CHICAGO -- Although Chicago Cubs shortstop Addison Russell said he is feeling better after leaving Monday's postseason game against the St. Louis Cardinals because of hamstring tightness, his status for Tuesday's Game 4 is uncertain.
"We're going to find out," manager Joe Maddon said after the 8-6 victory that gave the Cubs a 2-1 National League Division Series lead over their division rivals. "We have to do some tests on it. The tests will be tomorrow [Tuesday] morning. For right now, we are absolutely not certain what the severity is, absolutely not certain. Is that like a medical phrase? That's why doctors practice all the time. We're absolutely not certain."
Russell came out of the game after tripling with two outs in the bottom of the fourth inning, claiming he felt something in his right leg when he rounded second base.
"I felt a grab," Russell said. "Just wanted to be cautious. I don't want to put my team in a sticky situation where I play through it at shortstop. ... For the better of the team, I thought I should stay out."
Russell has had hamstring issues in his career. He rated this one a "1.5 or 2" on the severity scale, compared to the "10" he had last season in the minors. He iced the muscle after leaving the game and was simply told to rest it overnight. The Cubs did not schedule an MRI.
"We might get that tomorrow [Tuesday], if that's necessary," Russell said. "I can tell you I feel better now than I did coming out of the game. We're going to analyze it and go from there."
Javier Baez took Russell's place at shortstop and committed an error on a throw before being unable to corral a ground ball that went for a hit in the ninth. The usually reliable defender claims he'll be ready if needed to start Tuesday, though he admitted it was a tough night in Game 3.
"Today was a hard day playing defense," he said. "The good thing is coming back tomorrow and doing it again."