After pitching in a total of 15 games the last two seasons, Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Josh Beckett has surpassed that sum before the All-Star Break this season, appearing in 17 contests. However, he is facing a minor set-back, as he has been placed on the 15-day disabled list.
On Sunday, he was facing the Colorado Rockies on the road and had to leave the game in the sixth inning after experiencing a pang in his left hip. He felt the pain running the bases and was removed from the game after pitching five scoreless innings, reports MLB.com.
Beckett said that the hip had been giving him problems throughout the season and that the pain had been getting progressively worse.
This season, Beckett has compiled a 6-5 record, a 2.26 ERA and a 1.032 WHIP. He pitched a no-hitter on May 25 against the Philadelphia Phillies.
He was the runner-up for the American League Cy Young award as a member of the Boston Red Sox in 2007. That year, he went 20-7 with a 3.27 ERA, according to baseball-reference.com .
The Dodgers hope that with the upcoming All-Star break, Beckett will use the next two weeks to rest up and will be ready to shortly after the team resumes play in the second half of the season.
To fill Beckett’s spot on the roster, Los Angeles will recall Pedro Baez from Triple-A Albuquerque. Baez is a right-handed reliever, who appeared in one game in the Majors earlier this year. He allowed two runs and two hits in one inning of work on May 5.
The Dodgers lead the National League West division with a record of 51-40. They hold a narrow one-game lead over the San Francisco Giants.