Orioles starter John Means dealing with elbow discomfort, Brandon Hyde says

Orioles starting pitcher John Means is dealing with elbow discomfort, manager Brandon Hyde said Wednesday after the team’s 5-4 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals.

Means started Wednesday afternoon’s game at Busch Stadium and allowed just one hit in three scoreless innings, but he walked two batters for the first time all season and had a noticeable dip of around 2 mph with his fastball. He did not throw a pitch faster than 89 mph.

While the game entered a rain delay after the top of the fourth inning, forcing the teams to wait 1 hour, 25 minutes before resuming play, Hyde said that Means was going to be pulled after the third inning anyway. The 31-year-old left-hander is getting tests done to determine the severity of the potential injury.

“That was disappointing,” Hyde said. “Could tell a little something wasn’t right and was trying to gut through it. But he did feel some elbow soreness and we’re hoping for the best.”

Means declined to speak with the media after the game.

A 2019 All-Star, Means has made just eight starts since undergoing Tommy John elbow reconstruction surgery in April 2022. He returned and pitched well down the stretch last season, recording a 2.66 ERA in four starts to help the Orioles win their first American League East title since 2014, but was left off the club’s AL Division Series roster because of elbow soreness.

Despite the dip in velocity, Means lowered his ERA to 2.61 this season with Wednesday’s performance in St. Louis. He earned his first home win in three years Friday night, allowing two runs in six innings in a 9-2 victory over the Seattle Mariners.

Baltimore Sun reporter Matt Weyrich contributed to this article.