicago just 3 1/2 games up in the National League Central, every game matters. A missed start for Arrieta wouldn’t be a disaster, but given it would come against Milwaukee, it carries a good amount of weight.

It’s also important to keep in mind the team recently employed a six-man rotation, leaving Mike Montgomery in the mix for the time being. So, realistically, a sidelined Arrieta simply leaves the Cubs with a typical five-man staff.

Arrieta, known for his intense workout regiment, told reporters Monday that he felt he’d be alright, but it depends on how he felt Tuesday and into Wednesday.

“We’ll deal with it,” Arrieta said. “We’ll manage it. We’ll get through it. Like I said, I don’t foresee it being a serious deal. But we’ll see how I feel in the morning.”

Chicago just got Jon Lester back from the disabled list. Ideally, the staff is healthy heading into the postseason. Fans took last year’s health for granted. Essentially, the team went the entire year without a major injury outside of Kyle Schwarber.

Next: Arrieta leaves with injury as Pirates rout Cubs, 12-0

For now, it appears as if Jake Arrieta won’t miss much time. An injury could prove painful for the Cubs down the stretch – especially given his recent dominance.