Philadelphia Phillies second baseman Luis Arraez exited Thursday’s 5-1 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers with a left ankle sprain after attempting to avoid a tag at first base.
Luis Arraez Injures Left Ankle Against Milwaukee Brewers
The play occurred in the bottom of the sixth inning when Luis Arraez bounced a grounder to shortstop Cooper Pratt, whose throw pulled first baseman Jake Bauers off the bag. Arraez tried to sidestep Bauers, but planted awkwardly and went down in a heap, rolling his ankle in the process and immediately grabbing at his leg.
Medical staff tended to Arraez on the field before he was helped off the field, unable to put weight on his left leg. His movement was visibly limited as he exited the field and continued to move about the dugout. Arraez was initially called safe, but home plate umpire Dan Merzel overturned the call because he ran out of the basepath. He was replaced in the top of the seventh inning by Edmundo Sosa, who played third base.
Don Mattingly and Teammates Address the Injury Outlook
Don Mattingly Awaits Further Evaluation After Negative X-Rays
Post-game X-rays were negative, and while further evaluation will occur, interim manager Don Mattingly noted that an MRI is not currently planned. Mattingly offered a cautious assessment of the situation heading into the final days of the regular season.
We’ll know more tomorrow,
Mattingly said. They’ll treat him tonight and see what happens.
We’ll see more, we’ll know more [Friday],
Mattingly said after the Brewers handed the Phillies a 5-1 loss, thwarting their most recent effort to clinch a wild card. We’ll see what happens, see how he walks in, or talk to him [Friday].
The Phillies call it a left ankle sprain,
interim manager Don Mattingly said. X-rays were negative. We’ll see more. We’ll know more tomorrow.
We’ll treat him tonight, see what happens, see how he walks in tomorrow,
Mattingly said.
I’m hopeful that he can play,
he said. But we’ll see. We’ll see where it goes.
National League Batting Title Pursuit and Lineup Shuffles
Luis Arraez Chases National League Batting Title
The four-time All-Star was acquired on Aug. 3 in a deal with the San Francisco Giants. Despite a dip in his statistics following the trade, he maintains the National League’s top batting average this season. The timing is particularly poor, as the Phillies are less than a week away from the Wild Card round. Arraez has been the cleanup hitter in all 44 of his starts since coming over from the Giants at the trade deadline. He’s hit .278 with the Phillies.
The Phillies reconfigured their defensive alignment after the Arraez trade. Bryce Harper went to right field from first base. If Arraez misses time, the team faces decisions regarding its depth chart and infield combinations.
Playoff Push and Final Series Context
Philadelphia Phillies Prepare for Los Angeles Angels Series Finale
The injury comes as the Phillies are still battling for an NL wild card spot, giving the Phillies another injury question as pressure mounts on them to clinch a playoff berth. Thursday’s defeat marked a 5-1 loss to the Brewers where Arraez hit a grounder to shortstop in the bottom of the sixth inning. The Philadelphia Phillies are eyeing a series sweep against the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday.
The Phillies had two nail-biting victories earlier in the series. A 9th-inning go-ahead pinch-hit grand slam by Edmundo Sosa led them to a 5-3 victory on Friday. Earlier in that inning, Bryson Stott was robbed of a three-run, go-ahead home run by Angels outfielder Wade Meckler. Philadelphia was then tied 1-1 in Saturday’s game. They scored 3 runs in the 10th inning and won 4-2. The Phillies announced their starting lineup ahead of Sunday’s series finale against the Angels, noting that All-Star second baseman Luis Arraez is not in the lineup.
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