Cubs put Alzolay on injured list with hamstring strain
The Cubs placed pitcher Adbert Alzolay on the injured list Saturday with a mild left hamstring strain and recalled right-hander Trevor Megill.
Alzolay left Friday's game in Miami in the second inning. The Cubs actually had a 4-1 lead heading into the bottom of the second, then Alzolay gave up a grand slam to Bryan De La Cruz. He faced two more batters before calling the trainer out to the mound.
"When I was facing the second hitter, I just started feeling something down there in the back of my knee," Alzolay said on a Zoom call from Miami. "I tried to shake it off or whatever, but to reach my pitches, I just couldn't lock my knee going forward. That's why I started just pushing everything up.
"(Catcher) Robinson (Chirinos) did notice because the slider, it just wasn't spinning, it wasn't like having any bite. The last two pitches are when I felt like something wasn't right on my legs, so that's why I called the trainer."
That was the start of another miserable night for the Cubs. Dan Winkler came in cold from the bullpen and didn't retire anyone. The Marlins scored 11 runs in the second inning on the way to a 14-10 win.
"It's really tough. It's also painful to watch," Chirinos said after the game. "That guy (Alzolay) is so competitive, he wants to give his team a chance to win a game. You can see the pain through his eyes and how he feels when he came out of that game.
"I know this whole team is battling. It's been really hard the last couple weeks, but we're doing everything we can to put everything together and win. Hopefully we can turn things around and start winning games."
Since the Cubs released veteran pitcher Jake Arrieta on Thursday, they've given up 17 runs to Milwaukee, 14 to Miami and now Alzolay is on the injured list.
The plan to go to a six-man rotation the rest of the way will likely be scrapped temporarily and look for Keegan Thompson to take Alzolay's spot in the rotation.
There's been some talk about being conservative with Alzolay's workload, since this is his first 162-game season and he had just six major-league starts before this year. But he said the plan is to get back on the mound as soon as he can.
"Of course, we're planning to finish the last month of pitching," Alzolay said. "That's why we're going to take this injury day by day, so hopefully I can be back after the 10 days."
Friday's result dropped Alzolay's record to 4-13 with a 5.16 ERA.
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