Aside from mimes and stealing signs, there is actual cause for some worry in Chicago Cubs camp. A Jake Arrieta tweak is today’s news, and although he just has a blister on a finger on his pitching hand, there could be done lasting concerns.
While its not known how bad the blister is, it was enough for Jake to be pulled early from his last start. There is no panic here as Jake will make his next start, and is on track to make the opening day start. The problem here is Jake was supposed to ramp things up a bit, to get ready to be able to handle those high 90 low 100 pitch counts early in a season.
“It’s really not that bad,” said Arrieta, scheduled to start Opening Day on April 4 against the Angels. “It’s something I need to give a few days, let the skin harden around it, and try to get that thing out of there. Physically, everything’s fine.”
Jake was expecting to throw 80 to 90 pitches Thursday, but was unable to make it out of the first inning. While Jake still has another start this spring, and two other side sessions, this is an unexpected twist that could have ramifications on opening day. If the blister doesn’t heal as expected, and he has another short start, this could be problematic for Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer and Joe Maddon as the create their final regular season roster.
The Cubs might be inclined to bring an extra pitcher north when they break camp, assuming Arrieta might not have stretched his arm out enough due to missing this start. This very well could cause someone like Matt Szczur might not have a roster spot because of it. Luckily the Chicago Cubs are loaded with hybrid starter/relievers in Adam Warren, Trevor Cahill, Clayton Richard, and Travis Wood, and this could of course save one of those spots.
While Jake and manager Joe Maddon are not overly concerned with the blister, this does provoke some questions. While I strongly urge that there should be no panic, and this will be forgotten come October, Arrieta’s next start will have a huge impact on opening day.
