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Daniel Bard feels awful after breaking Jose Altuve's thumb with errant pitch during World Baseball Classic

MIAMI — Colorado Rockies closer Daniel Bard, after a difficult night sleeping, woke up Sunday feeling awful.

It got worse as the day went on.

Bard, the Team USA reliever who suddenly lost command of his pitches Saturday night, was the one whose errant fastball hit Houston Astros All-Star second baseman Jose Altuve in Saturday’s 9-7 victory over Venezuela.

He hoped it would be nothing more than a sprained or badly bruised thumb, but Altuve was diagnosed Sunday morning with a broken thumb. He will undergo surgery this week and will be out eight to 10 weeks.

“I feel terrible,’’ Bard told USA TODAY Sports in the dugout before Sunday’s game against Cuba. “I was going sinker-in for a swing. I missed up and in. You just hate to see it. You saw my reaction.’’

Bard winced the moment the fastball hit Altuve, lowered his head, and then prayed he would be alright when he was on the ground in pain.

“He’s a great player,’’ Bard said. “You want to see great players on the field, even if I have to play against him. I want to play against the best. I wish him, hopefully, a quick recovery. I know it will be a minute.’’

Bard has yet to reach out to Altuve, but with Astros teammates Ryan Pressly and Kyle Tucker on the team, he planned to get Altuve’s cell number to leave a message.

“It’s never easy,’’ Bard said. “You want to make some guys maybe uncomfortable in the box, but not to the point of getting them hurt, ever.

“The intent of that pitch was to get a groundball, and I just missed in.’’

Bard, 37, is hoping he gets at least one more chance for redemption after his struggles. He faced four batters, gave up a hit, two walks, hit a batter, and threw two wild pitches. He threw 17 pitches, and just seven for strikes.

USA manager Mark DeRosa said that when Andrés Giménez reached base on a check swing for a single, putting runners on first and second with no outs, the wheels abruptly came off, and he was just never the same.

“I made the pitch, but I needed him to hit it harder,’’ Bard said. “If I could have sneaked my way into two outs and nobody on, I probably would have relaxed a bit and made some better pitches. When it didn’t happen, I kind of went the other way.

“I was just working through a few things, which was like normal spring training things in a lot of ways, but you’re doing it on a stage where there’s room for error. You’re trying to force adjustments rather than letting things happen.’’

Bard, who had inherited a 5-2 lead only to watch it turn into a 7-5 deficit, may have been the happiest man in the USA clubhouse when Trea Turner hit his game-winning grand slam. Certainly, no one hugged him harder than Bard.

“That place was the loudest I ever heard, electric,’’ Bard said. “I’m normally pretty good in loud situations. It drives me to be my best. But when you’re a little off, and you’re  trying to make some adjustments in that kind of scenario, it’s different.

“These games matter a lot. It’s different. It’s just a tough environment to make those adjustments, to find your delivery, to find your feel, when it’s not quite there.’’

Pitching coach Andy Pettitte, the five-time World Series champion and three-time All-Star, met with Bard after the game Saturday night, and spoke again Sunday morning. Pettitte wanted to make sure he was OK, and was there if he needed anything.

“What can you say to him?’’ Pettitte said, “I’m just here to support him. You pat him on the butt and say, ‘Hey, keeping going to work.’ That’s all you can do. Just try to encourage him.

“I told him I’m here if he needs anything. Mechanically, he’s a little bit out of whack, but I’m here for him.

“He’s such a great dude, I just feel horrible for him, nobody wants that.’’

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Jose Altuve is hit by a pitch by Daniel Bard during the Venezuela-United States World Baseball Classic quarterfinal game at loanDepot Park.
Jose Altuve is hit by a pitch by Daniel Bard during the Venezuela-United States World Baseball Classic quarterfinal game at loanDepot Park.

Touchy subject

St. Louis Cardinals All-Star third baseman Nolan Arenado, whose father is Cuban, spoke with his dad and family on Sunday about what it means to face Cuba playing for Team USA.

“We had a long discussion this morning about it,’’ Arenado said. ‘To be quite honest with you, there's a lot of anxious feelings. I don't know, we had a long discussion about it, we really did. We're excited to play Cuba, and if it wasn't for the sacrifices my grandparents made to get here for my parents, I don't know if I would have been the player that I am today.

“So, there's a lot of feelings I feel toward it. I respect them. I respect the players, but we have a job to do.’’

When asked what he thinks about the Cubans who elected to play on the Cuban national team, including major league players, Arenado politely declined to offer his opinion.

“I've heard mixed reviews,’’ Arenado said. “I asked people about it. I asked Cuban players, former players that are Cuban, what their opinion is about it. I'll probably keep that to myself.

“But listen, I think people are proud to represent their country. Just like I'm proud to represent USA and I understand why they want to do it. I think over there there's a little bit more issues and I think people have more issues with it.

“But I don't think that's for me to speak on.’’

Trash talking

Los Angeles Angels starter Patrick Sandoval is starting Monday night for Team Mexico, and one of the guys he’s facing, of course, is Angels teammate Shohei Ohtani. He already struck out teammate Mike Trout in the first round, and teammate David Fletcher faced Ohtani in Tokyo.

So, yes, there will be plenty of trash talking when they all get together back in the Angels’ spring training camp when the tournament ends.

“Oh, absolutely, without a doubt,’’ Sandoval said. “I'll let Trout know, for sure. Hopefully I can let Ohtani know as well. We got a great clubhouse there and guys love to give each other crap. So it will be fun.’’

Sasaki power

Japanese star pitcher Roki Sasaki still doesn’t know when he will leave Japan and come to the United States, but when he does, Mexico manager Benji Gil says he’ll be one of the elite pitchers in the game.

He just wishes he didn’t have to face the 102-mph flamethrower.

“I think he's going to be a tremendous star in the big leagues,’’ Gil says, “whenever he gets here. He's a tremendous talent. I saw through Twitter last year when I think he threw a perfect game, and then his next outing he had 18 or 19 strikeouts, and almost had another perfect game or a no-hitter.

“I've never seen him pitch live. I honestly wish I did not see him pitch live, right? But I'm excited, man. I'm excited. He's a tremendous talent. I think he's awesome for baseball.’’

Signing the praises of the World Baseball Classic

If it was up to Mexico manager Benji Gil, he would move the WBC back perhaps a week on the calendar to give players a little more time to prepare, and for pitchers to stretch out, but complain?

Never.

“It's been awesome,’’ Gil said. “When this event was proposed, it was to grow baseball globally, and I tell you what, I'll go out and say it: Anybody that has a negative opinion about this event, they are absolutely crazy. They don't know what the hell they're talking about.’’

Said USA manager Mark DeRosa: “I just think this, if you're not in this, you don't get it. I don't know any other way to say it. Like, you just don't get it.

“When these guys come in here and it starts ramping up, and it gets tough, and then you put 50,000 in the seats, and they want to go.

“I thought that atmosphere [Saturday] night was as good as a World Series atmosphere.’’

Follow Bob Nightengale on Twitter @Bnightengale.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jose Altuve injury has Daniel Bard feeling remorse