Angels’ Garrett Richards blows out his patellar tendon (GIF)
By Dan Zinski
It was not pretty Wednesday night for Angels pitcher Garrett Richards. While running to cover the bag on a would-be play to first, Richards did something to his left knee and went down in a heap, screaming in pain.
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Richards lay on the ground beside first base for a long while, surrounded by concerned teammates, before being taken away. The word quickly came down from the Angels that Richards had suffered an injury to his patellar tendon.
The latest word on the pitcher (via ESPN.com) is that he will be flown back to Los Angeles to be examined. Angels manager Mike Sciosica did not sound hopeful:
"“Obviously he’s very distraught,” Scioscia said after the Angels’ 8-3 win. “He knows that it’s not good, and we’ll get some direction from our medical staff.”"
You don’t need to be a doctor to know that the Angels won’t have Garrett Richards back this season and that his career is in some jeopardy. A pitcher needs two good knees to be effective.
The 26-year-old Richards emerged this year as the Angels’ ace, posting a 13-4 record in 26 starts with a 2.61 ERA and 1.038 WHIP with 164 Ks (and a rather astonishing 22 wild pitches).
Obviously this injury is not great news for the Angels overall as they attempt to fend off both the A’s and Mariners in the division race. Losing your best pitcher in August is just about as bad as it gets for a contending team.
(GIF VIA)
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