Houston, TX (My Sportsbook) - St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Julian Tavarez broke his left hand punching the dugout phone during a tantrum Sunday in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series. The righthander came on to pitch the seventh inning against Houston and surrendered a home run to Carlos Beltran that gave the Astros a 6-5 lead. Houston hung on to win the game by that same score. When the inning ended, Tavarez went to the dugout and began punching things and throwing things to the ground. Manager Tony La Russa said Monday that Tavarez fractured the fourth finger and bones in his left hand. Tavarez is 1-1 with a 3.38 ERA in five games during this postseason. His status for the rest of the playoffs is uncertain, but La Russa did say Monday that he hoped to have the reliever available for Game 6. The victory by Houston tied the best-of-seven series at two games apiece. |
