MIAMI — The Pirates couldn’t wait to leave Marlins Park late Thursday night.
Not only did they lose the final three games of a four-game series — losing the finale, 4-3, in 12 innings after another wildly unproductive night at the plate — but they lost four starters to injury. And that’s five starters if you add that Gregory Polanco was injured two days earlier.
“It was like an ER in here,” Francisco Cervelli said afterward. “You never expect those things. But baseball is like that. You get weird days.”
Here’s what happened, and here’s what we know.
What happened to Polanco?
Polanco fouled a ball off his left foot in his final at-bat Tuesday. His foot felt OK after the game but was swollen and painful when he woke up Wednesday. He visited the doctor, had an X-ray (negative) and was out of the lineup both Wednesday and Thursday. The Pirates needed everyone to participate once the injuries began Thursday, so Polanco pinch-hit and was intentionally walked.
Should I be concerned about him?
Nah.
What happened to Cervelli?
Cervelli was down in the count, 0-2, in the second inning Thursday when Wei-Yin Chen dropped a slider that slid inside and smacked Cervelli in the back foot — his right foot. Cervelli went down in a heap and was checked out by head athletic trainer Todd Tomczyk. He stayed in the game for another inning before departing. Cervelli said there was a lot of pain initially, but he’s played through pain before. It wasn’t until he tried catching, which involves a lot of squatting and such, that he deiced it was too much. His X-ray that showed nothing more than a bruise.
Should I be concerned about him?
Somewhat, sure. He had his foot wrapped and walked with a slight limp after the game, and feet are rather important pieces for catchers. The Pirates just signed Cervelli to a three-year contract extension, so it’d be a real shame to lose him for any amount of time. He doesn’t seem to believe it’s an injury that will slow him much, but it’s pretty early for speculation either way.
What happened to Andrew McCutchen?
He left in the top of the sixth inning after lining out to shortstop. He was holding his right hand as he walked off the field. Loyal viewers have noticed McCutchen shaking that right hand recently, like it was bothering, and after the game he told reporters the swollen thumb has nagged him for a while — he’s been icing it regularly.
McCutchen showed the swelling between thumb and index finger. Been icing it, wearing a thumb guard. DL an option? “I don’t consider that.”
— Adam Berry (@adamdberry) June 3, 2016
Should I be concerned about him?
Yeah. It’s probably not something long-term, but the way McCutchen’s season has gone so far, he didn’t really need a setback of any sort. An 0-for-3 day dropped his average to .254 here through 53 games. On the other hand (sorry), this could possibly help explain his sluggish numbers at the plate. Hand injuries typically aren’t too devastating, but we know few details.
What happened to David Freese?
He was hit in the right hand by a 94 mph two-seamer in the eighth inning. He clearly was in some pain as he hopped out of the box, started toward first and was checked out by Tomczyk. Freese finished the half-inning but did not return for the bottom of the eighth. He was not available for comment after the game, so we’ll wait for an update Friday.
Should I be concerned about him?
Too soon to say. It wasn’t the worst hit by pitch you’ve seen, but there are a lot of little bones in that hand that can get bothered by an inside heater. I think there are, at least.
What happened to Jordy Mercer?
He was hit in the left elbow by a 94 mph four-seamer in the ninth inning. He clearly was in some pain as he hopped out of the box, started toward first and was checked out by Tomczyk. Mercer finished the half-inning — scoring the tying run with two outs — but did not return for the bottom of the ninth. Notice a pattern here?
Oh, and while we’re at it, no, nobody suspects any intent on the HBPs. Manager Clint Hurdle called it “spray command” by Marlins pitchers. Unfortunate, but not intentional. Mercer wore a black sleeve on his left arm after the game. He told reporters he will have an X-ray tomorrow once the Pirates return to Pittsburgh.
X-ray on Cervelli’s foot came back negative, but the pain got to him while squatting behind the plate. Mercer will have an X-ray tomorrow.
— Adam Berry (@adamdberry) June 3, 2016
Should I be concerned about him?
Hold on for X-ray results before jumping to any conclusions. An elbow injury is a more worrisome type, but at least it’s not his throwing elbow. We’ll know more tomorrow.
Stephen J. Nesbitt: snesbitt@post-gazette.com and Twitter @stephenjnesbitt.
First Published: June 3, 2016, 4:44 a.m.