What began as a smooth Sunday outing has quickly spiraled into a nightmare situation for the Arizona Diamondbacks, and possibly it’s the start of a long-term concern for them. One of their most prized aces, Corbin Burnes, is in quicksand!

It all unraveled when Arizona faced the Nationals. Everything was going great for Burnes through the four shutout innings. But as the fifth inning rolled, something seemed off. His velocity had dipped, his control seemed to halt, and then came the real kicker.

After giving up a single to C.J. Abrams, he suddenly turned towards center field. Then he shouted an expletive, and, looking rather frustrated, he was mouthing “my elbow.” Then he walked off the mound with a trainer, and the ballpark went silent. Because this is bad news for the Diamondbacks, and their manager kind of did confirm the worst.

Torey Lovullo confirmed the fears postgame, saying that it was indeed right elbow discomfort. Burnes himself admitted that things “started to get tight,” and hence he decided to shift things before things escalated. Now, for the Diamondbacks, who are clinging to their postseason hopes in a stacked division like the NL West, they are on the verge of facing a crushing setback. Infact, if you ask MLB insider David Samson, the Diamondbacks are already in the thick of it.

According to Samson, the road ahead won’t be short or easy. In a rather blunt on-air segment, he explained exactly what Arizona should expect now, and spoiler alert—it is not comforting. Samson said, “When you’re pulled out of a game with an elbow injury in year one of a six-year deal, you don’t come back too quickly…..And when a pitcher misses a bit of time, you’ve got to ramp him up—unless his name is Shohei Ohtani. You may even need a rehab assignment.”  He didn’t just stop there; he made it clear in his signature ‘wait and see’ prediction that Corbin Burnes won’t return until after the All-Star break.

Not because he is severely injured, but because Burnes has a contract and investment that demand caution. Plus, no 30-year-old pitcher has a clean MRI, according to him, and gambling on a long-haul piece like Burnes is not something the team would do. For the Diamondbacks, a team that’s already suffering from inconsistency and bullpen issues, the loss of Burnes, even if temporary, feels like a gut punch. He was brought in to anchor their postseason dreams, and now all they can do is wait. And probably hope a Tommy John or a longer wait is not on the cards.

Even With Burnes Walking Off, the Arizona Diamondbacks Managed to End Up With a Win

Now, for a team dealing with such a gut-punch moment mid-game, the Arizona Diamondbacks still managed to pull out a win. The major reason is that they jumped on the Nationals pretty early, playing all three of their runs in their first inning and never looking back. Metal Marte got things going with a leadoff single. Then Lourdes Gurriel Jr. doubled him home, and then you can’t miss the huge 466-foot homer to the center by Eugenio Suarez. It was his 15th of the season, and it was so massive that it is tied for the fifth longest in the league this year.

But then, next, it was just silence—because that blast was the Arizona Diamondbacks’ final hit for the day. But even if the bats went silent, the pitching held its ground. Despite the surprise exit of their starter, Jalen Beeks came in and got the team out of the problems in the fifth. He surrendered just an RBI single before slamming the door on the inning. Christian Mena, who is just back from Triple-A, also performed well. Then, in the ninth, Justin Martinez notched his fourth save with a perfect inning, and he made it look easy.

The Nationals saw their four-game win streak collapse, even though the Diamondbacks’ offense went pretty quiet. However, most definitely, this victory does come wrapped in concern. Do you think it’s just a small hiatus for Burnes? Let us know.