Cubs catcher Willson Contreras is hitting .258 with five home runs and 14 RBIs in 34 games this season.
Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images
Cubs manager David Ross breathed a little sigh of relief that catcher Willson Contreras’ strained right hamstring isn’t as bad as it could have been. Contreras is day-to-day after taking himself out of the game Saturday in the third inning.
‘‘It’s actually something that’s not too concerning,’’ Ross said. ‘‘We’ll give him a day or two off and see how he feels. I think it was good news from what we expected.’’
Ross gave Contreras, a seven-year veteran, credit for taking himself out after stealing second base. Pinch runner Rafael Ortega scored on a double by Seiya Suzuki two batters later.
‘‘That was smart of him with some of the lower[-body injuries] he’s had,’’ Ross said. ‘‘That’s a veteran move: ‘Hey, something doesn’t feel right.’ [He] let us know and probably saved us there. Double down the line, who knows what would have happened if he tried to score on that?’’
Miley’s speed bump
Left-hander Wade Miley was leading 3-0 with two outs in the sixth inning before Ketel Marte’s 107.5 mph RBI single was followed by a walk and two more singles as the Diamondbacks scored three runs to tie the score.
‘‘I think they made an adjustment in the sixth, and I just didn’t adjust back,’’ Miley said. ‘‘They kind of . . . stayed on the cutter a little bit better. I should have gone sinker at some point and just got a little stubborn and stayed away.’’
Thompson finishes strong
Reliever Keegan Thompson allowed the tiebreaking run in the seventh but overcame the shaky start to retire the Diamondbacks 1-2-3 in the eighth and ninth to earn the victory.
It was a much-needed three-inning outing after Ross used six relievers in a 7-6 loss Saturday.
Higgins’ long road back
With Contreras out, the Cubs called up catcher P.J. Higgins from Triple-A Iowa. Higgins missed the second half of last season after surgery on his right forearm left him inactive for six months.
‘‘It’s been a crazy 12 months, and, honestly, after getting hurt last year, I was happy being able to play baseball,’’ Higgins, 29, said. ‘‘It was my first true injury where it sidelined me for six months and not being able to do anything.’’
Higgins, a career .338 hitter at Triple-A, was hitting .417 (30-for-72) at Iowa.
‘‘I did get contacts this offseason, so I’m able to see the ball,’’ Higgins said. ‘‘That’s definitely a difference. I saw the ball well [before], but I see the ball a lot better with two eyes.’’
The Cubs designated infielder Ildemaro Vargas for assignment to make room on the roster for Higgins.
