By Jordan Long
The Chicago Cubs sit on top of the National League Central Division at 69-50, 3 games ahead of the Milwaukee Brewers. The Cubs are hoping to have pitcher Yu Darvish back in time for the postseason run. He has been out since May 20th because of right triceps tendinitis.
Darvish agreed to a 6-year, $126 million deal with the Cubs in the offseason. The Cubs were hoping he would be the 3rd starter behind Jon Lester and Kyle Hendricks. He would also be a boost to this team since he went to the World Series last year with the Dodgers.
Darvish hasn’t lived up to his contract to this point. Before the injury, he started 8 games and was an unimpressive 1-3 with a 4.95 ERA. Darvish was leaving the ball in the middle of the strike zone. Hitters keyed on those pitches for home runs giving up 7. He was also having trouble not allowing traffic on the base paths with 21 walks.
Darvish may start his minor-league rehab on Sunday. This is after he tossed 55 pitches in a simulated game on Tuesday. If he is able to make that start, then it is possible he will pitch August 24 and 29th. Darvish might be back with the Chicago Cubs on September 3rd through the 5th when they face the Milwaukee Brewers on the road.
Of course this is all dependent on if Darvish is 100% healthy. The Cubs are expecting Darvish to help this team win in the postseason, increasing their chances of advancing. Darvish is 2-4 in the playoffs with a 5.81 ERA.
If he can’t pitch, the Cubs still have a decent rotation after Lester and Hendricks. Cole Hamels was brought in by a trade and has pitched in the playoffs with a 7-6 record with a 3.48 ERA. Jose Quintana is the Cubs’ 4th starter and only pitched last year in the playoffs. His record is 0-1 with a 5.40 ERA.
The Cubs are in excellent shape to win the NL Central without Darvish. Hopefully Darvish can be part of this team and help them advance to the World Series.
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