SAN FRANCISCO – Joe Maddon and the Cubs delivered another pants scare in the ninth inning Tuesday night against the Giants.
But, rest assured, the manager said, closer Brandon Morrow is healthy.
Morrow, who spent 10 days on the disabled list last month after injuring his back taking off his pants, was not used in the ninth inning of a 2-0 victory at AT&T Park Tuesday night because he had worked back-to-back games just ahead of the Giants series.
“We came in the first day [Monday] and talked about giving him two days off based on recent usage,” Maddon said after the victory. “So he wasn’t available.”
It was the second time since Morrow’s DL stint that he wasn’t used in a save situation, with no indication before the game that he was being given the day off for workload issues.
“It’s not something you want the opposition to know,” Maddon said.
The Cubs made it clear in December when they signed the veteran pitcher to a two-year deal that they planned to exercise great care and caution with his workload because of a history of injuries throughout his career.
That could change dramatically in the fall if they’re in the playoffs again this year.
“We just don’t want to push him right now,” Maddon said. “He’s done great work. He’s had a little bit of a setback injury-wise [with the DL stint] so why push him right now.”
Morrow has converted 20 of 22 saves with a 1.63 ERA this spring – 20 of 21 and 1.40 until giving up his second home run in two seasons on Sunday.