The Houston Astros’ recent luck with starting pitchers is so bad that even guys called up from the minors to fill in are getting hurt.
Jake Bloss made his major league debut on Friday night, getting promoted from Double-A Corpus Christi to fill an open spot in Houston’s rotation. Facing the Baltimore Orioles, Bloss pitched 3 2/3 innings before leaving the game with an apparent injury.
Following the Astros’ 14–11 win, the team said that Bloss was dealing with “right shoulder discomfort,” while he told reporters that he felt a “tweak” in his right shoulder but didn’t believe it was serious.
However, Bloss was placed on the injured list on Saturday. While the Astros did not announce a specific injury, manager Joe Espada said the pitcher is going back to Houston to be examined by team doctors and undergo imaging.
Espada said he moved quickly to take Bloss out of Friday’s game when he noticed a drop in the rookie’s velocity. His final pitch – a fastball – was clocked at 90.5 mph.
“I’ve never seen him pitch, so I’m trying to read his mannerisms the first couple of innings,” Espada told reporters, via MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart. “You’re trying to make sure what he was doing there in the fourth was something he was doing in previous innings. In that one, he kind of extended his arm and made a weird motion, and the velo was down, and prompted me to go out there and check him out.”
Bloss threw 79 pitches, allowing two runs and six hits with two walks and six strikeouts.
The rookie right-hander joins a crowded injured list of starting pitchers for the Astros, including Jose Urquidy and Cristian Javier, who each underwent reconstructive Tommy John surgery earlier this month. Justin Verlander also went on the IL this week with neck discomfort. Lance McCullers Jr. and Luis Garcia have yet to pitch this season, but hope to rejoin the team after the All-Star break.
Who will fill the fifth spot in the Astros’ rotation hasn’t been decided, but relievers Luis Contreras and Bryan King were called up on Saturday. That could mean Espada opts for a bullpen start, though Houston has two off days next week before Friday’s matchup with the New York Mets.