Wei-Yin Chen was cruising on Sunday in Minnesota, and had just finished up the fifth inning on 73 pitches without allowing a run.
Then, oddly, he didn’t come out for the sixth.
He left the game after feeling pain in his left side, which was chalked up to an oblique strain.
After the game, Chen told reporters that he thought he would be OK in the short term. Per Roch Kubatko:
Asked to describe the pain, Chen said, “I wish I can tell you what kind of feeling I had. It’s just kind of like a soreness. It’s just a cramp.
“I really don’t know what kind of feeling of that because it’s only one pitch and it was the last pitch. And the groundball out and everything happened, and I cannot tell what happened. But tomorrow we will have to re-evaluate again so the result will come out tomorrow.”
Chen added that he wasn’t in pain after the game. He felt fine while standing at his locker talking to reporters.
Chen was reevaluated today though, and the news isn’t good.
Well, crap.
Chen had been the most consistent bright spot in what has been a very shaky starting rotation for the Birds. Aside from his hiccup on May 1 in Seattle, when he allowed five earned runs, Chen hasn’t allowed more than three ER in any single start. His 3.04 ERA is easily the lowest of the team’s starting pitchers, and at 47.1 IP he’s been the closest thing to an “innings eater” the O’s have.
Though Steve Johnson was just sent down yesterday, he would be eligible to be recalled again now (instead of after 10 days) due to the injury to Chen. He started off well in his start on Saturday, before being touched up for six ER on seven hits in the third and fourth innings, and removed after just 4.0 IP.
Jair Jurrjens may be another option, but he was roughed up a bit for AAA Norfolk today, allowing five runs on seven hits in seven innings.
While it’s fortunate that the Birds have two days off this week, if it’s accurate that Chen’s oblique “could take more than a few weeks to heal,” that’s very concerning.
Hopefully the offense can continue to beat the cover off the ball, and even more importantly, hopefully Chris Tillman continues to pitch well, and Jason Hammel starts to find it.
Get well soon, “Wayne.”
