Cubs are seeing early success undone by these three things

Cubs (and every other team) can be leveled by the injury bug

Chicago has been without left-hander Jose Quintana the entire season to this point. The veteran left-hander is continuing to work his way back from surgery to repair a damaged nerve in the thumb of his pitching hand. Ross made it clear that Quintana won’t be back this week, but it’s feasible we could see him by the end of the month.

Now, the Cubs are down another starter with Tyler Chatwood hitting the 10-day IL with back issues. That led to the team calling up right-hander Tyson Miller to start Monday night’s game against St. Louis – hardly an ideal situation, but it is what it is,

Given the glaring lack of quality pitching options on-hand, these are obviously the injuries that have worried fans the most. But we’ve seen Bryant battle multiple ailments, Heyward experienced a minor back issue over the weekend and Kyle Schwarber work through knee soreness as well.

On their own, bumps and bruises are to be expected – even in a 60-game season. But when they start piling up, a team like the Cubs could be derailed in a hurry. Staying safe and healthy is critical (especially in a COVID-19 world) – and keeping your best guys on the field will be a key down the stretch.