masn-baseballs-orioles.jpgThe second opinion sought by Orioles reliever Richard Bleier offered further confirmation that he sustained a Grade 3 tear of his left lat muscle, the most severe, and he must undergo surgery Tuesday in New Jersey.
“Obviously, it’s pretty unfortunate for myself and the team,” he said today while standing at his locker. “The next step is just hopefully a successful surgery and moving on from there.”
Bleier didn’t do anything out of the ordinary to sustain the injury. He threw one pitch to…

The second opinion sought by Orioles reliever Richard Bleier offered further confirmation that he sustained a Grade 3 tear of his left lat muscle, the most severe, and he must undergo surgery Tuesday in New Jersey.

“Obviously, it’s pretty unfortunate for myself and the team,” he said today while standing at his locker. “The next step is just hopefully a successful surgery and moving on from there.”

Bleier didn’t do anything out of the ordinary to sustain the injury. He threw one pitch to the Red Sox’s Eduardo Núñez in the eighth inning of Wednesday’s game and spun off the mound in pain. He grabbed the area behind his arm and bent at the waist while assistant athletic trainer Mark Shires raced to his aid.

“I haven’t really wondered why,” Bleier said. “I assume it’s just one pitch to the next. One pitch I was fine and one pitch I wasn’t fine. I assume it’s just one of those things that just happens.

“I’ve got over 1,000 innings in my arm between the minor leagues and the big leagues. Maybe that’s part of it and maybe it’s not. It could have been anything really.”

All it took on Wednesday was an 89 mph sinker.

Bleier-Throwing-Black-Sidebar.jpg“It felt like I got shot in the back of my arm area,” he said. “It was pretty unpleasant. I followed through and I made the pitch I was trying to make, and then kind of after the pitch, I felt it and it was definitely uncomfortable to the point where I didn’t even know if the guy got out or it was a hit until I was in the trainers’ room and I asked.

“They looked at me and I asked, ‘Did the guy get out? What’s going on out there?’ At least he got out, so that was good.”

The length of Bleier’s recovery depends on what Dr. Anthony Romeo finds during the procedure.

“I know the rest of the year is not in the picture and then I think we’re just trying to be ready for spring training,” Bleier said.

“It’s tough because I would love to pitch every single day the rest of the year and I think it’s frustrating for myself and I feel like I let the team down, honestly, by getting hurt. When we start playing well I won’t be there for that, so I feel like that’s going to be a good time when things turn around here, and not being around for that is definitely frustrating. That aspect is pretty upsetting.”

The Orioles have lost their most dependable reliever, a guy who led the club with 31 appearances and posted ERAs of 1.99 and 1.93 in his two seasons. Being an established member of the bullpen should bring some semblance of comfort to Bleier, knowing that a spot will be waiting for him.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been comfortable in the big leagues and I don’t think I ever will,” he said. “I’ll try to do as much as I can to come back. People say, ‘Oh, hopefully you’ll come back better.’ I’ll take the exact same, to be honest. I feel like I was pitching pretty well lately and I’d love to just pick up where I left off, and I’m sure it will all work out like it was.”

Bleier will leave the team and head down to Sarasota after his surgery.

“Just because it’s a long rehab process, I feel like I’d just be in the way here honestly,” he said. “Everybody’s still got to get ready for every game and everything like that. I just think it would be easier to do the rehab elsewhere.”

Update: Alex Cobb fell behind 1-0 after four pitches. Derek Dietrich led off with a double and scored on J.T. Realmuto’s single.

Update II: Realmuto hit a two-run homer in the third inning and a solo shot in the sixth to give the Marlins a 5-2 lead.

Manny Machado had a two-run single in the third inning.

Update III: Jonathan Schoop’s solo home run in the sixth reduced the lead to 5-3.

Update IV: Danny Valencia’s two-out single in the seventh scored Adam Jones, who has three hits today, and reduced the lead to 5-4.