Terrance Gore and Pedro Strop Make Wild Card Roster, Carl Edwards Jr. Not Among 11 Pitchers

The Cubs have announced their roster for Tuesday’s Wild Card game against the Rockies, and speedster Terrance Gore earned a spot. That’s not really a surprise, given that the single game means going with 14 position players due to a reduced need for additional pitchers.

One such expendable arm is Carl Edwards Jr., who the Cubs say is dealing with some right arm discomfort. That’s not to be confused with the intestinal discomfort he has caused fans over the last month or so. Physical issues or no, Edwards’ performance of late does not lend itself to an appearance in a do-or-die game.

Also missing from the staff is Jose Quintana, who just started Monday’s game and would not be available in relief. Kyle Hendricks, Cole Hamels, and Mike Montgomery are all available out of the ‘pen, though how Joe Maddon might choose to deploy them should it come to that is a real question.

The Rockies’ .342 wOBA and .798 against lefty pitchers are both tops in the NL, so going with the southpaws in a tight game could be tricky. And Hendricks often has issues getting rolling, so he’s perhaps not the best option either. Then you consider the different mindset it takes to enter as a reliever rather than starting, not to mention what it does to the rotation should the Cubs win.

Of course, having to go with your starters in a game like this signals that some pretty bad things are afoot. But with how much the bullpen has been taxed, a little creativity may be in order.

Steve Cishek has pitched in three straight games and Maddon says he’s comfortable with the righty making his 81st appearance against the Rockies. That’s not a scenario anyone wants to see play out, given Cishek’s usage and results over the tail end of the season. Jesse Chavez is another who’s gotten a lot of run and who pitched Monday, but he only needed 16 pitches to record six outs.

Oh, and there’s Pedro Strop! He had told reporters not to talk to him about Tuesday when he spoke last weekend and you always wonder about the readiness of anyone who’s been out for a while, but having him back is a big boost.

Should the Cubs make it out of this game, things will shift a little and we’ll see another two pitchers added. Whether Gore will still be around at that point is going to be one of the biggest questions, since he’s really just a one-dimensional player. But his ability to impact a game with his speed alone makes him an attractive option when it comes to scoring late runs.

See below for the entirety of the Cubs’ Wild Card roster.

PITCHERS (11)

24-Alec Mills, RHP

28-Kyle Hendricks, RHP

29-Jorge De La Rosa, LHP

34-Jon Lester, LHP

35-Cole Hamels, LHP

37-Justin Wilson, LHP

38-Mike Montgomery, LHP

41-Steve Cishek, RHP

43-Jesse Chavez, RHP

46-Pedro Strop, RHP

47-Randy Rosario, LHP

POSITION PLAYERS (14)

1-Terrance Gore, OF

2-Tommy La Stella, INF

3-Daniel Murphy, INF

5-Albert Almora Jr., OF

7-Victor Caratini, C

8-Ian Happ, OF

9-Javier Baez, INF

12-Kyle Schwarber, OF

13-David Bote, INF

17-Kris Bryant, INF

18-Ben Zobrist, INF

22-Jason Heyward, OF

40-Willson Contreras, C

44-Anthony Rizzo, INF