The Detroit Tigers potentially face losing closer Jose Valverde to a wrist injury, as he was unable to pitch the ninth inning for the team on Tuesday night. Valverde felt pain in his right wrist after throwing his final warmup pitch before heading to the field. As a result, Phil Coke came in to close out the 6-3 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals.
After having X-rays in the clubhouse, Valverde left for a nearby hospital to undergo an MRI, but not before he commented on the injury (via The SportsXchange):
"It felt sore and tight," Valverde said before heading off to nearby Detroit Medical Center for an MRI. [...]
"I don't want to be out too long," Valverde said. "I think I'll be OK."
Manager Jim Leyland mentioned that Valverde attempted to throw a pitch after he felt the initial pain and was unable to complete it. He is waiting for the results of the MRI before saying anything else about Valverde's status.
Valverde is 3-2 with a 4.18 ERA and 13 saves this season.
Visit Tigers blog Bless You Boys and SB Nation Detroit for more on Valverde.