ARLINGTON -- The sting of the Orioles' 2-1 loss in 12 innings to the Rangers on Wednesday will wear off by the time the first pitch is thrown the next night, but the effects of what else may have been lost in this game could have a more lasting impact.
Three key O¡¯s players left the game with injuries, and while manager Brandon Hyde was optimistic that none of them would need to spend any time on the injured list, there are still questions about how they will get through the next few days without a full, healthy roster.
As of postgame Wednesday, the club did not have plans to make any moves.
¡°None of those guys seem like they're going to be IL candidates,¡± Hyde said. ¡°We may play a little short the next couple days, possibly.¡±
The first injury arrived in the opening inning, when catcher Pedro Severino was removed after taking a foul ball off his mask. He was diagnosed with a head contusion, but with no evidence of concussion symptoms.
Severino¡¯s departure was first initiated after home plate umpire Brian O¡¯Nora alerted Hyde that something seemed amiss. Severino had taken a foul tip squarely at the top of the mask, where it connects with the helmet. Severino looked shaken, but he remained in the game -- temporarily.
Three batters later, O¡¯Nora called over Hyde and head athletic trainer Brian Ebel.
¡°Brian didn't feel like things were right,¡± Hyde said. ¡°We're going to be as cautious as possible when it comes to the head, so we took him out.¡±
Severino was examined by a doctor soon after his exit from the game.
¡°All the tests checked out the way we were hoping,¡± Hyde said. ¡°He should be OK.¡±
The Orioles made a second injury-related in-game substitution in the fifth, when second baseman Jonathan Villar was removed with right thumb soreness. That malady may have been the least alarming of the three.
Right fielder DJ Stewart exited the next inning, after a scary collision with Hanser Alberto left him with a right ankle sprain.
Stewart¡¯s injury happened while he was sprinting to catch an Elvis Andrus pop fly in foul territory in shallow right. Alberto was also running full force, and eventually, the two collided. Stewart hit the wall, too, as he fell to the ground.
¡°I wasn't sure if I was able to call, it but I called it kind of late,¡± Stewart said. ¡°[Alberto] went low, I went high. I caught the ball and planted and he kind of slid into me.¡±
In obvious pain, Stewart lay on his back while being tended to by the training staff. He ran a few steps as a test, but ended up leaving the game, walking off the field without assistance.
¡°I was begging to stay in,¡± he said. ¡°They made a decision that it was the best thing right now. I knew we had only one guy [left] on the bench. I never want to come out of a game. I pride myself on it. But I think we made the smart decision.¡±
Hyde characterized Stewart¡¯s injury as a little less serious than a sprain.
¡°He jammed his ankle a little bit,¡± Hyde said. ¡°They're calling it a sprain, but I think it's just soreness right now.¡±
None of the three injured players will start Thursday¡¯s game, Hyde said. How long the Orioles will not be at full strength remains to be seen, but the timing isn¡¯t good, considering they¡¯re headed to Houston after this series to play the first-place Astros.
¡°That's part of it -- part of a six-month season,¡± Hyde said. ¡°Sometimes these things happen. You run into times when you're a man or two down. We might be like that for the next couple days.¡±
Means strong in no-decision
Rookie lefty John Means, a bright spot in an otherwise struggling Baltimore rotation, had another strong outing, holding the Rangers to one run across six innings, walking one and striking out five.
The southpaw, as always, relied heavily on his changeup, especially in the earlier innings. Of the 108 pitches he threw in this start, 22 were changeups, with an average velocity of 81.8 mph.
Means pushed through two long delays when Severino and Stewart were injured, but the pitcher had no issues maintaining his pace.
"I think it got better as it went on," Means said of the outing. "Early on, I didn't really have my best stuff. As the game went on, I found my changeup, found my better fastball and it worked well from there."
Cashner's start pushed back
Andrew Cashner will pitch Saturday in Houston instead of Thursday in the series finale with the Rangers, Hyde announced before Wednesday's game.
Cashner, who could be a trade candidate as the July 31 Deadline approaches, experienced some minor right leg soreness after his prior outing on May 31 vs. the Giants. As a precautionary move, Hyde opted to give Cashner two extra days of rest.
David Hess will pitch Thursday, and Gabriel Ynoa will open the series with the Astros on Friday.