NEWSLETTER
The recent rash of starting pitchers hitting the IL with the postseason right around the corner continued on Tuesday: Justin Verlander has hit the IL and Shane McClanahan was scratched from his start during his pregame bullpen session. That’s where we’ll start today.
Shane McClanahan Exits During Bullpen
The rash of pitching injuries to postseason contenders continued on Tuesday, when Rays starter Shane McClanahan was scratched from his start during his pregame bullpen in Tampa Bay. The American League All-Star team starter can be seen speaking with coaches before walking off the mound in the bullpen in the video below.
McClanahan owns an 11-5 record, 2.20 ERA, and 182 strikeouts in 147 1/3 innings this season. But, McClanahan, a 2018 first-rounder out of the University of South Florida, is at his career high for innings pitched at any level.
McClanahan, diagnosed with a left shoulder impingement yesterday and will undergo further testing, missed his freshman season at USF due to Tommy John surgery in 2016.
Tampa Bay reliever Shawn Armstrong made his first start of the season in place of McClanahan. Armstrong covered three innings and turned in a solid scoreless performance for the Rays in a 7-2 victory over the Miami Marlins.
Verlander to 15-Day IL
Houston will be without Justin Verlander for the first half of September after the Cy Young front-runner was placed on the 15-Day IL on Tuesday afternoon. Verlander left his start on Sunday after tossing just three innings with a lower-body issue. An MRI on Monday revealed “fascial disruption, but no muscle fiber disruption” in Verlander’s right calf.
Verlander’s placement on the IL is retroactive to August 29, when the injury occurred, and Houston GM James Click says that the Astros’ “hope and expectation is that this should be relatively short-term.”
Here’s what Verlander had to say about the injury and IL stint: “Look, there was an injury, but when it comes to calf injuries, I kind of dodged a bullet here,” Verlander said. “This is about as good of news as I could have gotten.”
Home Run Chases Update
While Albert Pujols stayed put at 694 in his quest for 700 career home runs on Tuesday, Aaron Judge moved to within 10 of Roger Maris’ 1961 Yankees single-season record. Here’s a look at No. 51 on the season for Aaron Judge:
Home run No. 51 for Judge evened him up with Roger Maris’ pace through 130 team games. Judge is just two behind Mark McGwire’s 1998 pace and four behind Barry Bonds’ 2001 pace. Here’s a look at how Judge stacks up against other all-time home run leaders seasons courtesy of The Athletic:
Through 130 team games:
2001 Barry Bonds: 55
1998 Mark McGwire: 53
1961 Roger Maris: 51
2022 Judge: 51
1998 Sammy Sosa: 51
1927 Babe Ruth: 44
