Albert Almora Jr. improved since wall collision, eyes playoff roster

By Gordon Wittenmyer

Almora goes down as Ian Happ goes after the ball Tuesday night.

ST. LOUIS — Outfielder Albert Almora Jr., who has been sidelined since crashing into the wall Tuesday night, still struggled to run and swing the bat in pregame work Thursday.

But he can throw despite a bruised right shoulder, and he said he’s progressing well enough to be optimistic about getting to full strength by the Cubs’ playoff opener Oct. 6.

“I feel a lot better than [Wednesday],” said Almora, who experienced pain in his shoulder, back and neck as a result of the face-first collision. “I’ll be back soon. I’m not worried about it. I’m just upset because I want to be out there.

“It’s nothing major, which is the good thing.”

Resting and testing

The Cubs’ lineup regulars all got the day off Thursday after clinching and celebrating the National League Central title the night before. Most expect to get Friday off, too, before tuning up Saturday and Sunday for the first-round series against the Nationals.

Manager Joe Maddon said he also plans to rest key late-inning bullpen pitchers. He’s looking for just one more appearance each from closer Wade Davis and the setup crew by the end of the weekend.

One reliever to keep an eye on is struggling lefty Justin Wilson. He’ll get as much opportunity as Maddon can find in the final games in an effort to get him pitching well enough to be trusted in the playoffs.

This and that

The Cubs reached 90 victories Thursday for the third consecutive year. The last time they did that was from 1928 to ’30. The only other time: Nine consecutive years from 1904 to ’12.

• Kris Bryant and Kyle Schwarber each need one home run to reach 30. Along with Anthony Rizzo, it would give the Cubs three 30-homer guys for the first time since they had four in 2004: Derrek Lee, Aramis Ramirez, Moises Alou and Sammy Sosa.

• Maddon’s latest T-shirt says “Puerto Rico Fuerte” and is being sold at korkedbaseball.com, with proceeds to benefit hurricane relief on the island.

Follow me on Twitter @GDubCub.

Email: gwittenmyer@suntimes.com