Paxton to DL, will miss at least one start for Mariners. ‘It could have been a lot, lot worse’
Seattle Mariners pitcher James Paxton was placed on the 10-day disabled list on Wednesday with a bruised pitching arm but appears to have escaped more serious injury after being hit by a line drive.
Paxton was hit on the left forearm on a shot off the bat of Jed Lowrie, the third batter in the bottom of the first inning of Tuesday’s game in Oakland. Paxton underwent a precautionary X-ray, which was negative, and was diagnosed with a severe contusion.
After the game Paxton said he felt his arm tighten up and couldn’t really use his wrist or fingers. But by Wednesday morning, he was better.
“There’s still some swelling in there,” Paxton told reporters. “It’s just getting that swelling out of there and going from there. Lots of ice, at some point some strength stuff to push that swelling out of there, elevation, basically whatever these guys tell me to do.”
Mariners manager Scott Servais said Paxton will miss at least one start but could be ready to pitch again in 10-12 days. Paxton is 10-5, including a no-hitter against Toronto, and a 3.68 ERA.
“It’s unfortunate, but looking on the bright side, we probably got a little lucky,” Servais said. “It could have been a lot, lot worse.”
Servais, asked about Paxton’s replacement in the rotation, said Felix Hernandez is the best option at the moment.
Hernandez came on in relief of Paxton on Tuesday. He pitched 5 2/3 innings, giving up two runs on five hits. He walked two, struck out two and was tagged with the loss when Lowrie hit a two-run, go-ahead homer off him in the third inning.
The relief appearance was the first of the career by Hernandez after 398 starts.
“It was weird,” Hernandez said. “I just grabbed the ball and tried to throw as many pitches as I could, trying to get loose. I know my body, I know my arm. I was ready to go.”
Replacing Paxton on the roster is pitcher Christian Bergman, who was recalled from Triple-A Tacoma. Bergman has made two spot starts for the Mariners this season, going 0-1 with a 3.97 ERA in 11 1/3 innings. With the Rainiers, he’s pitched in 23 games (22 starts) with a 7-9 record and a 5.44 ERA in 124 innings.
This story was originally published August 15, 2018 at 12:30 PM.