A line drive off the elbow nearly derailed Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Jared Jones' comeback season.
It was a scary moment for Jared Jones and the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The right-hander was struck on his right elbow by a line drive off the bat of the Colorado Rockies’ JT Rumfield in the third inning on Sunday. The ball caromed to third baseman Nick Gonzalez, who threw out Rumfield to end the inning.
Jones stormed off the mound, cursing as he headed to the dugout. Jones’ reaction might have been NSFW, but it was understandable after he missed last season and the first two months of this season after undergoing internal brace surgery on his elbow last year.
“I feel like (I was) a little overdramatic, but getting hit in the elbow five starts off of surgery kind of (ticks) me off,” Jones told reporters after the Pirates held off the Rockies 8-6 at Coors Field in Denver to salvage the finale of the three-game series and level their record at 39-39.
Initial images of Jones' right elbow were negative, and he will be reexamined on Monday by the Pirates' medical staff in Pittsburgh. The Pirates are off Monday before hosting a three-game series against the American League West-leading Seattle Mariners beginning Tuesday night at PNC Park. Jones’ next turn in the rotation comes Saturday against the Cincinnati Reds at home.
“It doesn’t feel great, but it's kind of the best-case scenario where nothing is too messed up in there,” Jones said of his elbow.
Jones added that he was told by a medical technician that he would have sustained a broken elbow if the liner had struck him a few inches lower.
Jones allowed one run and one hit in his three innings while striking out three and walking two. Since making his season debut on May 29, Jones has a 1-1 record and 5.75 ERA in five starts.
“When you come back off of injury like that, and then you get hit like that again, the worst thoughts go through your mind,” Pittsburgh manager Don Kelly said. “Working hard to get back off of that is a long road, and for him to take a ball off the elbow, glad to hear that it sounds pretty good right now.”
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