Glasnow (leg cramps) appears to avoid serious injury in Dodgers' shutout win

ARLINGTON -- There was an unwelcome feeling of déjà vu when Tyler Glasnow exited Sunday's 1-0 win over the Rangers after throwing one pitch in the fifth inning. But the Dodgers later announced that the 31-year-old right-hander was removed due to lower leg cramps, an issue that should not prevent him from making his next start.

The Dodgers have won consecutive series after taking two of three from the Rangers. The game was in a scoreless tie through seven innings until Freddie Freeman drove in Will Smith -- who led off the eighth with a pinch-hit single -- on a sacrifice fly to left.

Smith finished the game off, too, throwing out Wyatt Langford on an attempted steal of second base for the final out, a call that stood following a review. The bullpen picked up Glasnow with five scoreless innings to complete the shutout.

"I thought Tyler was throwing the baseball really well, and then he just cramped up," manager Dave Roberts said. "At that point in time, we don’t want to put him in harm’s way. Fortunately, the bullpen came up big time."

Glasnow first felt cramping in both legs during the third inning, but he was initially able to pitch through the discomfort. It hampered him more beginning in the fourth, and a trainer went out to check on him after he had struck out his first two batters of the frame.

At the time, it wasn't immediately clear what had prompted the trainer to visit the mound. The TV broadcast showed Glasnow appearing to flex his right ankle, his push-off leg, where he felt most of the effects of the cramping. He remained in the game at that point and struck out the side to finish the fourth inning.

"I just saw a lot of shaking of both legs, trying to shake something out," Roberts said. "A lot of time with the lower half, you don’t want it to bleed into the arm and affect that. He just seemed uncomfortable, trying to see his way through it.

"After I talked to him after the fourth inning down below, we just said we’d keep an eye on it. Then he went out there [in the fifth] and threw one pitch and couldn’t keep going."

Glasnow struck out six, walked one and allowed three hits across four scoreless innings before being removed. Given Glasnow's history of arm injuries in his big league career, the cramping was a best-case scenario, even though it was still a frustrating way to end what had been shaping up to be one of his better starts of the young season.

"It’s not like a fatigue thing," Glasnow said. "I’ve tested the hydration. I’m not really sure why it keeps happening. It hasn’t happened in a while.”

Last year in Toronto, Glasnow also exited a start due to cramping in his calf and hand. He remained in turn in the Dodgers' rotation and did not miss any time. There were other sporadic instances of Glasnow dealing with cramps when he was with the Rays.

Glasnow wasn't sure what might have caused this latest episode.

“I don’t know. I’m not quite sure," he said. "I’ve done all the hydration stuff. I do all the supplements. I’m not sure. I think we’ll try and figure some stuff out soon. And just hopefully, it doesn’t happen again.”

Through his first four starts, Glasnow has gone 1-0 with a 3.71 ERA. He's one of the four healthy members of the Opening Day rotation, which already took a hit when Blake Snell went on the 15-day injured list with left shoulder inflammation after making two starts.

The Dodgers also began the season without Tony Gonsolin, who injured his back in the weight room at the end of Spring Training and is also on the 15-day IL. Both he and Snell are making steady progress toward a return around late April or early May.

Glasnow's first season with the Dodgers ended prematurely due to right elbow tendinitis last August, and he has spoken about how his frustration with having to sit out the championship run led him to change up his routine this past offseason in an effort to stay healthy.

"He’s dealing with things, and sometimes it seems like it’s something different," Roberts said. "But it’s not from lack of desire. I’m sure no one’s more frustrated than he is. Especially when you’re pitching well."