Curse of Cubs backup catchers claims Lobaton
This run of misfortune isn't quite at the level of Spinal Tap drummers - no one has spontaneously combusted, after all - but fate has not been kind to Cubs backup catchers this season.
The latest mishap was a collision at first base Tuesday that ended the Cubs' 2-1 loss to the Brewers on Tuesday night and sent catcher Jose Lobaton to the injured list with a right shoulder sprain.
It was an odd play, a grounder to first base with Brewers closer Josh Hader running over to cover the bag. Hader got there in plenty of time, but missed the base, stopped and dove to tag it with his glove. But with Hader sprawled on the base path, Lobaton tried to avoid stepping on him and ended up hitting the ground shoulder-first.
To add literal insult to injury, the Brewers celebrated their victory on the field while Lobaton grimaced in pain near first base.
"Lobey's done nothing but be ready. Works his tail off," Cubs manager David Ross told reporters before Wednesday's game. "You see a guy go down like that and then get out there and see the facial expressions and the emotions, it's just tough. It looked like a pretty severe sprain. He was in some real pain. Hopefully, it's a speedy recovery for him."
So Lobaton, 36, went on the 60-day injured list and the Cubs promoted Taylor Gushue from Iowa. He got his feet wet right away, filling in at first base when Patrick Wisdom had to leave the game after another first-base collision.
During the off-season, the Cubs signed Austin Romine to be the backup catcher, replacing Victor Caratini, who went to San Diego in the Yu Darvish trade. But Romine suffered a knee injury in spring training, came back and appeared in six games for the Cubs, before a recurrence of the knee issue sent him to the 60-day disabled list.
When Romine went down, the Cubs turned to Tony Wolters. He played in 14 games, then was designated for assignment. He's playing for Iowa and available to return if the Cubs need him, and they definitely might.
P.J. Higgins was up next and was starting to build a reputation as an excellent pitch-caller. The Cubs went 5-0 in games Higgins started. But he suffered an injury that requires season-ending surgery to repair a flexor tendon, according to cubs.com.
Gushue, 27, made his major league debut Wednesday. A Fort Lauderdale native who played at the University of Florida, Gushue hit .272 at Iowa this season. He was originally a fourth-round pick of the Pirates in 2014.
Twitter: @McGrawDHBulls