The Orioles starting battery in Sundays video game, lefty Wade LeBlanc and catcher Pedro Severino, were both forced to leave this afternoons video game prematurely after each suffered an injury. LeBlanc left in the very first inning of Baltimores match with the Red Sox due to left elbow pain, while Severino left in the seventh after experiencing tightness in his ideal hip while going out a single. Per Jon Meoli of the Baltimore Sun, LeBlanc will undergo an MRI tomorrow, with Severino likewise due for more assessment.
On the other hand, its been a slow start for the veteran LeBlanc, who went into today with a 7.89 ERA through his first 5 starts with his brand-new club. Hes tallied simply 13 strikeouts in 21 2/3, though to his credit he has actually done well to cause soft contact, according to Statcast metrics.
Well need to wait till tomorrow to get an idea of the severity of the Orioles latest injuries, but we hope that LeBlanc has avoided a fate comparable to that of the abovementioned trio of pitchers. And with Severino emerging as a hot bat in the Baltimore batting order, theyll cross their fingers that a hip injury wont prevent him from playing for too long. In the meantime, Chance Sisco will likely assume most of the catching responsibilities, while young prospects like Keegan Akin or Dean Kremer are readily available to assume LeBlancs spot in the rotation.
Severino has been among the most efficient bats on the Baltimore lineup therefore far, slugging 5 homers to choose a strong.329/.398/.570 slash line. Nevertheless, his hard-hit rates and exit speed numbers dont provide themselves to that type of success. Definitely, a. 967 OPS is unreasonable to anticipate the rest of the way, but even something more in line with his 2019.740 OPS is absolutely nothing to discount, especially by catcher standards.
The last several years of his year have been fairly injury-free, and he hasnt had any arm problems in current memories. In the first handful of starts in his age-36 season, there hadnt been any substantial decline to his speed compared to prior seasons. Still, its been commonly speculated that the shortened buildup to this unusual season is to blame for the bunch of pitcher injuries that has swept throughout baseball, preying on stars like Justin Verlander, Kirby Yates, and Stephen Strasburg, among numerous others.
