Madison Bumgarner exits after 4 innings with adductor spasm in loss
May 17, 2021, 9:12 PM | Updated: 11:28 pm
Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Madison Bumgarner throws to the plate during the first inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers Monday, May 17, 2021, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
(AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Madison Bumgarner left his outing after four innings in Monday’s 3-1 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The lefty exited the game due to a left adductor spasm — a muscle on the inner thigh/groin area that’s responsible for moving the leg back toward the body’s midline.
“When I heard that news, I just felt like it would be foolish to send him back out there and it was time to turn it over to the bullpen, get him off his feet and get him evaluated,” manager Torey Lovullo said via Zoom postgame.
“So we feel like he’s in a good spot and we’ll continue to monitor him throughout the night.”
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Bumgarner said he started feeling discomfort during warmups and notified the training staff of it early on in the game, but felt he could have pitched deeper into his outing.
“I don’t know if I would call it pain — maybe discomfort,” he said of how it felt postgame. “It was just tight. It’s just something that’s there but that’s definitely not usually there and you’re not dealing with.
“I think it affected my command a little bit, really. But it’s hard to say. It just seems that way. It definitely had some of my attention.”
The lefty allowed a walk in the first inning and a solo homer in the second inning, keeping his pitch count in a decent spot.
His command had issues in the third and fourth innings, though, as he gave up an RBI single to Albert Pujols in the third and three total walks over those innings.
After 80 pitches through four innings, Bumgarner came up to bat in the top of the fifth inning but was seen having a lengthy conversation with manager Torey Lovullo beforehand.
After his at-bat, Bumgarner wouldn’t come back out to pitch in the bottom half, being replaced by reliever Caleb Smith.
An injury for the left-hander would be the latest for a D-backs team that has been ravaged by them all season, so Bumgarner understood the precaution taken by Lovullo and the training staff.
Just the night before on Sunday, starter Luke Weaver had a similar experience. He said after the game he made the decision himself to come out of the game as a “precautionary” measure dealing with discomfort in his right shoulder after four innings.
“With the boat we’re in right now, it’s one of those things where you go out there — you don’t feel perfect very often,” Bumgarner said. “It was just one of those things that pops up and you have to deal with.
“I think it’ll go away pretty fast. We’ll see. We’ve already been on it pretty good today.”
The Diamondbacks and Dodgers would trade runs in the eighth inning via RBI singles from Eduardo Escobar and Gavin Lux, respectively, to make it 3-1 Los Angeles going into the ninth.
Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen came on for the final four outs of the game to pick up the save, as the D-backs were only able to muster four hits on the night despite leaving eight runners on base.
UP NEXT
The two teams will go at it again on Tuesday in Game 2 of the four-game set in Los Angeles.
First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. Catch all the action 0n 98.7 FM Arizona’s Sports Station.
