PITTSBURGH — The Pirates jumped all over the White Sox early in their series opener Tuesday night at PNC Park, but all the news wasn’t good for the home side.
Starling Marte and Francisco Cervelli left the game early because of injuries sustained in the early going. Marte appeared to tweak something in his torso while scoring on Josh Bell’s double in the first inning, while Cervelli was hit on the inside of his right forearm by a Reynaldo López pitch in the third.
Marte was lifted immediately in favor of Sean Rodríguez, with the Pirates announcing that Marte was suffering from discomfort in his right side. Cervelli stayed in the game after a checkup from assistant athletic trainer Ben Potenziano, but was replaced by Elias Díaz for the top of the fourth.
Cervelli was in good spirits after the Pirates’ 7-0 win, telling reporters in the clubhouse that his arm briefly “went numb” after absorbing the López pitch. He said he didn’t anticipate lingering issues. Marte was in the training room receiving treatment after the game and wasn’t available for comment.
Clint Hurdle had no updates on either, other than to say that director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk would speak on the matter prior to Wednesday’s game against the White Sox.
Marte and Cervelli are both off to successful starts to their seasons, helping the Pirates field one of the most productive lineups in the National League.
In fact, Marte’s first-inning double boosted a three-run rally and extended his hitting streak to nine games. He’s 15 for his past 36 to lift his batting average to .308. He entered the game with a .362 on-base percentage and a .494 slugging percentage, with six home runs in 40 games.
Cervelli went 0 for 1 before being lifted due to forearm discomfort. He started Tuesday hitting .305/.414/.571 with six homers in 32 games.
