ARLINGTON, Texas — Cal Quantrill is dealing with a different injury than the one that cut short his previous start, Texas Rangers manager Skip Schumaker said Sunday. The right-hander was being evaluated at Globe Life Field on Sunday morning, hours before the series finale against the Toronto Blue Jays.
Quantrill left Saturday night’s 6-2 win with right lat tightness after getting one out in the second inning. He faced 4 batters and threw 12 pitches, and his last pitch was a four-seam fastball at 87.8 mph, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reported. He has averaged 93.8 mph on the pitch this season.
On The Skip Schumaker Show, the pregame segment Rangers Sports Network posts, Schumaker said the plan going into Saturday was to watch Quantrill’s first pitch out of the bullpen and see where the velocity landed.
“After the first inning, there was a chance,” Schumaker said. “Just the conversations that we had, actually at the beginning of the game coming out of the bullpen, it was kind of like, hey, watch him first pitch, kind of see how this thing goes. The velo was around 90, 91, 92.”
“We thought he had enough to get through the game, but talking with him in between innings, you knew right away that it was going to be pitch to pitch, hitter to hitter,” Schumaker continued. “After the ground ball from Springer, I think that pitch might have been 88 miles an hour as a fastball. We knew we had to go take a look and check on him, and unfortunately, he had to come out of the game.”
George Springer grounded out to open the second, and Schumaker, pitching coach Jordan Tiegs, and head athletic trainer Matt Lucero came to the mound after the play. Quantrill left after a brief conversation with them.
Skip Schumaker Says Cal Quantrill’s Lat Injury Is Not The Arizona Back Issue
After Saturday’s game, Schumaker said the extent of the injury was unclear and that Quantrill would have an MRI on Sunday.
“No, it’s not the same injury, different injury,” Schumaker explained. “The outlook is he’s getting checked on right now. We’ll see what happens.”
On Sept. 13 at Chase Field, Quantrill’s back tightened after the fifth inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks. He finished 6 innings that night and allowed 5 hits and 2 earned runs, with 0 walks and 4 strikeouts on 70 pitches, and the Rangers cleared him to make Saturday’s start.
Quantrill is 9-5 with a 2.86 ERA and 81 strikeouts over 110 innings this season, with 25 walks across 32 appearances. He entered Saturday looking for his seventh consecutive quality start. All 15 of his starts have come since Jack Leiter went on the injured list June 21 following arthroscopic surgery on his right ankle.
Texas Rangers Turn To Jacob deGrom In The Toronto Blue Jays Finale
Jacob deGrom (11-9, 3.79 ERA) starts Sunday’s finale, with first pitch at 1:35 p.m. CT on Rangers Sports Network and the roof closed. Toronto is going with a bullpen day, and right-hander Spencer Miles (6-2, 2.65 ERA) opens for the Blue Jays.
Saturday’s win moved Texas (78-77) into sole possession of first place in the American League West for the first time since late August. The Rangers lead the Houston Astros (77-78) by one game with seven to play, and Houston won the season series 9-4 and holds the tiebreaker.
Texas is off Monday before hosting the New York Mets from Sept. 22 to 24. The Rangers close the regular season with three games at the Minnesota Twins from Sept. 25 to 27.
