Hammel leaves game with injury (another update on injury)

Did the Orioles just lose another member of their opening day rotation? Jason Hammel's night is over after three innings and six pitches in the fourth, the shortest outing of his Orioles career. Hammel appeared to land awkwardly on his left leg while delivering a pitch to Brennan Boesch leading off the fourth. Assistant athletic trainer Brian Ebel and manager Buck Showalter came to the mound, and Hammel limped off the field after a few warmup tosses. Luis Ayala replaced Hammel, who's charged with two runs and five hits in three innings, with one walk and five strikeouts. Hammel threw 65 pitches, 39 for strikes. Ayala entered with the count 2-2 and struck out Brennan Boesch, but he allowed back-to-back doubles to Alex Avila and Ryan Raburn to extend Detroit's lead to 3-1. I'll pass along an update on Hammel's injury once it becomes available. Hammel has been receiving treatment on his right knee all season, but it looks as though his left leg forced him out of tonight's game. Tommy Hunter, Brian Matusz and Jake Arrieta have been optioned to Triple-A Norfolk, leaving Hammel and Wei-Yin Chen as the only remaining starters from opening day. Hunter is shutting out Lehigh Valley through four innings tonight, allowing three hits, walking none and striking out four. Update: Miguel Cabrera homered with one out in the fifth, and Dana Eveland has replaced Ayala. Tigers 4, Orioles 1. Update II: Make it 7-1 in the fifth after Jhonny Peralta's three-run homer off Eveland. Cabrera's home run traveled an estimated 454 feet, the fifth-longest home run in Camden Yards history. Hunter has allowed four runs and seven hits in five innings. Pete Orr had a bases-loaded triple in the fifth, and he scored on Hector Luna's double. Second baseman Bill Hall limped off the field with an apparent hamstring injury. So, how's your night? Update III: The Orioles announced that Hammel exited the game with a right knee injury and will be further evaluated tomorrow. It looked like his left leg from up here, but that's apparently not the case. Update IV: Bill Hammel tweeted an update on his brother that read:

Right knee...problem knee! J felt like something popped...not much swelling. MRI tomorrow. Hope it's not serious! #FingersCrossed

— Bill Hammel (@Bill_Hammel) July 14, 2012

Tonight's attendance: 35,566