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The Chicago Cubs will have to get by without closer Brandon Morrow for a little while.

The Cubs placed the right-hander on the 10-day disabled list Wednesday because of lower back tightness Josh Bailey Jersey , leaving a short-handed bullpen without its most important piece.

While Morrow went on the DL, Yu Darvish threw a simulated game. Manager Joe Maddon said he looked ”outstanding,” and the Cubs will see how he feels Thursday before announcing the next step as he works his way back from tendinitis in his right triceps.

Morrow – signed by Chicago to a $21 million, two-year contract in December after helping the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Cubs in the NLCS – has 16 saves in 17 chances.

He hurt his back taking his pants off at home early Monday morning, after the team returned from St. Louis. The Cubs put him on the DL before their game against the Dodgers and announced right-hander Justin Hancock will remain with the club after being called up from Triple-A Iowa as the 26th man for Tuesday’s day-night doubleheader.

”Anybody who’s had a back spasm knows you can pretty much get it doing anything – brushing your teeth, sneezing, picking up a kid,” Morrow said. ”I think almost everybody has a story about doing so I just said how I did it.”

Morrow said he’s ”pretty comfortable” walking, but feels it when he sits. He said he would have needed a few more days to be ready to pitch. But the Cubs opted not to hold his spot on the active roster.

”We thought it would be wise to give him a couple of days,” Maddon said. ”We just can’t go with one less pitcher right now. We just cannot.”

The Cubs are also missing relievers Carl Edwards Jr. (right shoulder inflammation) and Brian Duensing Mathew Barzal Jersey , who is on the bereavement list after his grandfather died Saturday.

Maddon said the matchups will dictate who closes with Morrow sidelined. He also said the Cubs are ”very close” to mapping out a plan for the return of Edwards, who has been throwing. He said the Cubs hope to get Duensing back by Friday.

Darvish, meanwhile, said through an interpreter that the simulated game went better than expected. He felt some anxiety before the outing but felt comfortable on the mound and had good command of his fastball and slider, though he needs to work on his curve and splitter.

Darvish also said he thinks he will need only one rehab start before rejoining the rotation. Once he is ready, the Cubs will have some decisions to make.

Mike Montgomery has a 1.21 ERA in five starts since he was inserted into the rotation in Darvish’s absence. And Tyler Chatwood leads the majors with 63 walks.

Darvish is 1-3 with a 4.95 ERA in eight starts, not what the Cubs envisioned when they signed the prized right-hander to a $126 million, six-year contract in February.

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Cleveland Indians manager Terry Francona thought the worst when Carlos Carrasco was struck on the right arm by a line drive.

”From where I was standing I thought it might have hit him in the face so there was a little bit of a sense of relief, but it caught him right kind of on that funny bone,” Francona said after the Indians’ 9-3 loss to the Minnesota Twins on Saturday. ”He was hurting.”

Carrasco grabbed his arm after being hit by Joe Mauer’s leadoff liner in the second inning and went to his knees on the infield grass.

Although the Indians announced Carrasco was diagnosed with a forearm contusion http://www.officialislanders.com/authentic-adidas-nick-leddy-jersey , Francona said the pitcher was struck on the elbow. During his postgame press conference, Francona said Carrasco was still being examined at a hospital. The team was expected to have an update Sunday.

The Twins got four hits from Eddie Rosario in their latest victory over the Indians. Rosario hit his 16th homer for the Twins, who have won five straight against the AL Central leaders to improve to 6-2 against Cleveland this season.

Rosario swung at the first pitch in all four of his hits. He also scored four times, drove in two runs and swiped a base. Rosario is batting .471 with six homers and 11 RBIs against Cleveland this season.

”Everything is going good,” he said. ”I like it. I feel more comfortable playing against the Indians.”

”Four pitches, four hits today,” Minnesota manager Paul Molitor said. ”Right now, he feels like he can hit just about anything.”

Minnesota scored four runs in the first off Carrasco (8-5). Eduardo Escobar and Max Kepler each hit a two-run double in the inning. Logan Morrison had three RBIs, including a two-run double in the sixth.

Matt Magill (2-1) got the win with three scoreless innings in relief of Fernando Romero.

Francisco Lindor and Jose Ramirez homered in the first for Cleveland, which has lost four of five.

Carrasco’s injury forced the Indians to use six relievers Brady Skjei Jersey , including Adam Plutko, who was scheduled to start Sunday’s series finale. Plutko pitched the seventh and eighth.

Outfielder Brandon Guyer, making his first professional pitching appearance, retired the side in order in the ninth on eight pitches.

Carrasco was coming off one of his best starts of the season. He struck out 11 in seven shutout innings against the White Sox on Monday, but he struggled against the Twins. Carrasco threw 37 pitches in the first when he allowed four hits, walked a batter and hit another.

Mauer lined the second pitch of the second to the mound, striking Carrasco directly on the arm. He hopped off the mound and went to the ground before being visited by Francona and a team trainer. Carrasco then walked to the dugout with the trainer and was replaced by Oliver Perez.

”You don’t want to see anybody get hit with a line drive like that,” Molitor said. ”It kind of shakes everyone for a moment, even though you try not to let it.”

The ball that struck Carrasco rolled to first baseman Edwin Encarnacion, who stepped on the bag for the out.

Carrasco was hit in the face by a line drive in 2015 Chris Kreider Jersey , but made his next turn in the rotation. The right-hander broke his right hand after being hit by a line drive late in the 2016 season and missed the playoffs.

Mauer led off the game with a single, his first hit since being activated from the disabled list Friday. Rosario walked and both runners scored on Escobar’s double. Morrison was hit by a pitch. Robbie Grossman’s one-out single loaded the bases and Kepler doubled high off the wall in right, scoring two more runs.

Rosario hit an RBI single in the sixth and a solo homer in the eighth.

YOUR TURN

Guyer was told late in the game that he’d be pitching the ninth. He retired Taylor Motter on a groundout and Ryan LaMarre and Kepler on fly balls.

”I was a pretty good pitcher back in the day,” Guyer said. ”I had elbow surgery when I was 12 that ended the pitching days.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Twins: OF Byron Buxton (toe fracture) will begin a minor league rehab assignment at Triple-A Rochester on Tuesday.

Indians: LHP Andrew Miller (right knee inflammation) has thrown several bullpen sessions, but it hasn’t been decided when he’ll face hitters as part of his rehab process.

UP NEXT

Twins RHP Jake Odorizzi (3-3, 4.19 ERA) will start the series finale. RHP Shane Bieber (0-0, 6.35) will be called up from Triple-A Columbus to start for the Indians.

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