Ramirez left the game one batter into the fourth inning with what the Rays called a “right groin strain.” The righty sailed along through the front three innings, using only 33 pitches to put down Jason Kipnis and the Indians. Yet there was a noticeable difference in the fourth inning, and after a 1-2 pitch to Francisco Lindor, Ramirez winced on the follow-through and grabbed his groin before being lifted. Erasmo also followed through gingerly on the previous pitch.
Ramirez told Roger Mooney (Tampa Tribune) and others that he felt a cramp while throwing the second pitch to Lindor during the at-bat. And while tried to stretch his groin before his next pitch, the cramp felt worse while stretching his legs on the delivery. It is thought that the initial injury could have occurred when Erasmo covered first on a Michael Brantly groundout in the first inning. Ramirez slipped as he stretched his right leg to find the bag on the play.
After a two disastrous appearances to start the season, Ramirez has developed into a valuable starter for the Rays — posting a 2.36 ERA and 3.50 FIP, while fanning 20% of the batters he’s faced and coaxing grounders 45% of the time. He joins a laundry list of eight other injured pitchers (among other injured position players):
Alex Cobb (Tommy John surgery)
Drew Smyly (attempting to rehab a torn labrum)
Matt Moore (rehabbing from Tommy John surgery)
Jake Odorizzi (oblique strain)
Andrew Bellatti (shoulder tendonitis)
Burch Smith (Tommy John surgery)
Jeff Beliveau (torn labrum)
Jose Dominguez (minor-league DL)
However, it isn’t all doom and gloom. The initial post-game examination was encouraging, but the Rays won’t know for a few days if Ramirez will miss time, or become the fifth starting pitcher on the DL.
Don’t quite know the severity of it. So far we’re hearing good things, Rays manager Kevin Cash said. Maybe we caught it early enough, so we’ll see over the next couple of days how he responds to treatment.
Always the eager one, Ramirez said he expects to make his next start, but he and the team will know more Tuesday when he is scheduled to throw a bullpen session.
I don’t feel it’s that bad, for real, Ramirez said.
Working in the Rays’ favor, the team will have a well deserved off-day on Thursday, and they could skip Ramirez’s next turn in the rotation — buying the team nine days of rest before Erasmo’s next start. That could be enough time for his groin to heal, dependent upon the severity, and the ultimate diagnosis, of the injury.
If Ramirez is placed on the DL, the expected return of LHP Matt Moore and righties Jake Odorizzi and Andrew Bellatti could mitigate the impact on the rotation. Moore is slated to make two more rehabilitation starts with Triple-A Durham (on Sunday and Friday), putting his return around July 1st. Bellatti and Odorizzi “both reported feeling really, really good” after throwing off the mound for the first time Saturday at Tropicana Field, Cash said. They are scheduled to throw full bullpen sessions on Monday, and if all goes as planned, Odorizzi would likely need to make two rehab starts before returning.
The New What Next
Alex Colome (3-3, 5.14 ERA) will start for the Rays, opposite of RHP Cody Anderson and Cleveland. El Coballo will try to rebound from a disastrous two-inning outing in his last start, one in which he threw 43 pitches in the second inning alone. He said he has addressed a few mechanical issues between starts and should be good to go on Sunday. Anderson has been recalled from Triple-A Columbus, and it will mark the Major League debut for the 24-year-old Anderson, who posted a 1.89 ERA in 71-1/3 innings between Double-A Akron and Triple-A this season. You can read about the series finale in our series preview, and I’ll post the starting lineup upon availability.
Rays 6/21/15 Starting Lineup
Kiermaier CF
Butler LF
Longoria 3B
DeJesus DH
Forsythe 2B
Souza RF
Cabrera SS
Elmore 1B
Casali C
Colome RHP
Noteworthiness
— Speaking just moments before Ramirez left Saturday’s game with a groin strain, longtime MLB pitcher Dennis Martinez (Ramirez’s hero) heaped praise on his fellow Nicaraguan,
Erasmo is a great kid, said Martinez. He comes from a family that lives in a little town, where he has done everything possible he can out of nowhere. Nobody believed in him because of his size and everything else. But that kid is so strong and so good and so humble. Everything you see on him is a smile. And it’s a pure smile.
— Per Marc Topkin (Tampa Bay Times), Ramirez said his strained groin feels “way better” today (Sunday), but the key test will be his bullpen session on Tuesday.
— Only one team in Major League Baseball has more wins than Tampa Bay — the St. Louis Cardinals have 45.