Chicago Cubs turn to veteran Kevin Gausman in must-win Game 2

SAN DIEGO — Six days ago, Kevin Gausman faced uncertainty surrounding whether he would be available to pitch for the Chicago Cubs in the National League wild-card series.

The left shoulder injury Gausman sustained during his final regular-season start last week while making a diving tag at third base did not feel great the next day. The Cubs tried to give the 35-year-old ample time to recover before turning to Gausman for the Game 2 start Wednesday night, facing elimination against the San Diego Padres.

As for how his shoulder feels now, “we’re going to find out,” Gausman said Tuesday after the Cubs’ ugly 8-0 Game 1 loss.

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“It feels all right, good enough to go out there and give it everything I got,” he said. “So that’s what I’m going to do.”

Manager Craig Counsell said a significant factor in Gausman’s availability was that the injury occurred to his non-throwing shoulder and it continued to improve each day.

“Because we’ve gotten ‘I feel better’ for four days, five days in a row, he’s confident he’s going to be able to go out there and deliver a good outing,” Counsell said Wednesday.

This certainly isn’t an ideal setup with the Cubs going into a must-win game and Gausman not 100% healthy. But it’s what they’re working with at this point.

These moments are why the Cubs wanted to acquire the battle-tested veteran at the trade deadline.

“Knowing that experience and what he brings — the toughness, the pitch ability — and being able to have him on our team to help navigate through moments like this is a big part of why he’s here,” shortstop Dansby Swanson said Wednesday. “He’s been so good for us all year in big moments, and I expect nothing different tonight.”

Given the circumstances, if Gausman’s outing isn’t trending well early, Counsell has multiple options he can turn to in an all-hands-on-deck reality with the season on the line.

Those choices might include right-hander Clay Holmes, who pitched out of the bullpen the first seven years of his career until signing with the New York Mets as a starter before the 2025 season, or left-handers David Peterson and Shota Imanaga. High-leverage arms Daniel Palencia and Ryan Zeferjahn also are well-rested.

It all starts with Gausman.

Gausman credited the Cubs training staff for even getting him in this position to pitch Wednesday. He admitted he didn’t know if this would be possible a few days ago.

Although the injury is to his non-throwing shoulder, his left side is an important cog within his delivery, especially with his big 13-inch mitt. Gausman needs his left front side to be strong because of how he grips his glove as leverage to pull himself down to bring his right arm through.

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“The weird thing is I’ve had shoulder injuries before, but it’s always been the right one, so this one’s been a little different,” Gausman said. “Trying to feel out the movements and what I’m maybe going to have to change a little bit out there to be able to do what I want to do. … It’s been a little crazy.”

Gausman has plenty of recent experience pitching in big playoff games. He pitched into at least the sixth inning of all five of his 2025 postseason starts with the Toronto Blue Jays, posting a 3.03 ERA and striking out 26 and walking eight in 29 2/3 innings.

“Try to treat it as a normal game,” Gausman said. “You really can’t when they’re waving towels out there. But try to just stay in the moment and trust yourself and trust the team behind you. Go out there and give it everything.”

Gausman threw a pregame bullpen session Tuesday to test how he felt and believes his left shoulder held up well enough to allow him to make adjustments when he needed to.

“He’s been great ever since I’ve been teammates with him, and just seeing the success he’s had in the past — he’s been in moments like this before,” catcher Carson Kelly said Tuesday. “So we’re going to rely on him and give it our all.”