Alex Wood pitched through another dip in velocity on Monday night against the Pittsburgh Pirates, allowing three runs on five hits over six innings. He struck out five without issuing a walk, and threw 86 pitches.
Wood surrendered three home runs, marking a third consecutive start in which he allowed at least one homer. It’s been a troubling trend since the southpaw made his first career trip to the All-Star Game.
On Tuesday, the Dodgers put Wood on the 10-day disabled list with the same SC joint inflammation that sidelined him in late May and into June. He doesn’t believe the latest issue is as serious, according to Ken Gurnick of MLB.com:
“It’s milder compared to when I originally did it,” Wood said. “If we were three games up, you might try to fight through it. But we want to get it to calm down so I’m good for the last three weeks and into October. I just feel it’s affecting me mechanically, whether it’s consciously or subconsciously and my body is trying to adjust.”
While Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said he wasn’t certain of a potential return date for the 26-year-old, Wood projected that could come the first weekend of September for a weekend series with the San Diego Padres that includes a doubleheader Saturday, Sept. 2, at Petco Park.
That would amount to just one start missed. The same held true for Wood earlier in the year when he spent 12 days (11 games) on the disabled list with the injury.
He was expected to be administered a cortisone shot that would help alleviate the discomfort and pave the way to beginning a throwing program. Wood is 14-1 with a 2.41 ERA that currently qualifies as the fourth-best in baseball.
Wood’s win total is second only to that of Clayton Kershaw, who himself is on the disabled list at present time. Kershaw is scheduled for a rehab start with Triple-A Oklahoma City on Saturday, with a return to the Dodgers rotation to come some time next week.
