Baseball Daily Dose: Daily Dose: That Lingering Lat
When a lat injury forced Jacob deGrom from his first start of the season — and arguably affected his velocity before exiting, although not to the detriment of his effectiveness — there was mild concern.
That concern grew Friday when, after throwing a 25-pitch bullpen session in Port St. Lucie, the Mets wouldn’t confirm deGrom is on track to make his scheduled start Tuesday. DeGrom and the team are hoping a bullpen session Sunday will yield more promising results.
“He’s a big piece of the puzzle, so he needs to do a little bit more of a full ‘pen to make a determination where he’s at,” Mets manager Terry Collins said Friday. “So we’ll wait until Sunday.”
If Sunday’s session doesn’t alleviate the worries, a disabled list stint, backdated to deGrom’s April 8 start, is likely the next step. If that happens, deGrom would be eligible to return on April 24.
DeGrom felt the lat tightness during his start against the Phillies last Friday, exiting after 76 pitches. He pitched well despite the ailment, limiting the Phils to five hits and one run while striking out six over six innings.
If deGrom is unable to go on Tuesday, Logan Verrett will likely fill in. Verrett also made deGrom’s scheduled start this past Wednesday, holding the Marlins scoreless over six innings in a 2-1 Mets win.
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McCullers To Miss Start
Lance McCullers‘ return from shoulder soreness hit a snag Friday, but Astros manager A.J. Hinch said there’s no reason to sound the alarms just yet.
McCullers, on the 15-day disabled list due to the soreness that popped up in spring, won’t make his previously scheduled rehab start Saturday due to what Hinch called “lingering recovery issues from his last outing.” McCullers didn’t throw Thursday or Friday but may play catch on Saturday.
Despite having his start pushed back, Hinch made sure to clarify that McCullers is not being shut down. Hinch said the complication is “more of a recovery issue.”
“Any time you have a spring training plan, which is really what we have here, you have to adjust based on how the player feels,” Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow said. “His last start, he felt good during the start. The next morning he didn’t feel quite the same as he had prior to the start, and any time anything is off we’re going to be cautious because he’s still building up his arm strength and durability.”
McCullers just made his first rehab start on Monday, tossing three innings for Double-A Corpus Christi. His start Saturday was also going to be with Corpus Christi, with McCullers expected to stretch out to four innings and 60 to 75 pitches.
Assuming it isn’t anything more serious, the setback should only cost the 22-year-old a few days on his timetable for return. As it is, he’s expected back on the mound in Houston before the end of the month.
Double Trouble
Offense was abound Friday night, and more than a few players left the yard twice in support of their pitchers.
The Orioles, third in the majors with 15 home runs coming into the night, had a pair of two-timers — including one who hit both of his in the same inning — as Mark Trumbo and Jonathan Schoop homered twice in their 11-5 victory over the Rangers. Trumbo homered twice in the Orioles’ nine-run seventh inning, and he now has five home runs on the year, tied for most in the league. All five of his blasts have come in the past five games. Schoop’s were the second and third of his season.
The Cardinals, second to only the Cubs in runs per game before Friday’s contest, benefited from Matt Holliday‘s first two home runs of the season. The team got four more dingers from Holliday’s teammates in a 14-3 romp over the Reds.
Ryan Braun‘s first multi-homer game of the season was part of a three-hit night for the outfielder. His contributions helped the Brewers top division-rival Pirates.
The Blue Jays lost but not for lack of effort on Edwin Encarnacion‘s part. Encarnacion took Red Sox starter Rick Porcello deep twice, the first and second home runs of what should be numerous this year for the designated hitter.
Last but certainly not least, the most surprising two-homer night belonged to Enrique Hernandez. The Dodgers outfielder took Giants ace Madison Bumgarner deep twice and added a bases-loaded double for good measure.
National League Quick Hits: Joe Ross pitched a stellar game Friday, tossing 7 2/3 scoreless innings in a win over the Phillies … Devin Mesoraco (quad) didn’t start Friday but did make a pinch-hitting appearance in the Reds’ loss. Perhaps that’s a sign he’ll feel ready to go at some point this weekend … the Cubs activated Javier Baez from the disabled list. Baez plays a few different positions and could find his way into the lineup three or four days a week, a good thing when said lineup is as potent as the Cubs’ … Michael Conforto took well to the third spot in the lineup, hitting his first home run of the season in a Mets win. Conforto finished 2-for-5 with two runs scored … they were overshadowed by Holliday’s evening, but homers from Randal Grichuk, Matt Adams, Brandon Moss and Aledmys Diaz helped the Cardinals roll over the Reds.
American League Quick Hits: On a night of some strong pitching performances, none were better than Chris Sale‘s. The southpaw threw a two-hit, complete game shutout of the Rays, just the second shutout of his career … Adrian Beltre didn’t want contract extension talks to bleed over into the season, but the 37-year-old struck a deal with the Rangers Friday on a two-year extension. The Rangers will pay the third baseman $36 million over the next two seasons … Logan Forsythe and Kevin Kiermaier both left Friday’s game after colliding in the field. The good news is that neither was seriously hurt, as Forsythe suffered a bruised left hip and lower leg while Kiermaier was diagnosed with a head contusion. Both are day to day … the Red Sox activated Christian Vazquez while optioning Blake Swihart to Triple-A. Vazquez will be the team’s primary backstop, while 24-year-old Swihart may be moved off the position, being asked to try left field while at Triple-A Pawtucket … Pablo Sandoval could require surgery for a shoulder that has “a lot going on,” per Red Sox president Dave Dombrowski. Sandoval is seeking a second opinion from Dr. James Andrews on the shoulder before making any decisions … Dallas Keuchel twirled eight shutout innings in the Astros’ 1-0 defeat of the Tigers … the Twins hope Glen Perkins (shoulder) will be ready to return when first eligible on April 26. That’s good news for the Twins and Perkins, as early reports were less optimistic about his outlook … Byron Buxton missed Friday’s game after being hit in the left hand by a pitch on Thursday. X-rays were negative Thursday, so it was likely just soreness that kept the young outfielder on the bench.
