Lance McCullers Jr. was already pitching on one of the worst days of this season. Then his fingernail fell off.
A portion of the fingernail on McCullers’ right index finger came off during the third inning of Wednesday’s 12-2 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers, per The Athletic’s Chandler Rome. Head athletic trainer Eric Velazquez, manager Joe Espada, and pitching coach Josh Miller all visited the mound during the inning. McCullers stayed in, trying to get through the frame and hand the bullpen a clean inning.
He couldn’t do it. Without the fingernail, McCullers couldn’t reliably execute his curveball, one of his most valuable weapons against left-handed hitters. The Dodgers started six of them Wednesday. Of the five left-handed hitters McCullers faced in that third inning, four reached base. Three walked. All scored. Andy Pages added a three-run homer. McCullers was done after 70 pitches.
“I couldn’t really throw it the rest of the inning,” McCullers said. “But it’s not an excuse, just kind of down a pitch and I was trying to make it through.”
The day carried extra weight for McCullers. Hours before first pitch, the Astros announced that Carlos Correa will undergo season-ending ankle surgery. McCullers and Correa were drafted in the same 2012 class, came up together, and their bond runs deep; McCullers has been part of the Correa family off the field as well as on it.
“That’s my guy,” McCullers said. “I know he’s been through a lot. I’m just so proud of him, the man he is. I really feel bad for him. Such a big part of our clubhouse, a team leader and such a great player.”
Whether McCullers can make his next scheduled start is unclear. Asked directly, he replied, “I don’t know. We’ll see.” His next turn in the rotation would come Wednesday against the Seattle Mariners, part of a stretch of 13 games in 13 days beginning Friday. If he can’t go, the options behind him are thin. Jason Alexander, who relieved McCullers Wednesday and allowed five runs in 4.1 innings, was optioned to Triple-A Sugar Land after the game. Prospects Miguel Ullola and Ethan Pecko are possibilities, as are veterans Brandon Bielak and Colton Gordon.
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