THIS TIME AROUND, ONE RUN ISN’T ENOUGH
Eyeing September return, he’d like to replicate ’17 closing form
PITTSBURGH — One way to look at closer Brandon Morrow’s arm injury and his cautious approach to coming back is that the Cubs budgeted for this when they constructed the roster.
The Cubs added Morrow and Steve Cishek and made a handful of waiver claims and minor-league deals since last season to build a deep bullpen. They’ve carried at least eight pitchers in the pen all season. Then they added Jesse Chavez and Brandon Kintzler at the trade deadline.
So what happens when Morrow returns to the No. 2-ranked bullpen in the National League (3.29 ERA) in a few weeks, as he expects?
“I just hope there’s still a setup job available when I come back,” said Morrow, who might be about to ramp up his rehab workload toward a return in early September after a 25-pitch bullpen session Saturday.
“[Pedro] Strop has been unbelievable. Guys have already stepped up and filled the void. It’s a non-issue at this point. These guys are great.”
The Cubs have answered the question of whether they can survive if their shutdown closer can’t pitch. Strop leads the NL in saves since the All-Star break with eight, and the Cishek-led setup corps continues to rack up holds.
After a short start from walkprone Tyler Chatwood, the relievers handled all but the first two innings in another stout effort Saturday night by Joe Maddon’s best bullpen in his four years in Chicago.
But can Morrow return and have the kind of impact that made him a postseason force for the NLchampion Dodgers last October?
“I hope so,” said the hardthrowing Morrow, whose breakout season of relief for the Dodgers included only one run allowed in seven appearances during the NL playoffs and none in four games against the Cubs.
“Hopefully, we’re still with a little bit of a comfortable lead and able to pick our spots and line up how we want it and get things to full health. Obviously, the longterm goal is to be 100 percent for the playoffs and be able to burn it out again then.”
For now, Morrow has come to terms with the fact that he’ll pitch with low-level “achiness” in the area near his elbow where a stressreaction bone bruise lingers even after the biceps inflammation has disappeared.
“It felt really good mechanically,” Morrow said of his first work from a mound since he last pitched in a game on July 15. “I thought the ball was coming out well. It’s just that little underlying achiness that won’t go away.
“I can pitch with it now. It’s manageable. So if it doesn’t go too far in the wrong direction, it should be OK. I’m not losing strength with the little achy soreness. That’s why I’m optimistic about it. ... I should still be able to throw at full strength with just some achiness in there, which I can handle.”
Morrow expects to throw two or three more bullpen sessions, then at least one simulated game before sneaking in a minor-league rehab inning or two before the minor-league seasons end in early September.
Then he’ll rejoin the Cubs’ bullpen.
And then rediscover his 2017 fall magic at some point down the stretch?
“I want to believe that, but we don’t know that,” said Maddon, who expects to use Morrow cautiously enough the rest of the way — at least until playoff time — that back-to-back appearances are probably out.
“Let’s just get him well, and then get him back out there.’’
And maybe keep leaning just as hard on a supporting cast that looks more and more like a group of leading men every day Morrow has been out?
“While he’s been hurt, other people are developing a different mindset,” Maddon said, “which can be helpful.”
“IT FELT REALLY GOOD MECHANICALLY. I THOUGHT THE BALL WAS COMING OUT WELL. IT’S JUST THAT LITTLE UNDERLYING ACHINESS THAT WON’T GO AWAY.’’
BRANDON MORROW, Cubs closer, on his first work from a mound Saturday since going on the DL on July 19