On Thursday night shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr., the Padres #1 prospect, injured his thumb sliding headfirst into 2nd base on a stolen base attempt for Double-A San Antonio.
General Manager A.J. Preller said they’re thinking it’s either a fracture, ligament damage, or both. Unfortunately it was not the only injury the franchise suffered.
While Tatis is expected to be fine and might possibly play again before the end of the season, centerfielder Manuel Margot might be out for a while. Margot injured his left wrist trying to make a diving catch in San Diego’s 11-5 loss to the Phillies on Friday night in Philadelphia.
Manager Andy Green said Margot will undergo tests to determine the extent of the injury but Margot was in obvious pain as he walked off the field. In a sight that would have been funny if not for the circumstances catcher A.J. Ellis ended up playing in the outfield, the first time he’s ever played defense in a Major League game at a position other than catcher.
That was kind of the way the night went for the Padres, who got off to about as good a start as a team can hope for.
San Diego scored four times in the top of the 1st inning. Carlos Asuaje, Wil Myers, and Freddy Galvis all had run-scoring hits to spot veteran starter Clayton Richard to a 4-0 lead.
That lead lasted an inning and a half.
Philly got one back in the 1st and then erupted for six runs in the bottom of the 2nd inning. The last three came on a home run by Carlos Santana that put the Phillies up 7-4.
Galvis, who had three hits in his return to Philadelphia, drove in another run in the 4th inning to cut the lead to 7-5 and keep hope of a comeback alive. That hope was dashed in the 8th inning.
Robert Stock, who was just recalled from El Paso to take a bullpen spot vacated by Thursday’s trade of Brad Hand and Adam Cimber to Cleveland, gave up hits to six straight batters. The last one in the line was Cesar Hernandez, who hit the sinking liner that resulted in Margot’s injury.
The Padres are now a season-worst 20 games under .500 and there’s not much reason to think they’ll stop there. On Saturday night Luis Perdomo takes the mound against Phillies right-hander Vince Velasquez.
