KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Another night. Another vigil.
After a week full of injuries and assorted injury-related scares, the Rangers once again went into full high-alert mode on Monday. It was no drill. After four no-hit innings against Kansas City, Jacob deGrom left his start with right wrist soreness.
In the meantime, they rolled off a 4-0 one-hit win over the Royals. It featured a three-run homer from Josh Jung on the first pitch he saw as a temporary cleanup hitter, more scoreless relief work from Dane Dunning and a flirtation with that rare baseball beast: A game of fewer than two hours. As it was, the Rangers finished the Royals off in 2:02, their quickest game since the final day of the 2007 season.
All things considered, the blistering pace was probably useful. Got them back into the clubhouse more quickly to work through the deGrom situation.
“Anytime you take somebody out, I think that’s a fair question,” manager Bruce Bochy said of his level of concern. “But I’ll honestly have a better answer for you tomorrow. Right now, I feel pretty good about it.”
DeGrom said he felt something minor on the side of his wrist as he warmed up but figured it would subside as he got loose. It didn’t, but nor did it create any issues through the first couple of innings.
As the game progressed, though, he said he felt a slight increase in soreness and grew more concerned about the possibility of adjusting his mechanics to account for the soreness. That, he said, was more of a concern than a physical issue. He didn’t want to create a more significant injury by getting out of alignment mechanically.
In the fourth, he struck out M.J. Melendez, then walked Vinnie Pasquantino. It was the only baserunner he allowed. He followed by striking out Salvador Pérez on a 100 mph fastball and then got Kyle Isbel to fly out to center on the first pitch. It was his 58th of the night. As he walked off the mound, he told catcher Jonah Heim he might not go back out for the fifth, then discussed the issue with Mike Maddux between innings.
“I’m honestly not too concerned,” deGrom said. “I’d like to think I could make my next start. But we’ll see how it is tomorrow when I come in. That spot doesn’t seem too concerning.
“Could I have kept going? Probably. But it was lingering, and it got a little bit worse as the game was going on. And I was like: ‘Hey, I just want to play this safe’.”
The Rangers are all about playing it safe with deGrom, the two-time Cy Young winner who missed most of 2021-22 with various arm issues. He signed a five-year, $185 million deal over the winter with the Rangers. And the team took no chances in spring training, slow-playing his ramp-up after he reported with some side tightness. It led to a restrictive pitch count for the season opener. Since then, he’s allowed four runs in 17 innings while striking out 25.
It’s been quite the week on the medical front for the Rangers. In the last week, the Rangers lost catcher Mitch Garver and Corey Seager, both for a month, and, at least initially, appeared to lose Jon Gray even longer after he took a 109 mph liner off the right elbow.
The good news: Gray did not suffer a fracture, only a bruise and a knot. The knot has since dissipated. Gray has played catch on consecutive days, is expected to throw a bullpen on Tuesday and make his scheduled start Friday against Oakland.
On Garver, what the Rangers termed a minor knee sprain, has become a longer-term injury than initially expected. Asked if Garver would be ready on Wednesday when he’s eligible, Bochy said the injury would require about four weeks of time off. That’s the same time frame for Seager, who suffered a Grade 2 hamstring strain on Tuesday.
Somehow, they have still managed to go 5-2 in that stretch, including winning two out of three at world champion Houston. If there had been a concern for the Rangers on Monday, it was that they might suffer a letdown after a raucous environment at Minute Maid Park.
But they jumped out to a 3-0 lead four batters into the game. Marcus Semien reached on an error, surprise No. 2 hitter Travis Jankowski bunted his way on and Jung, moving up a spot so Adolis García could get a night’s rest, hammered a hanging slider from Jordan Lyles. The Rangers managed just two hits the rest of the night, one of them a solo homer by Semien.
After deGrom left, the Rangers turned to Dane Dunning, who has been perhaps the best pitcher on the staff through the first two-plus weeks. Dunning allowed a one-out single to Matt Duffy in the fifth, then retired 11 consecutive batters. He walked Bobby Witt Jr. in the ninth and one batter later yielded to José Leclerc for the final two outs of the game. It was the Rangers’ first one-hitter since Cole Hamels, Jake Diekman, Leclerc, and Keone Kela combined to do it against Houston in 2018.
Dunning has now pitched 15.1 innings in relief without allowing an earned run this season. It’s the most innings by any pitcher yet to allow a run.
“You’ve heard me say this already: The role he’s played for us, he’s been like the most valuable guy because eating up innings and been so dependable,” Bochy said. “You’ve got to have those kinds of guys. They are so important, and he’s shown that a bunch of times already.”
And if deGrom lands on the IL, Dunning will likely become even more important. He’d likely be the guy asked to fill in for deGrom.
Don’t ask how the Rangers would replace Dunning in the bullpen. You don’t want to disturb the vigil, do you?
Twitter: @Evan_P_Grant
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