Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen left Tuesday night's game against the St. Louis Cardinals with discomfort in his left rib where he previously suffered a fracture against the Arizona Diamondbacks earlier this month.
McCutchen was placed on the 15-day disabled list on August 12 retroactive to August 4 with an avulsion fracture in the 11th rib on his left side. He suffered the injury on August 3 in Arizona when he hit a sacrifice fly to left field to tie the game in the eighth inning. After the swing he clutched his left side in pain and exited the game.
The reigning NL MVP was activated from the DL last Tuesday - the first day he was eligible to return. The team desperately needed McCutchen, especially since they just demoted outfielder Gregory Polanco back to the minors. Also, since June (through August 4), the four-time All-Star led the National League in batting average (.322), slugging percentage (.626), and RBIs (44). Hopefully for Pittsburgh his injury is minor and won't force him to miss significant time.
The Tigers also received some bad news regarding Anibal Sanchez, who also suffered an injury earlier this month. The right-hander experienced a setback in his recovery from a right pectoral strain on Monday during a throwing session. Sanchez said he felt better today, but he will not be returning to the lineup when eligible on Wednesday and will not play this weekend (which was a previous goal). He was placed on the disabled list back on August 11 along with relief pitcher Joakim Soria.
The team's pitching staff also took a hit when Justin Verlander was forced to miss some time with right shoulder inflammation, but he returned on Sunday and is apparently doing fine. However, the Tigers trail the Kansas City Royals by 1.5 games for the AL Central lead and are going to need all the help they can get as the season enters the final month. Sanchez has been an important part of the starting rotation, going 8-5 with a 3.46 ERA and 1.10 WHIP in 21 starts.
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