Baltimore Orioles

Horribly unlucky Orioles pitcher leaves game after being struck by back-to-back line drives

Published May. 6, 2017 8:54 a.m. ET

Chris Bahr

Sometimes, it’s pretty clear early in the game that it’s just not your night. That was painfully obvious for Orioles lefty Wade Miley on Friday, but it had nothing to do with his stuff on the mound.

With two outs and the bases empty in the first inning against the White Sox, Miley was hit in the left wrist on a screaming liner off the bat of Jose Abreu. Manager Buck Showalter and the training staff checked on Miley, who stayed in the game. Two pitches later, Avisail Garcia drilled Miley in the, ahem, backside.

Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports

Showalter, obviously fearing that the third time would be anything but a charm, mercilessly removed Miley at that point after only 13 pitches. Here are both cringe-worthy comebackers from the Orioles' 4-2 win:

Showalter provided the quote of the night after the game, telling reporters (via MLB.com), "I should have taken him out after the first one. I regret that. Just didn't like the risk-reward there. The X-ray here [on his wrist] was negative, but we didn't take an X-ray of his buttocks."

The Orioles officially called it a left wrist contusion, though Miley said afterward that he doesn’t expect to miss a start. Miley has been among the most pleasant surprises in baseball this season with a 2.27 ERA through six starts.

https://twitter.com/Orioles/status/860656784977137664

The injury news wasn’t all positive for the Orioles, as closer Zach Britton could be headed back to the disabled list after experiencing more forearm discomfort. Britton, who led the AL with 47 saves last season, was just activated from the DL on Tuesday and has pitched in only eight games this season.

Just think, the Orioles thought the rough stuff was over when they finally left Boston on Thursday night upon the conclusion of a hotly contested four-game series.