Cubs shuffle the deck as Lilly goes on disabled list

Posted July 24, 2009 11:00 pm

By Bruce Miles

There's no word on whether the Cubs' medical staff offers 2-for-1 discounts, but left-hander Ted Lilly is going for the double dip.

Lilly went on the disabled list Saturday with an inflamed left shoulder. He'll treat that with rest and therapy. Lilly also will undergo arthroscopic surgery Monday on his left knee, which has been giving him problems.

The Cubs hope Lilly will miss only 4-5 starts, but that might be an optimistic scenario.

"How about that one?" said Cubs manager Lou Piniella. "We get (Ryan) Dempster back on Tuesday for a game and our left-hander goes on the DL today. There's never a positive when a player goes on the DL, but in this case, we can get his knee and shoulder taken care of at once. He'll probably miss 4-5 starts and be ready by sometime middle of August."

When Dempster comes off the disabled list, the Cubs will have a starting rotation of Dempster, Carlos Zambrano, Rich Harden, Randy Wells and Kevin Hart.

Lilly needed two extra days to make his most recent start, last Monday at Philadelphia. He was rocked for 9 runs (7 earned) in 4 innings. The next day, the shoulder didn't feel right.

"Really, when it kind of got my attention was the day after in Philly," he said. "There are times throughout the season where you feel a little something here and there, and it goes way. The day after in Philly, I felt a little unusual. The more I tried to throw, the worse it got in between starts. Yesterday, I went out to try and throw, there was a sharp pain in front of my shoulder."

Lilly, who underwent an MRI arthrogram Friday, has had shoulder issues before. In 2005 while with Toronto, he spent two stints on the DL, once with a problem in the AC joint of the shoulder and another with tendinitis.

He expressed doubt that the knee problem led to the shoulder ailment.

"I would be really surprised if they put that together," he said. "I don't think so, because with the exception of the last start in Philly, I was pitching pretty good. I didn't feel I was compromising my delivery because of my knee."

As far as the rotation goes, Piniella said there was some thought given to starting Jeff Samardzija today and pitching Rich Harden Monday night against Houston.

But the Cubs will go with Harden today, Zambrano on Monday, Dempster on Tuesday, Wells on Wednesday and Hart in Thursday's finale with the Astros.

Piniella said he didn't think the Cubs would trade for a starting pitcher. He also said it's likely Sean Marshall would remain in the bullpen as the lone lefty there.

"I don't think that Jim (GM Hendry) will go in that direction," Piniella said of a trade. "I haven't talked to him about it. I just think we'll go with what we have and hang in there and get healthy and make a run.

"Look, we're in good position. We've just got to maintain our position. That's all we got to do, and continue to win some baseball games. These kids are capable of pitching the same way the veteran is. Wells came in here and has done a really, really nice job. Hopefully, Hart can hold his own for 2 or 3 starts until we get Lilly back."

Lilly was the Cubs' lone all-star. He's 9-7 with a 3.59 ERA.

"One of the most frustrating things is we're right there, and we have a chance to move into the lead in this division," Lilly said. "The frustrating part is knowing I'd like to be a part of that and help us do that, but, unfortunately, I'm going to have to watch for a little while."

Each of the Cubs' four veteran starters has been on the team's disabled list this year. Here's the breakdown of the breakdowns: Carlos Zambrano: Left-hamstring strain, May 4-21 Rich Harden: Mid-back strain, May 22-June 12 Ryan Dempster: Broken right big toe, July 7-present Ted Lilly: Inflamed right shoulder, July 25-present

Article Categories
Baseball Chicago Cubs MLB Other Sports Pro Sports Sports Sports Leagues Sports Types