The Los Angeles Dodgers began the 2016 season with an astounding 10 players on the disabled list, and have moved players on and off the DL over the last two-and-a-half weeks. Carl Crawford and Scott Van Slyke were made inactive due to back issues, despite both believing their situation wasn’t serious.
Crawford is nearing a return, while the severity of Van Slyke’s injury is more severe than initially believed. Pedro Baez was unavailable for the final two games of the series with the Atlanta Braves after being hit on the back of his head by an Adam Liberatore warmup pitch.
Baez passed concussion protocol and threw a scorless sixth inning on Friday night against the Colorado Rockies. Yimi Garcia followed his fellow right-handed reliever, but was unable to get through the seventh due to a right biceps injury.
According to J.P. Hoornstra of the LA Daily News, Scott Kazmir’s exit after the fifth inning was related to a thumb issue on his throwing hand:
Scott Kazmir left the game in part because he had a left thumb issue.
— J.P. Hoornstra (@jphoornstra) April 23, 2016
Kazmir left the clubhouse wearing a brace on his left wrist, per Andy McCullough of the LA Times:
Scott Kazmir exited the clubhouse wearing a brace on his left hand. He had a thumb issue during the game.
— Andy McCullough (@McCulloughTimes) April 23, 2016
Kazmir said on Saturday the issue stems from hitting during Spring Training and he doesn’t expect to miss a start, according to ESPN’s Doug Padilla:
Kazmir says he has nagging soreness on thumb side of left wrist. Called it minor. Won't miss a start. Started in spg training on a swing.
— Doug Padilla (@DougPadilla) April 23, 2016
Kazmir again struggled with his command in Friday’s outing, which now appears could be explained by the thumb injury. Pitching with a 3-0 lead in the first inning, Kazmir retired the side in order. However, Colorado scored one run in the second, and tied the game in the fourth behind home runs from Nolan Arenado (solo) and Ryan Raburn (two-run).
Despite only pitching five innings, the start was Kazmir’s longest since he threw six scoreless against the San Diego Padres in his regular-season debut on April 5. The 32-year-old southpaw was inconsistent throughout Spring Training, and the same issue has largely plagued him through four starts.
On the season, Kazmir is 1-1 with a 6.63 ERA and 1.42 WHIP. He signed a three-year, $48 million contract with the Dodgers during the offseason. The deal includes an opt-out clause after the 2016 season.
