San Diego Padres Huston Street has shoulder injury
San Diego Padres closer Huston Street left last night’s game against the Miami Marlins with a shoulder injury after getting two outs- including a strikeout- and allowing one walk. Street was diagnosed with a right posterior shoulder strain in the Padres 9-8 loss to the victorious Miami Marlins. The opposing closer, Heath Bell, blew his fourth game of the season after giving up two hits, two walks, and a run in the game.
Huston Street’s injury hurts, because the Padres were beginning to assess his trade value, and he is a solid closer with a terrific 0.93 ERA this season. He is definitely going to the DL, and expect him to be back in early June. Hopefully, no worse news is heard from the MRI scan, and it’s just a strain.
The hard-throwing Andrew Cashner was touching 100 miles per hour with most of his pitches and is the most likely option to close. He has pitched well this season, but the walks have always been a huge concern and make his strikeout totals look a little worse. He’s also been lucky this season, so don’t read too much into his 2.08 ERA (5.59 FIP, 4.22 xFIP tells the story the best).
If Cashner struggles, then expect Luke Gregerson to take the mound in the ninth, but that one-two punch should mitigate the harm from the injury. Still, Street is one of the best and most consistent closers in baseball, so this injury definitely hurts them. He has been worth 0.5 WAR so far this season, while Cashner has been worth -0.4 WAR and Gregerson 0.2 WAR.
Andrew Cashner Projection: 4.00 ERA
Huston Street: 2.30 ERA
Luke Gregerson: 3.10 ERA
Update: The injury that Street suffered has now been diagnosed as a right lat injury, and it is unlikely to be anything major. He’ll still undergo an MRI and will most likely be placed on the DL, but there is a good chance that he returns right after those 15 days.
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