Sean

Marshall

Marshall won’t rejoin the Cubs’ rotation this week following such a shaky performance. He might be back after one more rehab start.

Marshall is expected to begin a minor league rehab assignment this weekend. He has been out since July 23, so he will likely need at least two rehab starts before the Cubs will bring him back.

Marshall is expected to need one more rehab start after Saturday before being activated from the disabled list.

Marshall surrendered seven hits and walked four, snapping his streak of quality starts at three. With Carlos Marmol pitching well in his starting debut on Sunday, it’s possible that the Cubs could send Marshall back to Triple-A if they ever have both Mark Prior and Kerry Wood healthy at the same time. There’s gotta be at least a one-in-a-million chance, right?

Marshall has turned in three straight quality starts, but he hasn’t had a win in any of them. On the season, he’s 3-4 with a 4.43 ERA. Marshall is due to get the Astros again next time out. He’s a mediocre play in NL-only leagues, in no small part because the Cubs just aren’t giving him any run suppport.

Marshall has allowed eight earned runs and walked nine in 8 2/3 innings on his rehab assignment. It looks like he might not come off the disabled list until rosters expand next month.

Marshall allowed eight earned runs and walked nine over 8 2/3 innings in his previous two starts. Another performance like this one could result in his return to the Cubs’ rotation late next week.

Marshall tossed six scoreless innings Tuesday at Triple-A, so he’s on schedule to pitch again Sunday.

Ouch. Marshall has been great in four of his last six starts, but he’s been bad enough in the other two that he has a 4.86 ERA over that span. Overall, he’s 3-2 with a 5.29 ERA. NL-only leaguers can stick with him for now, but one more bad outing will make him waiver-wire material.

It was a tough assignment for Marshall, but he’s now gone four straight outings without a quality start. Since he’s currently 4-7 with a 5.19 ERA in 16 starts, he shouldn’t be assured of keeping his rotation spot after the break. The Cubs might get Wade Miller back before the end of July and Angel Guzman and Rich Hill also provide alternatives.