Philip Humber Hits DL After Taking Liner to the Face

A day after he was struck in the face by a line drive, Philip Humber has been placed on the disabled list.  The White Sox called up right hander Josh Kinney to take Humber’s spot on their roster.

Humber was hit by a comebacker off the bat of Indians’ outfielder Kosuke Fukudome in the top of the second inning during Thursday night’s game. The ball struck Humber above his right eye and he went straight down.

But Humber didn’t stay down long.  In no time at all the big right hander was up looking for the ball.  After Humber took a second to wipe off his face, he got up, grabbed his hat and walked back to the mound.

Humber almost looked surprised when he was met on the hill by Chicago trainers.  The 28 year old put up a fight, but coaches and trainers alike would have none of it.  Humber made his exit, looking more annoyed than hurt.

"“Of course, everyone was asking if I was OK,” Humber said Thursday. “I told them I was good. I felt like I could still pitch and wanted to be out there. But at the same time, they got a job to do and take every precaution that there wasn’t anything serious going on.”"

After the game, Humber told reporters that he thought he’d be able to make his next start, but instead the White Sox have decided to play it safe.

Humber started out the year strong for Chicago, carrying a 2.69 ERA through the beginning of July, but has recently hit a rough patch.

Entering Thursday, Humber had allowed 22 earned runs over his last 5 starts spanning 26.1 innings.  He’s lost his last 4 decision and has watched his ERA rise by nearly a run over the last month and a half.

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