Chicago Cubs right-hander Kevin Gausman left Wednesday night’s start against the Miami Marlins after injuring his left shoulder on a diving tag play in the sixth inning of a 3-2 loss at Wrigley Field.
The 35-year-old veteran was covering third base when first baseman Michael Busch threw to him. Gausman fielded the ball at his feet and lunged to tag out Heriberto Hernandez for the second out of the inning.
He immediately winced as he stood up. Manager Craig Counsell removed him after 5 2/3 innings and 101 pitches. Javier Assad entered in relief.
Gausman allowed two runs on six hits with seven strikeouts and one walk. His only major mistake was a two-run homer by Kyle Stowers earlier in the sixth that put Miami ahead 2-0.
After the game, Counsell described the injury as affecting Gausman’s non-throwing shoulder.
“His left shoulder got extended kind of weird,” Counsell said. “Just grabbed on him a little bit. He’s a little sore right now, but we’ll treat it and see how he is in the next couple of days.”
Gausman said he previously dislocated the same shoulder in high school.
“I dislocated this shoulder in high school, a long time ago. I didn’t necessarily do the exact same thing, but I just kind of banged it good,” he said. “I felt fine until I stood up to check the other runner, and it felt like the left shoulder was pretty weak at that point.”
He added that the shoulder still felt weak afterward.
“It still feels pretty weak, but we’ll see how it feels tomorrow and get some treatment. Hopefully, it’s just a couple-day thing. I hope I wake up and feel great tomorrow. But you never know. I’ll get on some medicine and get some treatment, try to get in front of it tonight. It’s just a wait-and-see type thing,” Gausman said.
On Thursday, Gausman reported the shoulder remained sore and said he was uncertain when he would next be available to pitch. He planned to spend time in the training room working on range of motion, calling the next two days important.
The timing is notable as the Cubs sit one win or one Arizona Diamondbacks loss from clinching a National League Wild Card berth. A possible best-of-three Wild Card Series is scheduled to begin Sept. 29.
Gausman, acquired from the Toronto Blue Jays on Aug. 2, has been viewed as a candidate to start one of the first two postseason games if healthy. He is 4-2 with a 4.83 ERA in nine starts since joining Chicago.
Overall this season he is 9-12 with a 4.51 ERA, 177.2 innings and 184 strikeouts across 32 starts between the two clubs. His strikeout rate sits at 9.3 per nine innings.
The Cubs have used 10 different pitchers for at least eight starts this year because of a string of rotation injuries. Gausman missed four games in late August with a left hand issue shortly after the trade.
Chicago’s final regular season series in Boston is also affected by weather, with a split doubleheader possible Friday. The team will monitor Gausman’s progress over the coming days before deciding on his next assignment.
