Cubs lose Dempster to freak injury
The Chicago Cubs have a history of some freak injuries – Sammy Sosa straining a muscle while sneezing, for example – and the seemingly cursed Cubs now have to deal with one that could hamper their playoff hopes.
Pitcher Ryan Dempster broke his toe as he attempted to jump over the dugout fence and celebrate with his teammates following Sunday’s win over the Brewers. He will miss up to a month of action.
“I was coming out of the dugout and stepping over the top of the railing there. I was sitting up on the ledge, and I caught my left foot on the rail as I was coming over. It just spun me around and slammed me into the ground,” Dempster said. “When I did it, I thought I just ripped my nail back on my foot.”
Dempster had X-rays taken of the toe Tuesday and discovered he had a non-displaced fracture. He said he thought he would only miss three starts, but the team trainer said it will probably be 6-7 starts.
Dempster will be wearing a boot, which will allow him to continue to throw and keep up his arm strength.
Cubs first baseman Derrek Lee was laughing when he saw Dempster’s awkward fall.
“I’m sure it looked hysterical from his angle,” Dempster said. “The unfortunate part is my foot, because of the way it hit, came down straight into the ground.”
Dempster had been scheduled to pitch Tuesday night against Atlanta, but Carlos Zambrano got the start instead, with the Cubs losing.
The Cubs recalled right-hander Kevin Hart from Triple-A Iowa, one day after he’d been optioned back to the minors, and plan to put him in the rotation. He started Wednesday against the Braves.
Dempster is 5-5 with a 4.09 ERA in 17 starts for the Cubs this season. He made the switch back to starter last season after being the Cubs’ closer for three years. He went 17-6 with a 2.96 ERA in 33 starts and was picked for the All-Star team in 2008.
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