Price Suffers Hamstring Injury In Win; Tigers Expect To Know More Saturday
By Ashley Dunkak
@AshleyDunkak
DETROIT - After leaving Friday's win over the Kansas City Royals in the seventh inning, after he stepped on a bat while covering home plate, Detroit Tigers starter David Price was diagnosed with a hamstring injury.
"My heel stepped on the bat, and then it rolled to the front of my foot," Price said. "It felt like it kind of hyperextended my leg a little bit. I don't know. We'll see tomorrow."
Price said he had no gut feeling about whether the injury would cause him to miss his next start -- or possibly multiple starts.
"I've got nothing for you right now," Price said. "Nothing more about my leg. I've got nothing for you."
Price did not only suffer an injury Friday; before he got hurt, he gave up 13 hits, a career high.
In each of the first three innings, Price faced four batters, and he held the Royals scoreless. The Tigers led, 4-0, going into the fourth inning. Price had cruised early in the game, but in the fourth he gave up a double to Alex Gordon, a home run to Salvador Perez, a double to Omar Infante, and singles to Christian Colon and Alcides Escobar. Lorenzo Cain then reached on a throwing error by third baseman Nick Castellanos.
Kansas City scored four runs that inning, tying the game. After Price pitched a scoreless fifth inning, he surrendered three straight singles in the sixth, and the Royals took a 5-4 lead. It was after that last single that Price stepped on the bat while covering home plate, and after he tried throwing a warmup pitch, he left the game.
Tigers manager Brad Ausmus did not say what he believed the injury was when it happened, but whatever he thought it might be, Ausmus felt better once he heard the diagnosis.
"Any injury is concerning, especially when you're talking about the ace of your staff," Ausmus said, "but I think I'm less concerned now than I was when I was in the dugout while he was upstairs getting treated, now that I know what the diagnosis is."
Price would have been leaving the game soon even had he not been injured, the manager said.
"He had given up three straight hits, he had the righty coming up -- I probably would have given him that one more hitter," Ausmus said.
The Tigers already have one starter out of commission, with Justin Verlander on the disabled list. Ausmus indicated the team should have a better feel Saturday for whether Detroit will need to bring someone up to fill in for Price as well.
