Joe Borowski returned from his minor-league rehab stint Tuesday and threw off a bullpen mound at Wrigley Field for the first time since his shoulder injury in early June.
Does Borowski have a chance at returning this year?
“It’s hard to tell,” pitching coach Larry Rothschild said. “It’s probably not likely.”
Rothschild said Borowski would go on a throwing program for the final month of the regular season to try and build up his arm strength.
“We’ll look to the future, whether it’s next year or late this year,” Rothschild said.
Borowski still is hoping for a miracle but understands he’s a long shot.
“My arm speed is not there and there’s still not a total comfort level on the mound either,” Borowski said. “It’s strange. I guess when you rehab and do stuff to your arm, it’s almost like you’re retraining it to do all the things that just came naturally before.
“It’s close to being extremely comfortable. . . . [The Cubs] will come to me and tell me, `We think you’re ready and you can help us right now.’ I don’t want to get ahead of myself with all those expectations.”
Stitches in time
Ben Grieve received three stitches over his left eye Monday after his face-first collision with the right-field wall. His left shoulder is also sore, and he is likely to sit for a few days, even though right fielder Sammy Sosa remains out of the lineup with a hip injury.
Informed he officially can call himself a Cub because he already suffered an injury, Grieve said: “I got mine over with quick.”
Grieve said it was his glasses that caused the bleeding around his eyes, and he was not sliced by a wayward vine.
Extra innings
Glendon Rusch is on schedule to pitch next Tuesday against Pittsburgh at Wrigley Field, but Rusch pitched 1 1/3 innings Tuesday night in relief of Matt Clement, who left the game with stiffness in his upper back. Rusch’s next start will depend on Clement’s status. The Cubs have to make sure their pitchers are rested for the brutal stretch run, but also have to make sure they get the rust out after the hurricane-forced layoff.
“Right now we have to get people back on the mound,” Rothschild said. “They also are going to have to be rested after the doubleheader Friday, so it’s a little bit of both.”
Georgia Tech second baseman Eric Patterson has yet to attend class and is expected to sign with the Cubs. The eighth-round draft pick is Corey Patterson’s brother. The Cubs also still are negotiating with two-way star Micah Owings, a right-handed pitcher and DH for Georgia Tech. Owings was projected as a second-rounder but fell to the 19th round because of concerns about his signability. Owings reportedly will transfer to Tulane if he’s not signed.
