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After getting eliminated from postseason contention on Wednesday, the Cubs are in full shut down mode to end the regular season. Despite seeing Javier Báez pinch run in Pittsburgh, he won’t be playing in the final four games and neither will Kris Bryant, who suffered a sprained ankle on Sunday.
Anthony Rizzo, who shocked everyone by only missing three games with his ankle sprain, most likely won’t be starting either. And you can probably say the same for Ben Zobrist.
This is Thursday’s lineup against the Pirates.
The Cubs finish the season with three games against the Cardinals and they’re actually fighting to stay ahead of the Brewers, who are now just one game back in the division.
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And that brings us to a few more players the Cubs are shutting down, as Yu Darvish and Kyle Hendricks won’t pitch in St. Louis. However, Cole Hamels, who missed his last start because of shoulder fatigue and hasn’t been healthy since late June, will make one more start for the Cubs this year.
Even when the Cubs finally decide to rest players they still manage to send out a guy who’s probably still injured. Remember, Hamels was dealing with a shoulder issue “for several weeks” but sure, start him on the second to last day of the year.
