Cubs turn to Chatwood in series finale vs. Giants (May 26, 2018)
CHICAGO -- Yu Darvish's first season with the Chicago Cubs hasn't exactly been a smashing success.
In addition to finding a rhythm on the mound after signing a $126 million contract in the offseason, Darvish has struggled to remain healthy. Now, a day before he was scheduled to pitch in Sunday's prime-time series finale against the San Francisco Giants, Darvish instead found his way onto the 10-day disabled list for the second time this season.
Darvish (1-3, 4.95 ERA) will be sidelined with right triceps tendinitis after he made his first trip to the disabled list earlier this month with flu-like symptoms. He was coming off his first victory of the year.
Tyler Chatwood, who was scheduled to pitch Monday in Pittsburgh against the Pirates, will instead pitch in Darvish's place.
The Chicago Tribune cited a source who said Darvish's injury is expected to be minor, but it's another setback for a pitcher the Cubs have been forced to be patient with this season.
"It's a process," Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein told reporters Friday. "He hasn't gotten to a point where he's at the at the top of his game and feeling great and feeling comfortable with everything. But I think he's on the road to getting there."
The Cubs also recalled left-hander Randy Rosario from Triple-A Iowa. Rosario has made 12 relief appearances for Iowa with a 0.47 ERA.
In another move, the Cubs recalled Chris Gimenez from Triple A and optioned Victor Caratini, who manager Joe Maddon said needed to play more than he was getting the opportunity to at the big-league level.
"Not playing Caratini enough really bums me out," Maddon told reporters Saturday. It's all about Caratini's development."
Chatwood (3-4, 3.74) is coming off his first loss since April 17 when he allowed four runs in 2 2/3 innings against the Cleveland Indians. Chatwood is 7-4 in 17 games (16 starts) against the Giants with a 2.84 ERA.
The Giants snapped a three-game losing streak with a 5-4 victory over the Cubs on Saturday. After struggling to score runs of late, the Giants scored as many runs as they had in their previous three games. The Giants also improved to 23-4 this season in games when they scored at least four runs.
San Francisco will look to capture the series Sunday night when Ty Blach (3-4, 4.37 ERA) takes the ball in search of his first victory since May 5. Blach allowed four runs over 4 1/3 innings in his last start against the Colorado Rockies. Blach is 2-0 in a pair of two career starts against the Cubs with a 3.21 ERA.
The Giants played Saturday without catcher Buster Posey, who was kept out with right hip soreness. Manager Bruce Bochy told reporters that the injury isn't serious and that Posey is day-to-day, but that he is questionable to play Sunday.
"We're at a point we need to give him a break for a day," Bochy told reporters, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. "It's been lingering here the last few days. It's time to give him a day here."
