The Rockies beat the Dodgers by a score of 5-2 on Tuesday, in large part to the two perfect innings tossed by their No. 2 prospect, left hander Drew Pomeranz.
Unfortunately for Pomeranz, he was forced to leave after the second inning after experiencing tightness in his right hip.
“My hip’s a little tight,” he said after his departure. “It was tight in warm-ups, too. I was seeing if it was going to warm up at all. It’s just an annoying little thing I felt. I could have still pitched, but there’s no point in pushing it.”
This hip tightness is the same discomfort that he experienced in prior Cactus League starts, and it’s a good sign for the Rockies that he notified the team of the tightness prior to the start.
The team trainer and pitching coach Bob Apodaca were aware of the discomfort felt by Pomeranz, and he was mature enough to keep the team notified of his status.
Thankfully, the discomfort seems to have had no effect on his pitching.
Pomeranz was perfect in his two innings of work on Tuesday, striking out two. He was expected to go four frames but the discomfort obviously led to his early departure.
So far this spring, Pomeranz has pitched seven innings, allowing no runs on three hits. He has walked two and struck out seven.
Rockies fans should not be worried about this injury. Although it seems to be a recurring thing for Pomeranz, he seems to be well of aware of its effect on him this spring.
“I knew what it was—it’s not like something that came out of nowhere,” he said. “It’s been getting a little tight after starts. Usually I feel it the next day. I don’t know if it’s just getting back into the swing of things or what. Usually the next day it’s a little tight and goes away. It’s nothing I’m worried about.”
Pomeranz figures to be a member of the team’s rotation when the regular season gets under way.
Despite being drafted in 2010—he was the first-round pick of the Indians—Pomeranz saw time in the Rockies rotation last September.
In four starts (18 1/3 innings), he posted a 2-1 record with a 5.40 ERA. He struck out 13 while walking five.
The Rockies will obviously be keeping a close eye on Pomeranz this spring, but this hip tightness shouldn’t be something that continues to bother him as the spring progresses.
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