The Los Angeles Dodgers can now add strange injuries to their list of woes to begin the 2023 season.
Dodgers right-hander Michael Grove, who got the start on Thursday against the Chicago Cubs, was forced to exit early with a groin strain. Grove lasted only three-plus innings and 67 pitches, giving up two earned runs.
After the game, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said that Grove would be going on the injured list. Roberts revealed that Grove slipped on the bullpen mound in pregame warmups and then his groin grabbed at him in the fourth inning (per Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic).
Grove, who opened the season as the Dodgers’ No. 5 starter, confirmed that his injury was something that he first “felt pregame and just kinda went on with it.”
Michael Grove breaks down how he hurt his groin in the game and the importance of the injury. pic.twitter.com/5zVH26IUot
— SportsNet LA (@SportsNetLA) April 21, 2023
Though the Dodgers would go on to win the game 6-2 on a James Outman grand slam in the ninth inning, they are just 10-10 on the year as a whole. For reference, the Dodgers won 111 games last season and did not suffer their tenth loss until mid-May.
In moving Grove to the IL, the Dodgers selected the contract of fellow righty Jake Reed in a corresponding move. Weirdly enough though, Grove is not the first MLB pitcher to have been felled by a slip in recent months.
