With the Chicago Cubs' Marcus Stroman landing on the 15-day IL, how concerned should Cubs fans be about one of their key starting pitchers?
One of the Cubs' key rotation pieces for most of this season, Marcus Stroman now finds himself on the 15-day IL with hip inflammation, retroactive to Tuesday. How worried should Cubs fans be about Stroman heading into the stretch drive to the playoffs?
Stroman had been one of Chicago's most consistent and high-performing starters until the end of June when a blister derailed his start in London. The 32-year-old had pitched to a 9-4 record with a 2.28 ERA through 16 starts.
Sadly, he hasn't looked the same since. In the seven outings since June 25, Stroman has a 9.00 ERA, allowing 30 runs in 30 innings.
Fans can take some relief in the fact that his recent problems aren't blister related, as reported by Matt Zahn of CBS Chicago. Although, that raises concerns about the seriousness of his hip issue.
How important is Marcus Stroman to the Cubs' playoff hopes?
After the team decided not to deal Stroman at the trade deadline (or could not get enough value), fans hoped the second-year Cub would be able to turn things around. Instead, he ended up going on the IL with hip inflammation.
The issue doesn't seem severe enough to warrant too much hand-wringing at this time. Plus, there's no knowing whether the "injury" is real or a creatively inventive solution to give Stroman time to work out some mechanical issues and get a mental reset.
Either way, Cubs fans had better hope he figures something out for the push to the postseason. Until that fateful start against the Cardinals in London, Stroman had been an integral part of the Cubs' rotation owning the ninth-best ERA (3.47) in the majors. Since Stroman's struggles began, the rotation's ERA has spiked to 5.27, dropping the Cubbies down to 18th over that time.
Chicago sits three games back in the division and 2.5 for the third Wild Card after their recent 8-2 run. Now that the offense is clicking again, adding a refreshed and effective Stroman back to the rotation will give the Cubs a legitimate shot at a wide-open NL Central.