NEW YORK – Brett Lawrie knows all about pains in the hand.
Back in 2011, on the verge of a promotion to the big-leagues with the Toronto Blue Jays, his left hand was broken when he was hit by a pitch from Tucson’s Anthony Bass while playing for triple-A Las Vegas.
On Saturday, he was hit on the top of his left hand by a pitch from Baltimore’s Bud Norris and now he’s day-to-day after getting hit by Chase Whitley in Wednesday’s 7-3 loss to the New York Yankees.
“Twice in less than a week on the same hand, it’s tough,” Lawrie said. “We’ll see what it feels like (Thursday), but I don’t think it should be too bad, just a bone bruise or whatever. …
“I got hit on top of the hand in Baltimore and then I got hit right on the bottom of the hand, so two different parts. It’s annoying but one of those things.”
Asked if the feeling in his hand was similar to what he felt when it was broken in 2011 – that one was initially diagnosed as a bruise because X-Rays couldn’t find the fracture through the swelling – Lawrie replied, “It hasn’t been that kind of pain.”
“That was a different kind of pain for me,” he continued. “I judge it off that. It still hurts but the hand has so many little bones in there, just being cautious, went and got it checked out and everything was positive. Move on to (Thursday) and see what (Thursday) brings.”
Given that the Blue Jays are already short with Adam Lind day-to-day also, Lawrie said he really wanted to play, but “at the same time I don’t want to put myself in a position where I’m hurting the team by going in there and not playing to my full potential. Obviously when I get up (Thursday) we’ll see what that brings, but I anticipate that it should be OK and I should be in there.”
Had he already been playing through pain from the previous hit by pitch from Norris?
“Yeah, just nicked up, just banged up, more or less,” Lawrie said. “It took a couple of days for the hand to die down a little bit and then this jumpstarts it again. You’ve just got to suck it up and get right back in there.”
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Brett Cecil tweaked his left groin last Friday in Baltimore and thought he was ready to go when he took the mound Wednesday against the Yankees. He wasn’t, the tightness returned and instead he became the latest Blue Jays player to land on the disabled list as the attrition builds.
“I kind of wish I gave it a few more days,” said Cecil. “I like to compete and I don’t like to sit on the sidelines and watch. If I think I’m good enough to get out there then I’m going to give them the OK to get me out there. Just stinks.”
The left-hander said he didn’t feel pain, “but it was just real uncomfortable to pitch.” He had tested himself out on Tuesday and felt OK, but things change when he inherited a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the seventh.
“I could throw flat grounds and throw out of the ‘pen warming up, that’s one thing, but it’s another when you get adrenaline going and you don’t realize you’re using your legs as much as you do use them in the game,” said Cecil. “First pitch wasn’t bad but every pitch after that I felt it, pretty much every time. No pain, just that tightness that’s in there and if it’s going to affect me, the way I’m pitching, then I don’t need to be out there right now.”
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Clayton Kershaw’s no-hitter against the Colorado Rockies was pretty remarkable last night, and listening to legendary Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully call it honestly, without any of the silly superstitions about not acknowledging what was happening, was the perfect match.
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Former Blue Jays outfielder Travis Snider struck out Canadian superstar Joey Votto last night? WHAT? Watch here.