Reds lose star reliever Antone to elbow injury
MILWAUKEE — The Cincinnati Reds saw their most reliable reliever squander a three-run lead in the seventh inning Tuesday, and that wasn’t even the biggest gut punch.
Tejay Antone, on his first day back from the 10day Injured List, winced after throwing a curveball on his fifth pitch and immediately called for a trainer. It was a short discussion as Antone handed the ball to manager David Bell and walked straight to the clubhouse.
Bell confirmed Antone felt something in his elbow, which is concerning for any pitcher. Antone missed the 2017 minorleague
season because of Tommy John surgery.
“You never want to lose a teammate like that,” pitcher Michael Lorenzen said after the 7-4 loss. “Seeing Tejay going through what he’s going through — this game, yeah, it was important — you never want to see that happen. We’re here for Tejay. We’re all to support him and help him get through whatever he needs to get through.”
Antone was the star of the Reds’ bullpen for the first two months of the season and he wanted to be a fresh arm for the playoff race. His velocity was way down on his curveballs and the one fastball he threw Tuesday.
“(Antone) was upset,” Bell said. “He worked so hard to get back. He has a long career ahead of him and everything. He loves pitching and loves competing so much. He wants to be here with this team, helping us win and pitching. He was very disappointed. It’s hard.”