Losing their second straight game to the Tampa Bay Rays wasn't the only setback that the Detroit Tigers suffered this afternoon.
Starting pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez left the game after tossing only 23 total pitches, giving way to Rony Garcia. Rodriguez would say that he felt a pinching sensation in his pre-game routine and that would continue through the 1st inning of play.
“When I was warming up in the bullpen, I felt a little pinch on my left side,” Rodriguez said afterward. “I wasn’t able to throw the ball as hard as I wanted. We’ll get it checked by the doctors and everything and then we’ll see what it is.”
“It’s something that you never want to happen,” he continued. “Starting pitchers want to be out there every five days. Fortunately, some of those (injured) guys are getting ready to come back. (Injuries) are something that nobody wants to happen, but it happens.”
LHP Eduardo Rodríguez has discomfort in his left side, getting an MRI. Manager A.J. Hinch said he's headed to IL.
— Evan Woodbery (@evanwoodbery) May 18, 2022
Of course, this means that Rodriguez is only the latest figure on an already extremely busy IL for the Tigers, which already includes the likes of Casey Mize (elbow), Matt Manning (shoulder), Tyler Alexander (elbow), Spencer Turnbull (Tommy John surgery) and Michael Pineda (finger).
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Meanwhile, Tigers manager A.J. Hinch knows that there's not going to be an opponent that feels sorry for them and that they must push forward regardless of who is on the field.
“We’re going to play the games, so we’ve got to figure it out,” Hinch said. “I mean, nobody’s going to feel sorry for us. We’ve got to play better. We’ve got to hit better. We’ve got to play with a little bit more up-tempo. We’ve got to get in the strike zone. I could go on for a while, but what we’ve got to do to get better is a lot more than piecing together the pitching rotation.”
The Tigers will continue their road swing with a stop in Cleveland for a series against the Guardians starting on Friday night.
– – Quotes via MLive Link – –
