Quintana ready for return to Cubs' starting rotation
Jose Quintana is back in the Cubs' rotation. He'll start Tuesday's game at Pittsburgh, manager David Ross announced.
It will be Quintana's first start of the season. His participation was delayed by microsurgery to repair a sliced left thumb, the result of a freak dishwashing accident.
The veteran left-hander finally made his season debut on Aug. 25 in Detroit. After two three-inning appearances out of the bullpen, he went back on the injured list with left lat inflammation. Before this year, Quintana had a run of seven straight seasons with at least 30 starts, between the Cubs and White Sox.
"My arm and my body's really good right now," he said. "I can't wait to be a starter for the first time in 2020. You can imagine how hard I've been working to be back and help my team, especially the last week of the season."
Ross didn't want to commit to a pitch limit in Tuesday's game.
"Obviously I'm not going to overextend him, but I kind of want to give him a little bit of a leash and communicate with him in-game, see how he feels," Ross said.
Cards tell the story:
The Cubs are coming off a three-game series where they scored 2 runs against Minnesota. But manager David Ross remains optimistic things can turn around before the playoffs begin next week.
"I really am relying on the back of a baseball card for a lot of my optimism," Ross said. "I know what kind of players we have, their resumes and what they've done.
"Hitting is kind crazy, especially during this season. But hitting can turn on a dime. You can find one thing in a batting practice, in a game, getting a knock, getting some confidence."
More pitchers needed:
With no off days within in the postseason series this year, it's possible Jose Quintana could be needed to start a game if the Cubs advance a round or two.
"Obviously, we're going to go with the best pitchers for the postseason, but before I comment on that, I'd like to see him pitch in a real game," manager David Ross said.
"It's going to expose the depth everybody has. I feel like our pitching group has done a great job. Pitching and defense has kind of been our thing this year, since our offense hasn't gotten going. But it could be the complete opposite in the postseason."