Drayer: With Dee Gordon and Dylan Moore hurt, Mariners have moves to make in Boston
May 9, 2019, 9:29 PM | Updated: 9:43 pm
Mariners 2B Dee Gordon will have a CT scan on his injured wrist Friday in Boston. (AP)
(AP)
NEW YORK – The Mariners lost a ballgame and possibly two players Thursday night in the Bronx.
Mariners held to 2 hits as they drop series to Yankees
In the top of the third inning, Dee Gordon was hit on the right wrist/lower forearm by a 90 mph fastball from Yankees pitcher J.A. Happ. As he hopped back toward the backstop, television cameras caught his reaction. It looked like the reaction you see from players when they are certain they have suffered an injury that would send them to the injury list. Gordon’s reaction, however, was something different.
“I actually was more (ticked) off,” Gordon said in the Mariners clubhouse following the game. “It was the second time (Happ) threw up by my head. You have got to get the ball down. If you can’t throw that pitch, don’t throw it. I’ve got a family. He needs to get the ball down.”
Gordon was clearly still angry about getting hit following the game. As for the status of his wrist? Gordon pointed out that he wasn’t the best example of a player who knows when he is hurt.
“Y’all know me, I broke a foot last year and still played. We’ll see,” he said.
X-rays taken on site did not reveal much, according to Gordon, who is scheduled for a CT scan Friday in Boston before the start of the Mariners’ series with the Red Sox. He might not make the trip for scans alone, as his replacement in the game, Dylan Moore, may need further evaluation of a wrist injury he suffered when hit by a pitch Wednesday.
“It hurts pretty bad,” said Moore, who stayed in the game until he was replaced by Edwin Encarnación at second base in the eighth inning. “I couldn’t swing. I was just trying to get on any way possible.”
The plan heading into the game was to stay away from Moore, perhaps using him as a pinch runner at most as he dealt with the wrist issue. That plan went out the window when Gordon left the game.
“That was probably the worst-case scenario there,” he said. “We were thinking maybe base running but you have got to do what you have got to do.”
Moore covered second base until the eighth inning. When his spot came up in the order, Jay Bruce pinch hit for him, which eventually put Encarnación at second base. It was a curious move at the time – especially considering Encarnación had never played second base in the majors (though he does have more games at third base than any other position besides DH) – but necessary according to manager Scott Servais.
“Dylan Moore, he was very sore today. I was trying to stay away from him but we needed to go to some guys to get through the game and ended up with Edwin playing second base,” he said. “Not ideal, but we have got to look at the roster quick tonight and see what we have got heading into Boston.”
As if the injuries to Gordon and Moore weren’t enough, Encarnación hurt his wrist playing second, too, but stayed in the game after being checked by a trainer following his dive for DJ LeMahieu’s leadoff grounder in the ninth.
The Mariners will put at least one player from the minors on a plane to Boston Thursday night and could send a second as well. While there is the possibility that one or both of Gordon and Moore could be day to day, they can’t head into a series with both players unvailable for even one game.
J.P. Crawford was pulled from the Triple-A Rainiers lineup before their game with Reno Thursday night in Tacoma. The Mariners’ projected shortstop of the future has reached base safely in all 31 games he has played this year and has put up a slash line of .319/.420/.457. On Monday he recorded six RBIs in a Rainiers win over Albuqurque. If a second player is needed, Shed Long or Kristopher Negrón would be candidates. While Long is on the 40-man roster, Negrón is not, so it would require extra roster shuffling for him to be called up.
We should learn more Friday in Boston.
