Texas’ Smith has stitches, no fractures after HBP
ARLINGTON, Texas — Rangers outfielder Josh Smith has six stitches on the lower right side of his face, a cut inside his mouth and some slight swelling — but no fractures — after getting hit in the face with a pitch.
“I feel pretty good actually. I slept good,” Smith said Tuesday in the Rangers’ clubhouse. “It’s not as bad as I thought it was going to be. Really no pain or anything like that.”
The left-handed batter was struck in the face on a 1-0 pitch from Baltimore Orioles left-hander Danny Coulombe in Monday night’s game. It was a scary situation when Smith spun back to his left and dropped to the dirt in the batter’s box, breaking his fall with his left hand while holding his bloodied face with his right hand.
Smith walked off the field and was taken to a hospital, but was released not long after watching the end of the game from there.
Smith said he had cleared concussion protocol, though he anticipated he would continue to be monitored to make sure there are no issues. He didn’t lose any teeth but said he would probably still see a dentist.
Manager Bruce Bochy said there were no immediate plans for Smith to go on the injured list. Smith, who started three of the team’s first four games in left field, said he hoped to be back in less than a week.
After taking a first-pitch slider from Coulombe leading off the bottom of the third, Smith said he was anticipating another one since the scouting report was that the lefty is slider-heavy.
“I was really trying to focus on staying in (the batter’s box), and it just kind of two-seamed up and just kind of ran into me,” Smith said.
Coulombe had come on in relief to finish the second after Orioles starter Kyle Bradish departed because of a bruised right foot after he was struck by Jonah Heim‘s liner. Four of the six pitches Coulombe threw to left-hander Brad Miller were sliders, the last a foul-tip strikeout for the inning-ending out.
Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said before Tuesday’s game that Bradish was sore and that could possibly affect the right-hander’s next scheduled start.
When given an update on Smith’s condition Tuesday, Coulombe responded, “Good, good, good.”
“I’m just really glad he’s doing OK,” Coulombe said. “That’s the worst part of this game. … I did not want to (hit him), and they know that. I have a lot of really good friends on that team and I talked to them afterwards, said he’s in good spirits.”
Speaking of spirits, there was a new bottle of whiskey in Smith’s locker before the game, an apparent gift sent over by the Orioles pitcher.
Smith said it didn’t bother him to see the replay. He had already watched it a few times, even in slow motion.
“Looks like a boxer, like when they get punched and their whole face comes off their body,” Smith said.
Even though Smith had worn an extended flap on his batting helmet in the past, he hasn’t worn one this season. He said he would when he returns to the lineup, even though he’s not overly concerned about getting hit again.
“The chances of it happening again, I don’t want to jinx it, but are probably very low,” he said. “I don’t think I’ll have a problem getting back in. I’ve done it before. So I think the best thing is just to get back in, and not really think about it.”
Smith was hit in the mouth by a pitch in college, while playing for LSU against Southeastern Louisiana in February 2019. Despite a bloody lip, Smith stayed in that game and eventually scored the tying run in a Tigers victory. That was just a few months before he was a second-round draft pick by the Yankees, who traded him to Texas in a 2021 deadline deal that sent Joey Gallo to New York.
-
Jesse Rogers
CHICAGO — Kansas City Royals first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino started pointing toward the locker of teammate Seth Lugo after their 8-4 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday. Lugo, 35, had just pitched six solid innings in sweltering heat, leading Kansas City to its 50th win of the season.
“I’d like to see him pitch for us again,” Pasquantino said while pointing. “I’d really like to see him in a Royals jersey in his next start. We’re trying to make that happen. That’s up to us.”
The Royals are one of the bubble teams in the American League, having picked up some ground on the wild-card leaders after taking two of three from the Cubs. But they are still three games under .500 as the MLB trade deadline approaches next week. Lugo would be an attractive player for another team, as he is set to become a free agent, assuming he turns down his player option for next season.
Kansas City should do well in a trade if it chooses to move him. Lugo’s ERA sits at 2.95 after he gave up two runs in his six innings Wednesday.
“His name is prevalent, especially here [Chicago],” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said before the game. “I’m aware of that. We talked about it openly, understanding we like what we have here. We believe if we can string some good games together, we can get back in this thing.”
If they can’t get back in it, the Cubs are among the teams expected to be interested in Lugo’s services. Their starting pitching after top guys Shota Imanaga and All-Star Matthew Boyd is suspect. Righty Colin Rea gave up three home runs Wednesday, two to Pasquantino. Lugo easily outpitched him, giving up four hits and two walks while striking out six on an extremely hitter-friendly day at Wrigley Field. The wind was blowing out, but Lugo kept the ball in the park.
Afterward, he was asked how he keeps his mind focused considering the rumors swirling around him.
“You don’t think about it,” he said. “You worry about the start. That’s it.”
Lugo was pleased to hear Pasquantino go to bat for him. He said he’d rather stay and win with the Royals than be shipped out.
“I want to be here through the thick and thin,” he said. “It’s a good team. We just have to be more consistent and we’ll be all right.”
Kansas City has hovered around the .500 mark all season but hasn’t been able to get over the hump in the wild-card race. The win Wednesday drew the Royals within four games of the final wild-card spot but with four teams to overcome.
Quatraro waved off the trade talk, citing the unpredictability of the season after the deadline. No matter what his front office does, he wants his team to continue to push.
“You can add to your team and not play as well,” he said. “You can subtract from your team and play better. Or you can stay status quo and get hot.”
Pasquantino added: “It’s a business. Teams have to make business decisions, but as far as I’m concerned, I want [Lugo] in Royals blue for the rest of the season.”
After a day off Thursday, the Royals begin a homestand that will take them through the deadline on July 31. Lugo would be in line to start against the Atlanta Braves next week before the deadline, but it remains to be seen whether he’ll take the mound as scheduled.
“Start today,” he said. “Off day tomorrow, and it’s back to work after that. Control what I can control. Go about my routine. Go about my business.”
-
Sports3 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports1 year agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports2 years agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports2 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports4 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Sports2 years agoButton battles heat exhaustion in NASCAR debut
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment2 years agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike