Cabrera suffered a ruptured left biceps tendon while taking a big swing in the third inning against Minnesota’s Jake Odorizzi on Tuesday. He’ll undergo season-ending surgery in the near future.
“He feels really bad. He feels like he’s letting people down. There’s a guy who’s a warrior,” manager Ron Gardenhire said. “Total respect for that man. He’s a (heck) of a baseball player. Hopefully, we can somehow get through this thing and get him back playing.”
Even before Tuesday’s devastating injury, Cabrera had trouble staying healthy this season. Cabrera missed three games in late April and early May with a biceps spasm. He returned for one game, then spent the rest of the month on the disabled list because of a hamstring strain.
“We’ve got to try to help him get through this thing,” Gardenhire said. “It’s a very sad day for our baseball team. He’s a special player, a special person to have around here. That’s a blow. I felt terrible when I saw him do that.”
Backup catcher John Hicks becomes the team’s starting first baseman in Cabrera’s absence. He’ll likely start there on Wednesday during the second game of the series.
Minnesota will send out their ace, Jose Berrios.
Following a stretch of four starts in late April and early May in which he gave up at least four earned runs, Berrios has overpowered the opposition. He’s won four of his last five starts while posting 44 strikeouts.
He went the distance on Thursday against the Chicago White Sox, holding them to two runs on six hits while striking out 10 without a walk.
“I felt healthy,” Berrios told mlb.com afterward. “I got quite of few pitches — fastball, curveball, changeup — working. That’s what I used the whole game.”
Berrios (7-5, 3.66 ERA) collected a victory at home over the Tigers during that stretch Jordan Scarlett Jersey , limiting them to two runs on three hits in eight innings May 21. He’s 3-1 in six career outings against Detroit despite an 8.49 ERA. Tigers catcher James McCann has been a tough out for Berrios, hitting two home runs with seven RBIs in 11 career at-bats.
Left-hander Matthew Boyd, arguably the Tigers’ most consistent starter this season, will oppose Berrios. Boyd (4-4, 3.20) has notched two wins and a no-decision in his last three starts.
He survived Boston’s potent lineup in his last outing on Thursday despite some control issues. He limited the Red Sox to two runs on four hits in 6 1/3 innings but also issued four walks and threw three wild pitches.
“As the game went on, he got more comfortable,” Hicks said to the Detroit News afterward. “The mound in the bullpen is flat and the mound in the game is steep. It’s kind of an adjustment once you get out there. But once he settled in, he had all his pitches we could to go to in any count.”
Boyd has pitched against the Twins more than any other team. In 12 career starts, Boyd is 5-3 with a 4.01 ERA.
Twins leadoff man Brian Dozier has been a thorn in Boyd’s side, batting .406 with three doubles and three homers in 32 career at-bats.
THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. (AP) — Sean McVay led the Los Angeles Rams from the NFL’s depths to the Super Bowl in just two seasons, and he did it without a first-round pick in the first two draft classes of his tenure.The upcoming draft is the Rams’ first chance to add a truly elite talent chosen to the specifications of McVay and Wade Phillips. The coaches are eager to see what they can get.“This will be the first year that we have a first-round pick,” McVay said with a grin. “It’ll be fun.”Indeed, the Rams have a first-round pick for the first time in three years David Montgomery Jersey , even if it’s only the 31st overall after their 13-3 regular season.The previous time the Rams picked in the opening round, general manager Les Snead moved up to snag Jared Goff with the No. 1 overall choice, making a big splash with the club’s first draft selection since returning home to Los Angeles.Although this pick won’t be quite so splashy, the Rams have the opportunity and the need to draft a potential starter on either the offensive or defensive line.The departures of center John Sullivan, guard Rodger Saffold and nose tackle Ndamukong Suh opened vacancies that haven’t been definitively filled.The Rams don’t have a second-round pick after trading it to Kansas City last season in the deal for Marcus Peters. That means they’ll be tempted to move that first-round pick to gain more draft capital, but McVay would love an impact player from this draft after getting just a few major contributors since his arrival.From the first draft class of his tenure in 2017, the Rams came up with receivers Cooper Kupp and Josh Reynolds, starting safety John Johnson and linebacker Samson Ebukam. Los Angeles didn’t have a pick until the third round last spring, and fourth-rounder John Franklin-Myers made the biggest impact as a backup defensive end on the Super Bowl squad.Here are more things to ponder about the Rams draft:STOP THE RUNSuh helped the Rams to the Super Bowl in his only season in LA, but the veteran star didn’t always make a significant impact on regular-season games. Suh hasn’t signed with another team, but Snead has said he isn’t likely to return. That means the Rams need a new space-filler up front in Phillips’ 3-4 defense, and this draft is thick with interior defensive line talent. A defensive tackle to play alongside Aaron Donald and Michael Brockers seems like the single most probable selection. Look for such names as Jerry Tillery of Notre Dame and Christian Wilkins of Clemson.O-LINE OPENINGThe Rams used their first two picks last season on offensive linemen, and both are in the running for starting jobs this fall. Third-round pick Joseph Noteboom appeared to play well in limited action as a rookie, while McVay spoke highly of fourth-round center Brian Allen. But several top offensive line prospects should be available if the Rams keep their first-round pick http://www.bearsfootballauthentics.com/riley-ridley-jersey-authentic , and the right name could be irresistible.FIRST THINGS FIRSTSnead’s recent history with first-round picks is pretty solid, although he has had plenty of opportunities while taking over a team that went 13 years without a winning season. He drafted Brockers, Donald, Todd Gurley and Goff in a five-year span, but he also reached for receiver Tavon Austin in 2013 and whiffed on left tackle Greg Robinson with the second overall pick in 2014 — although Robinson’s career revival in Cleveland suggests former coach Jeff Fisher’s staff might have blown it there.ON THE EDGEThe Rams could always use another pass rusher, even with Donald returning from a 20½-sack season and Dante Fowler back in the fold alongside newcomer Clay Matthews. Johnson, the 91st overall pick in 2017, is the only defensive player chosen by the Rams in the first three rounds of the past four drafts. With plenty of edge-rushing talent in this draft, don’t be surprised if the Rams grab some early.WHAT THEY DON’T NEEDUnless an elite talent falls through the cracks, the Rams seem unlikely to add a skill position player with their first pick. Aside from the notable loss of late-season addition C.J. Anderson, the NFL’s second-most productive offense last season will return six of its top seven rushers and all of its top eight receivers — including Kupp, who will be back from his season-ending knee injury. Los Angeles even signed Blake Bortles as Goff’s backup.