NASHVILLE, Tenn. โฬ sophomore right-handed pitcher dealt with back tightness toward the end of his start on Sunday against Vanderbilt, LSU coach said after the Tigersโ 16-9 win.
He and athletic trainer Isaac Trujillo visited Schmidt on the mound two pitches into his second batter of the fifth inning. Trailing in the count 2-0, Schmidt stayed in the game but went on to walk the batter on four pitches before exiting.
Johnson believes Schmidt is โfineโ and couldโve stayed in the game if he needed to.
โHe just started to miss up in the zone, and I thought he was protecting it a little bit,โ Johnson said. โThat guy's health is the key to my life for the next 18 months. So it just wasn't really worth it.โ
In his first start in Southeastern Conference play on Sunday, Schmidt tossed four innings, allowing three earned runs and striking out six batters. He holds a 3.60 ERA in five starts this season.
LSUโs next SEC series comes next weekend when the Tigers host Oklahoma beginning on Thursday.