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Well, this is a kick in the pants. Willson Contreras is out for four weeks with a hamstring strain and out of nowhere the Cubs are also placing closer Craig Kimbrel on the injured list. At least it’s not an arm injury.
Kimbrel’s been up and down since making his Cubs debut in late June, but during the entire stretch his fastball velocity hasn’t been what everyone has been used to. He’s hit 97mph on occasion, but Kimbrel’s fastball has mainly sat at 95-96mph.
In 2018, Kimbrel averaged 97.5mph on his fastball. In 12.2 innings with the Cubs this year, it’s down to 96.1mph on average. That’s after averaging at least 98mph from 2014-17.
Not ideal.
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It’s also not great if Kimbrel hasn’t been effective because he’s pitching through an injury. But who knows because Kimbrel looked nasty his last time out.
Kimbrel has 17 strikeouts and eight walks during his 14 appearances with the Cubs, going 9-for-11 in save chances.
Well, it doesn’t sound too serious, as Kimbrel said he felt something during his last appearance on Saturday.
Not bad, I guess?
