Cishek (0-1) allowed three walks and three earned runs without recording an out and was charged with the loss Wednesday against the Braves.

EDGE Analysis

Cishek was summoned to begin the bottom of the eighth inning and the Cubs up 4-2, and the veteran struggled mightily against the heart of Atlanta's order. After walking Freddie Freeman, Ronald Acuna and Nick Markakis, Cishek got the hook, and all three runners would come around to score as the Braves pulled ahead. The righty's ERA now sits at a nightmarish 16.20, though after pitching well for the Cubs in 2018, he should stay in a high-leverage role despite the hiccup.

Cishek returned from illness to record one out Saturday against the Rockies, allowing five runs on five hits and a walk.

EDGE Analysis

It's unclear if the illness can be blamed for Cishek's performance or if he simply had a bad outing. The reliever's spring ERA now sits at an ugly 9.64, though his other five appearances were all scoreless.

Cishek (illness) is scheduled to pitch in Saturday's game against the Rockies, Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune reports.

EDGE Analysis

Cishek was originally expected to return to the mound Friday, but instead will follow Jon Lester against Colorado. Cishek has been out the last few days due to an illness but his status for Opening Day shouldn't be impacted, which could be significant with fill-in closer Pedro Strop (hamstring) not guaranteed to be ready.

Cishek is dealing with an illness, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Cishek has been sidelined for a few days while battling the ailment, though he's expected to resume pitching Friday. Assuming the right-hander is healthy, he could be in line for save chances early on if Pedro Strop (hamstring) is forced to open the year on the shelf.

With injuries to Brandon Morrow (elbow) and Pedro Strop (hamstring), Cishek could be in line to earn save chances to begin the season as Carl Edwards seems locked into a setup role, Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune reports.

EDGE Analysis

Morrow is already expected to be out until May, but Strop's status is a bit more up in the air heading into the season. If he's not ready to go, the Cubs could turn to Cishek over Edwards as a fill-in closer. Edwards has better pure stuff, but Cubs manager Joe Maddon likes using him to put out fires in the seventh and eighth inning. That could open the door for Cishek to get save opportunities for however long both Morrow and Strop are out. Cishek pitched well for the Cubs last season, compiling a 2.18 ERA and 1.04 WHIP along with four saves.

Cishek retired the only batter he faced to pick up his fourth save of the season Saturday against the Reds.

EDGE Analysis

Manager Joe Maddon played matchups in the ninth inning, with Jesse Chavez and Randy Rosario picking up the first two outs before Cishek was called upon to face Eugenio Suarez. The sidewinder needed just one pitch to get Suarez to groundout to end the game. He now owns a shiny 2.32 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 75:25 K:BB across 66 innings this season and looks to be one of the top candidates to step into the ninth inning for the time being with Pedro Strop (hamstring) and Brandon Morrow (biceps) both sidelined.

Cishek picked up his 23rd hold of the season by recording the final out of the sixth inning Thursday against the Nationals.

EDGE Analysis

Later in the game, Pedro Strop went down with a hamstring injury which appears likely to keep him out through the end of the regular season. Cishek is looking like a top candidate to step into the ninth inning with Strop down, as he has 124 career saves (three this season) and has worked to a 3.18 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 28:8 K:BB since the All-Star break. Brandon Morrow (biceps) is inching closer to a return, but it's far from a given that he returns to the closer role right away after such a long absence.

CIshek (4-1) picked up the win Monday against the Mets despite allowing a solo home run in his inning of work. He struck out one.

EDGE Analysis

Cishek allowed a solo home run to Kevin Plawecki in the top of the seventh inning that tied the game at 4-4, but the veteran reliever snagged the win when the Cubs scored twice in the bottom of the frame. This was the first run allowed by Cishek since July 24, and the righty still has a stellar 1.80 ERA this season.

Cishek recorded one out via strikeout and picked up his 19th hold of the season in Friday's 1-0 win over the Pirates.

EDGE Analysis

Cishek started the ninth inning with Pedro Strop and Carl Edwards unavailable, and it looked like he'd be in line for his fourth save of the season. However, Cishek was shaky to begin the frame, giving up a single and then uncorking a wild pitch. He struck out Starling Marte with a runner on second, but Cubs manager Joe Maddon decided to turn to Jesse Chavez to end the game, leaving Cishek to pick up the hold. The veteran reliever has been solid all season, as he now has a 1.78 ERA and 62 strikeouts across 55.2 innings, and he could still see a few more save chances with regular closer Brandon Morrow (biceps) on the DL, though Strop looks like the primary option.

Cishek pitched a scoreless seventh inning in Thursday's 1-0 win over the Pirates to record his 18th hold of the season.

EDGE Analysis

Cishek allowed a harmless two-out single but was able to retire the side on just 13 pitches. While Pedro Strop has been the fill-in closer with Brandon Morrow (biceps) on the DL, Cishek has been very effective for the Cubs all season, as he now has a stellar 1.79 ERA to go along with the 18 holds.