Joe Trezza
BALTIMORE — Already hamstrung by accidents in quite a lot of methods this yr, the Rangers obtained one other huge scare on that entrance Saturday evening.
Texas celebrity shortstop Corey Seager exited the membership’s 6-5 loss to the Orioles after being struck on the left wrist by a Cade Povich pitch within the fifth inning. Preliminary X-rays on Seager’s left wrist have been detrimental and he will probably be re-evaluated on Sunday, the crew mentioned.
“That’s excellent news for us,” supervisor Bruce Bochy mentioned. “We’re hoping tomorrow is nice information, too.”
Seager may nonetheless require additional imaging down the street, as X-rays alone generally aren’t capable of detect the total scope of hand and wrist accidents. The Rangers are additionally experiencing that type of state of affairs now with Josh Jung, whom they a minimum of temporarily shut down again Saturday with concern for his surgically repaired proper wrist.
“If we expect we’d like one other [test], we’ll do this,” Bochy mentioned. “We received the very best information we may’ve received on the primary one. I do know generally these items present up later, and it's just a little little bit of a priority as a result of it received him fairly good. However we’re hoping for the very best.”
Requested if there was an opportunity he may very well be in Sunday’s lineup, Seager was non-committal.
“I don’t know,” he mentioned. “I’ll discover out tomorrow.”
Nonetheless, Seager and the Rangers really feel a way of cautiously optimistic aid, given how a lot worse issues regarded immediately. Seager cleared his hips as if to start swinging on the left-handed Povich’s 90.5 mph sinker earlier than recognizing it was boring in on him — and quick. He checked his swing because the pitch struck his left, path hand, and fell to the bottom.
Although Seager shortly stood up underneath his personal energy, he instantly bolted to the dugout earlier than crew assistant athletic coach Jacob Newburn even reached the batting circle.
“When he walked off, I used to be sick to my abdomen,” Bochy mentioned.
Seager stopped wanting saying he assumed the wrist was damaged, however acknowledged the gravity of the preliminary concern.
“You by no means assume, however it wasn’t nice,” Seager mentioned. “Anytime it's not damaged in that state of affairs, it’s higher than it may very well be, so I don’t know. We’ll see how I are available tomorrow and reply that higher tomorrow.”
Davis Wendzel changed Seager on the bases and stayed within the recreation at third whereas Josh Smith shifted over to shortstop the next inning. At that time, Seager had accounted for half the Rangers’ offense together with his fifteenth residence run, a solo shot off Povich within the first.
Derek Hill, Nathaniel Lowe and Adolis García additionally homered in assist of Michael Lorenzen, however Orioles designated hitter Heston Kjerstad’s fifth-inning grand slam helped ship the Rangers to their sixth straight loss.
Texas can also be mired in a nine-game street shedding streak, because it dropped to a season-worst 9 video games underneath .500. Total, the Rangers are simply 17-27 on the street this season, third-worst within the American League behind solely the A’s (12-32) and White Sox (8-33).
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“Lightning hit us twice on this street journey, two-out grand slams,” Bochy mentioned. “The one factor you are able to do is energy your manner by way of this factor we’re in … All you are able to do is preserve going arduous and see what occurs on the finish.”
The Rangers have performed a lot of the yr with out key regulars Max Scherzer (recently returned), Jacob deGrom and Jung, and their offense is presently with out Evan Carter, as nicely, because it stumbles by way of a protracted tough stretch. Texas will enter play Sunday tied for seventeenth in MLB in runs scored (346) after having the sport’s third-most potent offense in 2023.
Final yr’s World Sequence MVP, Seager is hitting .260 with 37 RBIs and a .796 OPS in 72 video games this season. Seager’s homer on Saturday was his second in his previous 21 video games, after hitting eight in an eight-game span in late Might.
“It sucks, however glad the X-ray got here up detrimental,” Lorenzen mentioned. “Hopefully he can get better as shortly as attainable, as a result of we’d like him.”