Guess what? Brett Anderson is hurt again

Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

In perhaps the most unsurprising news of the season, Brett Anderson got injured in his start yesterday and is likely facing a DL stint. Colorado Rockies manager Walt Weiss made that clear when he said, “Not real good. His back locked up and he doesn’t look too good right now. It looks like we’re going to lose him again for a bit.” The season just got a little worse for a team that, along with the Texas Rangers, is one of two to have a claim of worst team in baseball.

It’s really a shame, too, because Anderson had been pitching really well. He’d allowed three runs combined in his previous three starts (three of the best starts made by a Rockies pitcher this season), and was doing it again, having thrown just 32 pitches and allowing one hit in three innings. But then, as has become a frustratingly familiar picture for both Brett Anderson and the Rockies, you saw him clutching his back and walking straight to the clubhouse. Brett Anderson has long had injury problems: after making 30 starts in his rookie season of 2009, he’s made 51 in the last five years. He’s no doubt a good pitcher and is still young, but it looks as if he will never shed the “injury-prone” label he’s been saddled with for years.

This also reinforces the fact that the Rockies probably should have traded Anderson, among others. Instead, they’re probably going to give him a ludicrous extension, and he’s going to make 50 starts in the next five years. I really like Anderson, but it doesn’t matter how good you are if you can’t stay on the field. Now, to the question everyone dreads: who will replace Anderson in the rotation? The answer isn’t pretty. Luckily, Jordan Lyles is set to return today, which means there’s only one spot open. Could it be Pedro Hernandez again? Some other pitcher with a 6+ ERA in AAA? At this point, who cares, right? This team looks destined to lose 100 games, and, with the injury to Brett Anderson, who was our best pitcher, maybe more than that.