Baltimore Orioles reliever Richard Bleier is likely lost for the year with a shoulder injury Chargers Elite Jerseys , yet another setback for the team with the worst record in the major leagues.
Bleier (3-0, 1.93 ERA) was the most effective pitcher in a bullpen that only recently got back injured Zach Britton and Darren O’Day.
Bleier walked off the mound in pain Wednesday after throwing a seventh-inning pitch against Boston. An MRI determined the injury to be a left shoulder latissimus strain, which probably will require surgery to repair.
”I don’t expect him to play again this year,” manager Buck Showalter said Friday. ”The worst case is that it’s a Grade 3 (strain) and he has surgery and returns sometime next season.”
Bleier, whose 31 appearances are most on the staff, was placed on the 10-day disabled list.
”It’s a loss,” Showalter said. ”It’s very valuable to have a left-handed pitcher who can pitch to both sides. He keeps you from having to (warm up) behind him because you know you can leave him in there for an extended period of time.”
The Orioles made a flurry of moves Friday, recalling left-handed reliever Tanner Scott from Triple-A Norfolk, selecting the contract of infielder Corban Joseph from Double-A Bowie, optioning right-hander Yefry Ramirez to Norfolk and designating lefty D.J. Snelten for assignment.
Joseph was poised to make his big league debut at first base Friday night against Miami in place of Chris Davis, who has essentially been benched in the wake of a season-long slump.
Davis is batting .150 with four home runs, 15 RBIs and 86 strikeouts in 52 games. Making matters worse is that the slugger in the third year of a seven-year, $161 million contract.
Davis hasn’t played since Monday, and there’s no telling when he will be back in the lineup.
”Chris is continuing with some things that he’s working on,” Showalter said. ”When they come to me and say they think he’s ready to get back in the lineup, we’ll put him back in there. But it’s nothing imminent.”
Asked to disclose whom Davis is working with, Showalter said, ”I’m not going to get into all that. When they think that he’s ready to play, he’ll play. I hope it’s tomorrow. I hope it’s the day after tomorrow. It’s not today, and there’s no closed end on it. I’m hoping it’s sooner rather than later.”
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Sooner or later, the Cincinnati Reds will get the message: Be careful pitching to Eric Thames.
Reds right-hander Sal Romano Dolphins Elite Jerseys , who opposes Thames and the first-place Milwaukee Brewers on Friday night at Great American Ball Park, already knows the dangers of making a mistake to the power hitter who torments Cincinnati like no other.
Thames beat Romano and the Brewers 2-0 with a two-run home run on April 17. Not satisfied with that, Thames beat the Reds — and this time, Tyler Mahle — with yet another two-run home run in a 2-0 decision the very next day on April 18.
Flash forward to Thursday night, and the Reds — the NL’s hottest team coming in with nine wins in 10 games — are leading 4-2 with two out and two on in the seventh inning. Amir Garrett, especially tough on left-handed hitters, is on the mound. Yet Garrett gave Thames a too-good pitch to hit, and the result was a decisive three-run home run, and the Brewers went on to win 6-4.
“That was a huge hit,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. “We were down two (runs) there and Garrett’s been really good. It was a good win. We had a lot of guys do a lot. We had big at-bats in big situations.”
Jesus Aguilar added a tying two-run homer, his 19th, off Reds starter Anthony DeSclafani in the third inning after Cincinnati had gone ahead 2-0 in the first.
For Thames, it was his third consecutive game against Cincinnati with a game-winning homer and it also was his 13th homer, to go with 24 RBIs, in only 20 career games against the NL Central rival Reds. The three homers represent his only three hits against the Reds this season; overall, he’s hit only .234.
Thames hadn’t homered off a left-hander all season, although he had only 13 prior at-bats against lefties. However, he has handled Garrett, homering off him the last three times he’s faced him.
His numbers against the Reds the last two seasons are remarkable: 13 homers, including 10 homers and 17 RBIs in 17 games last season.
“Thames has really done damage against us, last year and this year Vikings Elite Jerseys ,” Reds interim manager Jim Riggleman said. “We don’t have an answer for him. He’s really hurt us.”
As have the Brewers. They came in with six losses in their previous 10 games, but they’re off to a good start in the four-game series, especially given that the Reds had won 12 of their previous 15 despite being in last place. Milwaukee has won six of seven from Cincinnati this season.
The Reds not only haven’t solved how to beat the Brewers, neither has Romano (4-7). He’s pitched well in two of his last three starts overall, but he’s 0-4 with a 6.27 ERA in four career starts against the Brewers. Ryan Braun gives him trouble, going 5-of-10 (.500) with one homer against him.
The Brewers, who lead the Chicago Cubs by 2 1-2 games in the NL Central, will send out right-hander Chase Anderson (5-6), who has had success against the Reds. He’s 3-1 with a 3.19 ERA against them in eight starts, beating them 7-6 on May 1 despite giving up four runs and six hits in 5 1/3 innings.
One reason for that success is Anderson’s ability to shut down some of the Reds’ top hitters. Eugenio Suarez, who leads the NL with 59 RBIs, is only 2-for-13 (.154) against him, and Scooter Gennett, who leads the league with a .331 average, is 2-for-7 (.286).
The Brewers lost center fielder Christian Yelich to lower back tightness in the first inning Thursday, and it’s been a problem he’s had in the past. His status for Friday and the rest of the series is uncertain.
“It looks like this one is not as bad,” said Yelich, who is hitting .289. “It’s frustrating. We’ll know more in a day or so. Hopefully, we can take care of it.”