Pittsburgh – His absence provided the first indication the injury might be serious.
Jason Jennings never made it to PNC Park here Thursday. He flew back to Denver to have the swollen middle finger on his pitching hand examined by the team doctor.
Jennings, the best young pitcher in Rockies history and a player who has never spent a day on the disabled list in his pro career, will miss his next start Monday and could be sidelined for the remainder of the season if an MRI reveals a fracture.
“The best-case scenario is that it’s a severely jammed finger and I am out for five to 10 days,” said Jennings before boarding a plane. “Worst-case, there’s something wrong with the tendon or the bone. That would be terrible.”
Rockies trainer Keith Dugger described the injury as a strained tendon on top of the hand and strained capsule underneath the finger. He admitted a break has not been ruled out, which is one of the reasons Jennings was sent home instead of being examined in Pittsburgh.
Jennings, a right-hander, was hurt sliding into second base attempting to beat out a force play Wednesday night against the Washington Nationals. As he crossed the bag, Jennings’ right hand caught awkwardly, violently bending back his middle and ring fingers.
Jennings knew something was wrong. He sat on the dirt for several seconds before jogging back to the dugout. He went out to pitch the sixth inning but couldn’t grip the ball enough to throw a warm-up pitch.
Jose Acevedo, nursing a sprained right ankle, will take Jennings’ place Monday against the New York Mets at Coors Field. Zach Day, the first option, returned to Denver to have his sore shoulder examined, with the expectation that he will rejoin the bullpen Monday.
“Jason will get evaluated,” manager Clint Hurdle said, “and we will go from there.”
For Jennings, it was difficult to determine what was more painful – the injury or the timing. Showing why he was placed atop the rotation after the all-star break, Jennings has gone 5-3 with a 3.49 ERA in his past 11 outings.
“It couldn’t have come at a worse time. I was well on my way to 200 innings,” said Jennings, who was concerned Thursday because the swelling hadn’t subsided. “I am just hoping I can come back soon and get into that same groove.”
Even while staring at a potential stay on the disabled list, Jennings has no regrets about sliding. He prevented Cory Sullivan from getting doubled up. Jennings’ teammates respected the effort.
“He was playing the game the right way. It was unfortunate what happened,” catcher JD Closser said. “That kind of shows you the type of player he is.”
Added catcher Danny Ardoin: “He’s always telling us what a great catcher he was in high school. His mentality hasn’t changed. He takes his at-bats personal and running the bases personal.”
Jennings is the third Rockies player to suffer an injury sliding into second base. Brad Hawpe strained his left hamstring 13 days ago and outfielder Matt Holliday fractured his right pinkie diving headfirst. Holliday missed 33 games, returning Tuesday. As a pitcher, Jennings’ return from a broken finger would take longer since he would have to build arm strength after his finger heals.
“I guess we need more sliding practice,” Jennings said.
Staff writer Troy E. Renck can be reached at 303-820-5447 or trenck@denverpost.com.
