A blister on his index finger forced Chicago Cubs right-hander Marcus Stroman to depart Sunday’s London Series game prematurely.

Stroman shook his right hand after multiple pitches in the fourth inning against the St. Louis Cardinals, including his final pitch that resulted in a go-ahead RBI single by Paul Goldschmidt. Head athletic trainer Nick Frangella and manager David Ross visited Stroman on the mound following the sequence.

The blister on Stroman’s finger didn’t open up, prompting him to come out of the game before it worsened.

Stroman allowed six runs, all earned, on nine hits with one walk and two strikeouts in 3⅓ innings.

His defense didn’t help, hurt on two misplays by Trey Mancini at first base. The first was on a throw he couldn’t handle from Dansby Swanson to begin the bottom of the first that resulted in an error charged to the shortstop. Working with a 4-0 lead, Stroman struck out Goldschmidt and started a slick inning-ending double play.

But disaster struck again with two outs in the second when Mancini initially pursued a grounder to Nico Hoerner, struggled to get back to first base and then in desperation tried to make a barehanded catch on the throw. A run scored and Tommy Edman was safe on what was ruled an infield single to load the bases. Two pitches later, Brendan Donovan’s two-run single cut the Cubs’ lead to one run before Stroman got out of without with the lead intact.

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