Pittsburgh Pirates left-hander Francisco Liriano left in the sixth inning of his start against the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday because of tightness in his left groin. He landed awkwardly after throwing a pitch and was removed from the game after being examined by team trainers.
The injury puts the Pittsburgh ace’s availability in question for his scheduled Opening Day start March 31 against the Chicago Cubs, although Liriano’s postgame comments make it sound like he left the game as a precaution.
“I didn’t want to keep pitching like that, maybe push it too much and have it get worse,” Liriano told the Pittsburgh Tribune Review.
Liriano, who had a limp in the clubhouse postgame, pitched 5 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing just four hits while walking one and striking out four.
“I think it’s going to be OK,” Liriano said. “We’ll see how I feel (Friday).”