The Cubs have activated closer Craig Kimbrel from the 10-day injured list, the team announced. Kimbrel is set to pitch for the first time since September 1 (with an IL placement on September 5), after being sidelined with right elbow inflammation.
Reinforcements couldn’t come at a more welcome time for the Cubs, who are locked in a pitched battle with the Cardinals and Brewers for both the NL Central title and an NL wild card berth. Chicago is three games behind St. Louis as the two rivals begin a critical four-game series tonight, and are also set to meet in a three-game series on the final three days of the regular season. The Cubs and Brewers are tied for the second NL wild card spot, and with an increasingly comfortable cushion on other wild card contenders such as the Mets (three games back), Phillies (3.5 games), and Diamondbacks (4.5 games). Chicago and Milwaukee are also both 1.5 games behind the Nationals for the top wild card position.
While missing close to three weeks of this pennant race surely isn’t what Kimbrel had in mind, his injury absence could serve as something of a potential reset on his tenure with the Cubs. Kimbrel’s well-documented free agent sojourn kept him from signing until early June, and the former seven-time All-Star hasn’t shown anything close to that form in Wrigleyville. Over 19 innings this season, Kimbrel has a 5.68 ERA, a number inflated by both walks (5.2 BB/9) and homers (2.8 HR/9, four times’ Kimbrel’s career average).
If Kimbrel can recapture any of his past form, he’ll strengthen a Cubs relief corps that is pitching its best baseball of the season. Cubs relievers have a cumulative 2.35 ERA in September, the best of any team this month.
Not worth the money!
Kimbrel won’t help this year. FIRE MADDON…. hire David Ross.
Only got ten days left to fire Maddon. He’ll be a free agent then and swooped up by someone else very quickly.
Yea, like David Ross is the savior. LOL
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Might as well stick with the guy coming back news——no mention on MLBTR yet (5:08) about Cole Hamels injury. Alec Mills starting tomorrow. Hamels with shoulder fatigue.
Might not even get to Kimbrel.
Why has Maddon fallen out of favor so quickly? He has won every where he’s been. I’m sure he’ll have plenty of suitors if they don’t resign him.
he’s over 60. how many teams are hiring managers entering the age group where you collect SSI?
He really can’t manage pitchers. He almost cost the Cubs the WS by pulling Hendricks. He goes to the bullpen, which for the Cubs, has been hot garbage at times, too often too early.
Not only that but all of this talk about him not being in control of the clubhouse and letting guys be way too nonchalant in their day-to-day seems to be really hurting him
Another bad contract by
Theo…..
You have to tip your cap to the Brewers through all of this. The Cubs have a vastly superior roster in nearly all categories; yet the Brewers are playing like world beaters even with their best player/MVP done for the year! Most teams would have folded after losing Yelich; but the Brewers have used it as a rallying cry and I’m sorry Cards & Cubs fans, the Brewers are who the rest of the fans (outside of Mid-America) are rooting for!
The Brewers are 16-7 in games that Yelich didn’t/hasn’t played in. They were only four games over .500 in games he played. This is a team sport, not an individual sport.
My team won’t be making the playoffs for probably three years at the minimum So I’m cheering for the Brewers for a second year in a row. It does help but they have Mike Moustakas & Lorenzo Cain….But I’d rather cheer for them than most other National League teams anyway.
Vastly superior, only in a cubs fans eyes
I am tired of hearing about all of the whining due to the injuries to the Cubs and Brewers. The team with the best 25 man roster is the team that will win not who has the best nine. The Cardinals lost Ozuna and Yadi for almost 2 months, they lost Hicks for the season, Martinez was injured out of spring training and didn’t return until June and when he did he’s in the bullpen. Alex Reyes injured out for the season. Injuries happen it’s part of the game. The team that can overcome them is usually the team that wins.
Lol so what exactly are the cubs trying to pull with the surprise Rizzo back in the lineup
Probably that they want one of their best players back in the lineup. Don’t worry the cards are holding them off and probably dropping them out of the wildcard race
Rizzo = GOAT leadoff hitter.
I mean, they were talking about him being out for the season so this was obviously some kind of tricked you cardinals play
I think it was a bad move, time will tell. Trying to come back to soon could remove all doubt and definitely end his season
Maddon is soooooo overrated. They are lucky they won 1.
At one point I looked at Maddon and what he was doing with the Rays and put him up there with the best. But now I see it as more of just a good well run front office. He was handed what was supposed to be a dynasty. He won one and of course the city rejoiced but ever since I’ve seen a vastly underperforming Cubs team. Blame Theo if you’d like but just about everyone he brought over that he spent significant draft capital or dollars on had a history of recent success and most with prime years ahead. So all of these guys regress and it’s on Theo? At the end of the day the manager needs to get the most from him players and put them in the best position to succeed
The cubs. God bless them and all that wasted money
The Chicago “Close But No Cigar Cubbie’s”.
It’s deja vu all over again.
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