Robinson Cano exits game after fracturing hand against Tigers
The Mariners were riding high after James Paxton’s no-hitter last week helped move Seattle to striking distance of first place in a highly-competitive American League West.
Those positive vibes all but disappeared on Sunday in Paxton’s first start since blanking Toronto, but it had nothing to do with the starter.
Perennial All-Star infielder Robinson Cano took an 88mph fastball from Detroit’s Blaine Hardy straight to the wrist in the third inning and immediately left the game. The Mariners quickly diagnosed Cano with a fracture in his right hand and it’s pretty clear he’s headed for an extended trip to the disabled list.
The #Mariners @RobinsonCano left today's game with a fractured fifth metacarpal on his right hand.
— MarinersPR (@MarinersPR) May 13, 2018
Seattle has yet to give a timeline for Cano’s recovery, but these fractures typically take about six weeks to heal. However long Cano is sidelined is too long for the Mariners. The second baseman is slashing .287/.375/.441 with four home runs and 23 RBI.
Seattle entered Sunday 1.5 games out of first in the AL West with a few crucial series against division rivals coming up. Before May is over, the team will face the Rangers and Athletics a total of nine times before starting off June with a quick two-game series against the Astros.
It’s still too early to intensely watch the standings, but surely those are games the Mariners will need to capitalize on.
Here’s hoping for a speedy recovery for Cano and a quick return to form for one the game’s most fun players.
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Blake Schuster is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at blakeschuster@yahoo.com
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