In the second inning of the Cubs’ 7-3 loss to the Giants on Friday afternoon at Sloan Park, Justin Steele took a line liner off his leg. He then carefully but independently left the field.
It was evident that Cubs fans were frightened. Then Steele dispatched this letter.
Thus, it appeared far worse than it actually is. Naturally, Steele will be uncomfortable for a while, but he should be able to recover in the six days leading up to Opening Day. Otherwise? After the opening, there is a day break. Kyle Hendricks might be able to start for the OD, and Steele should be ready by Saturday, March 30.
I guess it’s better that the ball bounced first than that a line drive struck the knee. In addition, it appeared as though it struck the side of the leg rather than the kneecap directly.
which meant that the Cubs had to change their original plan, which called for Steele to throw 60 or 70 pitches as a tune-up on Opening Day. After Cody Bellinger made a throwing error on the play after Steele’s departure, minor leaguer Jose Romero ended the second scoreless. Perhaps the Cubs should have just kept Romero in the game because, wow, was Hayden Wesneski awful in this one. In the third inning, he faced eight batters, gave up two hits and two walks, hit a batter, and generally gave the impression that he had no idea what he was doing in the field. Craig Counsell stated recently that Wesneski was still being considered for the bullpen. Although this was only one springtime occurrence, all of the others.
Once more, Cam Sanders did a good job of mopping up, but Luke Little was thoroughly beaten in the fifth, including a two-run home drive by Tyler Fitzgerald, who might be included in the Giants’ infield mix after making his MLB debut last season.
There aren’t many Cubs highlights from this game that I can show you. Cole Roederer and Michael Busch each had a single RBI, while a wild pitch allowed a third run to score. It was a terrible game overall, with NINE walks given by Cubs pitchers. I promise, it seemed like more.