It’s looking more and more like Justin Duchscherer isn’t going to be ready for action when the Orioles open their regular season.
According to Britt Ghiroli of MLB.com, “The Duke of Hurl” had to be scratched from a scheduled intrasquad game appearance Sunday due to discomfort in his surgically-repaired left hip. He won’t throw on the side either.
Orioles skipper Buck Schowalter acknowledged after the the scratching that Duchscherer probably isn’t going to be able to fit in the 20 or so innings that he needs to be physically prepared for the role of a starter. He’s made only a two-inning appearance thus far and the O’s apparently don’t want to convert him back to a reliever.
Baltimore signed the right-hander to a one-year, $700,000 contract in late January. He hasn’t been fully healthy in a while, but Duchscherer still carries a shiny 3.13 career ERA and 1.14 career WHIP.