Baltimore Orioles manager Buck Showalter told reporters on Friday it was unlikely that third baseman Manny Machado would not return from the disabled list when eligible this coming Wednesday. He will now miss the rest of the season.
Machado sprained his right knee on August 11 during an at-bat against the New York Yankees and was helped off the field by the team's medical staff. He was placed in the disabled list the day after and was eligible to return on August 27, but it appears that no longer matters. The doctor who performed the surgery on Machado's injured left knee last year found an abnormality in his right knee.
Dr. Neal ElAttrache is the Los Angeles Dodgers' team physician and orthopedic surgeon. Machado's MRI on his sprained right knee revealed the same abnormality he had in his left knee that was injured last year, which forced him to miss the remainder of the 2013 season. The surgery will force Machado to miss the rest of the 2014 season - a big hit for the Orioles - but nothing they're not used to, being that the third baseman has only played in 82 games this year. Ryan Flaherty will likely take his place at third in the meantime.
As for the NL Central division leaders, the Milwaukee Brewers will get back starting pitcher Kyle Lohse on Monday after an ankle injury forced him to miss a couple of starts. He first injured his right ankle chasing a ground ball against the St. Louis Cardinals on August 2, and then re-injured it against the Chicago Cubs on August 13. He's been kept out of action since then, luckily avoiding the disabled list and an extended absence.
Lohse has been solid for the Brewers this year, posting a record of 11-7 with a 3.49 ERA in 25 starts. The team couldn't afford to lose him for a significant amount of time because starter Matt Garza has been shelved since August 4 with a left oblique strain and he did not come off the 15-day DL when his stint was over. Manager Ron Roenicke said on August 10 that Garza is "not going to throw anytime soon," in this Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article. Luckily 29-year-old Mike Fiers came to the rescue during both of their absences to compile a 3-1 record in three starts and four other appearances with a 1.29 ERA and 30 strikeouts.
Although the Orioles and Brewers lead their divisions in August, they're going to have to adjust as they're missing important pieces to their team late in the season.
