Brewers' pitcher Nelson injured in Cubs slaughter
Even as the Milwaukee Brewers inched closer to the Cubs in the National League Central this weekend, they received some potentially devastating news.
Pitcher Jimmy Nelson, who won Friday night's game over the Cubs 2-0, will be lost for the rest of the season because of an injury he suffered running the bases.
Nelson jammed his shoulder scrambling awkwardly while trying to get back to first base on a single to the left-field wall in the fifth inning. He managed to pitch the bottom of the fifth, but the Brewers said Saturday he suffered a strained right rotator cuff strain and partial anterior labrum tear. It's not yet known whether Nelson will need surgery.
The right-hander improved to 12-6 with a 3.49 ERA with Friday's victory.
"I think Jimmy is a pretty tough guy, and maybe didn't feel the level of pain or discomfort that a lot of people would feel while going through an injury like this," Brewers general manager David Stearns told the Milwaukee media. "He also had a lot of adrenaline going last night, and that might have masked some of the discomfort that he felt. But clearly, when we got the news this morning, we were all disappointed."
Cubs manager Joe Maddon expressed surprise over the extent of the injury but warned against writing the Brewers off.
"I knew when he dove back into the bag something appeared to be wrong, but then I thought he was just messing around," Maddon said. "Give him credit for pitching the next inning and getting through it. That's not an easy one. That's a tough break for them because he's pretty much at the top of his game right now and watching that improve on an annual basis. They're definitely going to miss him.
"It could galvanize as much as it could be, 'Woe is us.' Sometimes it can be galvanizing, no question. It depends on the replacement, who picks him up and if that guy fits in well."
Russell runs again:
Cubs shortstop Addison Russell ran again early Saturday as he recovers from a right-foot strain and plantar fasciitis.
"I feel great," he said. "It's coming along pretty smoothly. Third day row running, and each day I come in and my foot's feeling better. The workload is packing on, but the foot's feeling a lot better."
Russell has been on the 10-day disabled list since Aug. 3. During a minor-league rehab assignment, he felt a pop in the foot, and that enabled a clean healing to begin.
"Before it popped, I was just kind of like managing," he said. "I was incapable of doing the things I normally do on a regular basis. So I'm actually pretty excited it popped so we can get the muscles recovered fully and go from there."
Catcher Willson Contreras (hamstring) was due back from his rehab at Myrtle Beach. The Cubs will evaluate him again Sunday. There is no timetable for Contreras's return.
This and that:
Kyle Schwarber hit his 25th homer of the season in the eighth inning of Saturdays' 15-2 loss to the Brewers. He also appeared at catcher for the first time since June 13. The Cubs now have two left-handed batters with at least 25 homers in a season for the second time, with Schwarber and Anthony Rizzo (31). George Altman (27) and Billy Williams (25) teamed up to do it in 1961 ... The Cubs have lost three straight home games for the first time since Aug 2-4.