Just when you think things can’t possibly get worse, Tony La Russa and Co. find yet another way.
Today’s incident in question surrounds starting pitcher Michael Kopech, who exited his start on Monday against the Royals with left knee soreness after facing just four batters.
Kopech was in visible discomfort during warmups and eventually visited by manager Tony La Russa, pitching coach Ethan Katz, and a trainer before he even made his first pitch. He was then allowed to start the game and faced just four batters, walking two of them and hitting another. His average fastball velo checked in at 91.7 mph during the abbreviated outing, an alarmingly low number given his season norm usually touches the mid-to-upper 90s.
After loading the bases on 19 pitches, nine of which were strikes, a clearly frustrated Kopech was yanked for reliever Jimmy Lambert. The bullpen arm didn’t do the injured starter any favors, sticking him with a line of one hit, two walks, and four earned runs.
Kopech has been dealing with a knee injury for some time this season. Back on June 12, he exited a game with inflammation in the same knee and described feeling a “pop.” An MRI later confirmed that he had a fluid buildup in that knee, but that there was no structural issue to be concerned about. He would immediately return to the rotation after getting his knee drained, effectively avoiding the injured list.
Given this prior injury history, you have to wonder why or how the staff felt comfortable with letting him even take the rubber today. The result of pathetic management only got worse as Kopech felt the need to take the blame for putting his team in a tough position.
Kopech, 26, is 4-9 with a 3.25 ERA (40 ER/110.2 IP), 1.184 WHIP, and 1.85 K/W this season. He has, most notably, cleared the 100-inning mark for the first time since 2018, when he threw 126.1 innings at the Triple-A level.
The team has not provided any further updates on Kopech’s condition. This will be a story to keep an eye leading up to his next scheduled outing.
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