Upon walking into the dugout after a perfect fourth inning, Detroit Tigers starter Spencer Turnbull met with athletic trainer Doug Teter and manager AJ Hinch.
Turnbull, 28, did not return for the fifth inning. He left Friday’s game against the Chicago White Sox with right forearm tightness. To end the fourth, he won a 12-pitch battle against rookie slugger Yermin Mercedes, ending the at-bat with a swinging strikeout.
The severity of his injury and timetable for his return remain unclear.
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Turnbull cruised through Chicago’s lineup over the first four innings, allowing one run on two hits. He threw 39 of 56 pitches for strikes. His lone mistake came in the second inning when Yasmani Grandal pounded a home run to left-center field.
The other hit: An infield single from Nick Madrigal in the third inning.
Turnbull did not allow a walk and struck out four batters in his ninth start this season, lowering his ERA to 2.88. Hinch replaced him with right-handed reliever Kyle Funkhouser, who immediately loaded the bases in the fifth. The White Sox scored five runs, upping their lead to 6-1.
Righty Joe Jimenez relieved Funkhouser and loaded the bases again. He stranded three runners when Jake Lamb flied out to left field. Funkhouser threw 16 of 28 pitches for strikes to get one out, while Jimenez fired 11 of 21 pitches for strikes to generate two outs.
Evan Petzold is a sports reporter at the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him on Twitter @EvanPetzold. Read more on the Detroit Tigers and sign up for our Tigers newsletter.