Mike Adams undergoes MRI, is out indefinitely

Mike Adams has struggled recently for the Texas Rangers, and his struggles came to a head on Thursday afternoon, when Adams allowed three home runs in two thirds of an inning to the Oakland Athletics.

Such an outburst is uncharacteristic for Adams, who had allowed just one home run all season headed into the outing.

As it turns out, Adams might not be healthy. Adams underwent an MRI on his right shoulder on Friday, and will be sidelined indefinitely. His available for the playoffs is in doubt.

Adams hasn't been right since the calendar turned to September. In nine September outings, Adams has allowed a staggering 14 hits, while issuing five walks, in just eight and a third innings of work. For those who care about ERA and WHIP in such small sample sizes, Adams' ERA for September sits at 7.56, and his WHIP at 2.29.

Clearly, there is something physically wrong with Adams.

With just over a week until the ALDS begins, the Rangers don't have much time to just rest Adams and hope for the best. The Rangers will need to know if Adams can contribute at the level Ron Washington, Mike Maddux and Rangers fans are accustomed to seeing. Outbursts like yesterday's are unacceptable in October baseball, and could very well be the difference between a series win and loss.

If Adams isn't healthy, he'll likely be left off the ALDS roster, creating a mix-and-match eighth inning scenario for Ron Washington.