Levine: Trevor Cahill's Strong Outing Gives Cubs Options With John Lackey

By Bruce Levine--

CHICAGO (CBS) -- After throwing five shutout innings Tuesday afternoon in a 4-0 win against the Brewers, right-hander Trevor Cahill has given the Cubs some viable options in their rotation.

As right-hander John Lackey is still experiencing soreness in his throwing shoulder, Chicago could put Lackey on the disabled list and insert Cahill in the starting mix on a temporary basis.

"He gave us something to talk about," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said of Cahill. "We will discuss that. We must have an answer by tomorrow."

Maddon was alluding to the fact that the Cubs must make a move to clear the 26th man off of the roster by Wednesday after Tuesday's doubleheader allowed them to carry an extra man. Cahill is out of options, so the Cubs would have to expose him to waivers before sending him to the minor leagues.

Cahill wouldn't make it through the waiver process. So that leaves Maddon and company the choice of putting Lackey on the disabled list or sending someone with options back to Triple-A.

"There is no clarity there yet," Maddon said of the Lackey decision. "He still felt a little sore today. So we are still talking about it. We have not completed anything yet. We are absolutely looking at different situations. We have not decided on anything. Those are different things in our purview  (cause of concerns) right now."

Lackey taking time off may make sense to everyone but the super-competitive pitcher himself. Still, the Cubs admit there's still some soreness for Lackey, so it opens up the chance to rest him. Lackey is fourth in the National League with 158 1/3 innings pitched.

Cahill scattered two hits and two walks across five scoreless innings Tuesday while striking out three to get the win against the Brewers at Wrigley Field. He also had a squeeze bunt that plated a Cubs run.

With Cahill getting stretched out and lefty reliever Mike Mongomery having thrown 42 and 32 pitches in his last two appearance, the Cubs have two more starters to consider on a short-term basis.

Lackey was injured in his outing Sunday, being removed with two outs in the seventh inning in the middle of an at-bat.

The Cubs (74-43) have only three more off days this season (Aug. 25, Sept. 8 and Sept. 22) and 44 games to play after Wednesday's nightcap is completed.

Bruce Levine covers the Cubs and White Sox for 670 The Score and CBSChicago.com. Follow him on Twitter @MLBBruceLevine.