Texas Tech baseball down a starting pitcher for Oklahoma State series

Texas Tech baseball pitcher Mac Heuer, who came out of his Sunday startagainst Oklahoma with latissimus-dorsi muscle irritation, won't pitch in the Red Raiders' Big 12 series this weekend at No. 20 Oklahoma State, Tech coach Tim Tadlock said Wednesday.

Tadlock said he had no further update on Heuer's status except that he won't throw this weekend.

Tech (30-20, 12-15 in the Big 12) plays road games against Oklahoma State (32-16, 15-9) at 6 p.m. Friday, 6 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at O'Brate Stadium in Stillwater, Oklahoma.

Lefthander Ryan Free (5-1, 4.79 earned-run average) and righthander Kyle Robinson (4-6, 5.09) will make their usual starts Friday and Saturday, Tadlock said. The Red Raiders' Sunday starter is to be determined.

Heuer (4-5, 5.94) has made 10 starts this season, second most on the staff.

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• Tadlock said lefthanded pitcher Taber Fast is unlikely to pitch again this spring. The news is better on Trendan Parish. The junior righthander threw a bullpen on Tuesday, Tadlock said, and has been progressing without setbacks and could return at tournament time.

"Couple of weeks," Tadlock said. "Maybe get him on the field next week (if) everything goes good."

Zane Petty, Fast and Parish all have been sidelined by arm problems. Fast last pitched on March 13, Petty on March 19 and Parish on April 1. Petty also is out for the season.

• Center fielder Damian Bravo, who's been bothered for nearly two months by a wrist injury, missed the last two games of the Oklahoma series, his sixth and seventh games to miss since March 17. His availability is day to day, Tadlock said.

"It could go good today, and tomorrow we don't really know," Tadlock said. "I don't have a definite answer."

• Tech goes into this weekend in 10th place in the Big 12, which will have 10 teams at the conference tournament May 21-25 at Globe Life Field in Arlington. The Red Raiders are 1 1/2 games ahead of Baylor (21-26, 9-15) and four games ahead of Houston (24-24, 6-17) in the battle for the last spot.

The Red Raiders' magic number against Baylor is four — any combination of Tech wins and Baylor losses adding up to four clinches the Red Raiders' finishing ahead of the Bears. Tech's magic number to finish ahead of Houston is one.

With its RPI at No. 49, Tech needs to finish well to qualify the NCAA tournament.

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Texas Tech baseball down a starting pitcher for Oklahoma State series