atchups against Durant and the Warriors.Do you want t

CHICAGO -- Cubs reliever Pedro Strop suffered a setback in his rehab from a knee injury as an MRI revealed the righty strained his right groin during workouts on Wednesday.Strop originally was to be out four to six weeks after tearing the meniscus in his left knee last month, though the Cubs had thought he might be back on the shorter end of that diagnosis. Now the team says hell be out a full six weeks with a mid-September return. It still gives Strop plenty of time to prepare for the postseason.The Cubs got better news in the form of John Lackey, who threw off the Wrigley Field mound on Thursday as he readies for a return from the disabled list due to shoulder soreness.I feel fine, Lackey said afterward.?I feel like I can pitch in a game. If Lackey feels OK on Friday morning, hell be slated to start Sundays game against the San Francisco Giants. Theres also good news for setup man Hector Rondon (triceps), who is headed to Triple-A Iowa for rehab outings on Saturday and Monday before hes expected to be activated as well. The Cubs called up some reinforcements as rosters expanded on Thursday. Reliever Joe Smith (hamstring) and outfielder Chris Coghlan (rib contusion) were technically activated from the disabled list, as both were on rehab assignments at Triple-A, and righty Jake Buchanan was called up along with them. Buchanan, 26, was 12-8 with a 4.34 ERA in 24 appearances for Iowa including 22 starts. He gives the bullpen some length, as manager Joe Maddon has used his top relievers often during the Cubs 22-6 August run. When youre winning often, youre going to use up a lot of good bullpen, Maddon said Thursday. Its part of the way this thing flows. Lackey is expected to be a playoff starter for the Cubs while Strop and Rondon are their seventh- and eighth-inning bullpen arms in front of closer Aroldis Chapman. 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OKLAHOMA CITY -- Russell Westbrook on Thursday said he found out about Kevin Durants departure from the Oklahoma City Thunder like yall found out.On the news, on the cellphones, the social media, Westbrook said Thursday during a news conference to announce an extension with the Thunder that is potentially worth $85.7 million over the next three seasons. I talked to Kevin early on in the process. But nothing after. Just a text message from him, thats about it.After eight seasons playing with Westbrook in Oklahoma City, Durant signed a two-year, $54.3 million contract with the Golden State Warriors on July 4. The Thunder led Golden State 3-1 in the Western Conference finals before losing in Game 7.Asked whether Durants choosing the Warriors stings more, Westbrook was blunt.Sting for who? he said, smiling.Listen, I understand free agency, Westbrook said. I understand having the opportunity to go where we need to go. But once that happened, I told [GM] Sam [Presti], Whats next? To me, thats just my mentality: Whats the next thing we need to do to help our team win? Thats all Im worried about, to find ways to come in and figure out ways to make the team become a great organization.Asked whether he was surprised by the way Durant handled his free agency, Westbrook said he was: Some people handle things differently than others, and thats the way he wanted to handle it, which is fine.Durant and Westbrook appeared inn four conference finals and one NBA Finals.dddddddddddd As teammates, they blossomed into one of the most successful and potent duos in the NBA.However, since Durants decision, he and Westbrook have not spoken.Wed been together eight years, Westbrook said. You dont throw that away. Obviously hes now with a new team. But we definitely will talk eventually. But obviously now we havent.Westbrook was asked whether hes anticipating forthcoming matchups against Durant and the Warriors.Do you want to say it, or do you want me to say it? he said. You know what Im going to say.Like I said before, no game is no bigger, no less, no player, no place. I stand behind that because I play every game like its my last. I go out to compete regardless of whos on the floor, regardless of if were playing Golden State, Philadelphia, Milwaukee. It doesnt matter to me. My job is to go out and compete for our team.In Rio de Janeiro, where he is part of the U.S. mens Olympic team, Durant said he wouldnt immediately be reaching out to Westbrook to discuss his decision to stay in Oklahoma City.Nah, thats a touchy deal, Durant said. At some point, well sit down and talk. But I dont know when.Asked if he was happy for Westbrook, Durant said he was.Information from The Associated Press was used in this report. ' ' '