Mike Montgomery Left Game Before Throwing Pitch Due to ‘Discomfort in Left Middle Finger’

Mike Montgomery must have been a little overzealous while demonstrating his distaste for the Reds’ treatment of his fellow relievers this past weekend. That would explain his bird-flipper being so banged up that he wasn’t even able to throw a single live pitch after coming on in relief of Cole Hamels in the 5th inning Monday afternoon.

That, or Monty saw what the righty-heavy lineup had done to Hamels to that point in the game and he wanted no part of it. Montgomery signaled to the dugout shortly after beginning his warm-ups, bringing Joe Maddon and head trainer PJ Mainville out to the mound to check on the pitcher’s south paw.

As ESPN’s Jesse Rogers subsequently reported, the issue was not a blister but was vaguely described as “discomfort in his left middle finger.” Not exactly the best thing for any pitcher, particularly one whose curveball and changeup account for nearly half of his total offerings.

Maybe this is just some sort of contusion or general joint stiffness, but it wouldn’t be at all surprising to see Montgomery land back on the IL. Wait, let’s back that up. Given how reluctant the Cubs seem to be when it comes to slapping an actual injury designation on guys, maybe the IL would be a surprise. Except that Montgomery has already spent time there this season and the bullpen has been snakebit.

If only the Cubs had someone they could call up to cover multiple innings of relief while also giving them more of the bat-missing stuff with elite velocity they currently lack. Gee, I wish such a guy was just a phone call away.

Update: Per Mark Gonzales of the Tribune, Montgomery says the swelling in his finger has subsided and he believes he could be ready to pitch as soon as Tuesday. That’s a pretty quick recovery.

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