Cubs Strike Injury Concern as Key Player Is Held Out

The Chicago Cubs have the top scoring offense in Major League Baseball, averaging 5.77 runs per game, and it doesn’t seem to matter where they are playing. 

With the team’s 6-5 win over the New York Mets on Saturday, the Cubs are averaging 5.73 runs in road games, while they score 5.82 runs per game at Wrigley Field. 

Left fielder Ian Happ said the key to the team’s offensive success has been the balance throughout the batting order. Talking on Tuesday to the Rahimi & Harris Show on 670 The Score, Happ credited the Cubs’ mix of experienced players who have had successful careers with up-and-comers “who are really making strides.” 

“I think the depth of the lineup, just the quality of the at bat 1 through 9, the ability for us to hurt you whether it’s kind of the top three guys doing it that day, or the middle of the lineup, or the guys down in the order,” Happ said. “It’s just everybody stepping up on different days and helping out, and you never feel like it’s on one guy’s shoulders, and that’s what helps you get through 162 [games] and really make it hard on teams day in and day out.” 

Unfortunately, Happ was unable to step up in Saturday’s game due to a potential injury that has sidelined several players this season. 

Cubs Leadoff Batter Ian Happ Listed as Day-to-Day With Oblique Issue

As reported by the Chicago Sun-Times, Happ was held out of the contest against the Mets due to an oblique issue. The 30-year-old reportedly felt some discomfort in the area during his first at bat in Friday’s game and has been listed as day-to-day. 

The Cubs are no stranger to oblique injuries. Starting pitcher Javier Assad was working his way back from what was thought to be a minor strain in his left oblique, but he had a setback in a rehab assignment and was recently moved to the 60-day injured list. 

Mets pitcher Sean Manaea , Mets DH Jesse Winker , Reds third baseman Noelvi Marte and Yankees second baseman Jazz Chisholm are just a handful of MLB players currently sidelined with oblique injuries, with their teams fearing lengthy absences.  

Losing Ian Happ for Significant Time Could Prove Costly for Cubs

Happ has been the Cubs leadoff batter for much of the season, and losing him for a significant amount of time could be a difficult challenge for the team to overcome. Happ has been a key contributor on a Chicago team that is 23-17 overall and leads the NL Central by two games, helping to fuel what he said on Tuesday is a “contagious feeling” in the team’s lineup that runs will be scored. 

“I feel like when you’re in a lineup like that where you know it’s not just on you – the team’s going to get it done regardless,” Happ said. “If you have a six-, seven-pitch at-bat and you don’t get the result that you want, then you know that you’ve done your job to help the next guy. Or you go up there and you’ve seen all these pitches, you’ve given the team a chance to get a look at him. Or you’re in a situation where, ‘Hey, I know that we didn’t score this inning when I got on base, but I know that the next time through, we’re going to get the job done.’ So it’s just this contagious belief that we’re going to score runs and we’re going to do it in a bunch of different ways.” 

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