In the eighth inning of Thursday’s 5-3 win, Cincinnati Reds reliever Tejay Antone pitched with the bases loaded and two outs.
Facing Atlanta Braves pinch-hitter Pablo Sandoval with the game potentially on the line, Antone threw a 98 mph sinker and got an inning ending pop out to shortstop.
After that pitch, he said he felt pain in his arm. Two days later, Antone went on the 10-day injured list with a right forearm strain.
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“I tried to get on it so I could put him away in a big situation, I think my form got out of whack,” Antone said. “It was only on that one pitch that I felt something.”
“I had a lot of adrenaline at that moment, so I think that was blocking some pain. Once I got inside and did my shoulder program and did all my working out and stuff, I was like man, this is not really going away and in a way (is) getting worse.”
Earlier this month, Antone went on the 10-day injured list with right forearm inflammation. He missed two weeks then, but this trip to the IL is expected to last until after the All-Star break.
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“It was completely different than what I had previously felt from the first IL (trip),” Antone said. “Poor timing. Maybe there was something underlying that I didn't feel.”
Antone said he aggravated the inside flexor this time, which connects to the UCL and is closer to his elbow. An MRI showed no damage to the UCL, which Antone said was the best-case scenario.
Antone said his goal is to return the first day after the All-Star break, July 16 against the Milwaukee Brewers.
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“They want to make sure I don't have any more symptoms or soreness or any pain of any kind before I touch a ball again,” Antone said. “It sounded like they wanted to do another MRI to make sure everything's clean before I even touch a ball again.”
STEP FOR SONNY: On Saturday, Reds starter Sonny Gray pitched three scoreless innings on his rehab assignment with the Triple-A Louisville Bats.
The rehab assignment went well according to manager David Bell, and Gray could be on track to return to the Reds rotation this week.
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“As of last night, he was feeling good,” Bell said. “Physically, everything went well, so he’s on track. We’ll see him today. It’d probably be best to see him, speak with him today before any final plans are made.”
GARRETT STEPS UP: In the ninth inning Saturday’s 4-1 win over the Braves, Atlanta had the middle of the order due up in the ninth inning. Those hitters included a left-handed hitter, a switch hitter, and a right-handed hitter.
Bell has consistently used matchups to dictate who pitches when out of the bullpen. This time, there wasn’t an advantage either way.
Left-handed reliever Amir Garrett entered the game in the ninth and pitched one of his best games of the year to record the save. With Antone and Lucas Sims on the 10-day injured list, Garrett will likely have more opportunities to pitch late in games.
“Amir has been throwing the ball really well,” Bell said. “Yesterday was outstanding. Just another step for Amir. He absolutely got the job done against good hitters, a tough part of the lineup.”
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