Cashner, Wells progressing through rehab

Cubs pitchers Andrew Cashner and Randy Wells took the next steps Friday in their cautious injury rehabs. Both played light sessions of catch from up to 60 feet on the outfield grass.

Cashner has been on the disabled list since April 8 with a strained right rotator cuff. Wells went on the DL the same day with a strained right forearm. Each pitcher threw about 35-40 tosses.

“I threw the ball well, and everything feels good, no pain,” Cashner said. “I was excited for today. I got to throw the ball and be a part of the team again.”

Because of the nature of the injuries, Wells is probably ahead of Cashner in terms of when each will return to the rotation, although the Cubs don’t have a timetable for either.

“I’ve never been hurt before, so I’ve just got to take my time and try not to rush anything,” Wells said.

The Cubs are trying to hold things together in the fourth and fifth spots of the rotation with Casey Coleman and James Russell. Coleman was hit for 6 runs in 2 innings Friday, and Russell has been ineffective in 2 starts.

Cubs manager Mike Quade said he had “no idea” who would pitch next Tuesday when Russell’s turn rolls around again. It seems Quade would like the Cubs to dip into the minor leagues but that he wouldn’t rule Russell out.

“Not completely,” he said. “If we have another option, if we have somebody that’s ready, I would like to explore that. Everything’s on the table.”

Innings eater: The numbers didn#146;t look pretty, but reliever Jeff Stevens helped save the Cubs bullpen Friday in their 12-2 loss to the Dodgers. Coming on in the third inning, Stevens worked 3 innings, throwing 89 pitches and walking six. It was a career high innings for Stevens, who became the first Cubs reliever to throw at least that many pitches since Angel Guzman tossed 96 in 5 innings in 2006. #147;What a job by Jeff Stevens,#148; Mike Quade said. #147;Are you kidding me? We#146;ll see how the rest of this series goes, but those innings he gave us were incredible.#148;