The Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals have taken their rivalry overseas to London, England. Unfortunately, star pitcher Marcus Stroman left the game at London Stadium early due to a finger injury.

“Marcus Stroman exited the game with a blister on his right index finger. The blister didn't open up so the Cubs removed him before it got worst,” writes Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune.

Stroman pitched just 3.1 innings and allowed six earned runs to the Cardinals before the Cubs yanked him and put Michael Fulmer in. His stat line was impacted negatively by this RBI infield single from Tommy Edman that probably should have been ruled an error. Tacking on those earned runs over such a short outing is brutal.

After his statistically disastrous outing, Stroman's ERA is still very good at 2.74 in just over 100 innings. He has been pitching at an All-Star level in 2023 and has been one of the Cubs' most important players.

The Cubs want to keep Stroman on the team for the long run as they try to become a playoff team again. They will look to make sure he can void a stint on the IL after injuring his finger. As Chicago tries to break through in an NL Central that is pretty open, Stroman's health will be essential.

Chicago beat St. Louis in the London series opener with a beatdown by a score of 9-1, adding to the Cardinals' woeful 2023 season. As they head back to the States, they will be hopeful that Stroman's finger injury doesn’t linger.