KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Minnesota Twins’ starting pitcher left Tuesday’s game against the Kansas City Royals in the fifth inning due to tightness in his right hamstring, as confirmed by the team’s medical staff.
After walking Jonathan India, the pitcher grabbed the back of his leg. Manager Rocco Baldelli and trainer Nick Paparesta quickly visited the mound and decided to remove him after a brief discussion.
“What Pablo has going on is a mild right hamstring strain,” Baldelli said. “He’s going to get an MRI tomorrow to have it checked out. When I say ‘mild,’ we believe it’s very mild. We’re going to keep him on course for now and make no immediate changes. We’ll reassess it after tomorrow’s results.”
The pitcher threw 78 pitches in 4 2/3 innings, allowing one unearned run on three hits and a walk, along with six strikeouts.
“It took a moment for him to decide whether to mention the issue,” Baldelli explained. “These guys are competitive, and they want to stay in the game. He just needed a second to realize it was best to bring it up. I’m glad he did because we didn’t want him to keep pitching with something that could worsen. Taking him out was the right call.”
Cole Sands took over in relief for the Twins.
Leave a Reply