Blake Snell reacts as an upset Bryce Harper leaves the field after being hit by a pitch Photo credit: Screen shot, Bally Sports San Diego
The Padres may have lost a game Saturday, but the Philadelphia Phillies, with one pitch from Blake Snell, lost more.
Snell hit their slugger Bryce Harper in the left hand, fracturing his left thumb in the fourth inning of the Friars 4-2 setback. The Phillies said Harper will be out indefinitely,
Snell looked visibly upset as Harper collapsed to his knees clutching his hand. When the current National League MVP approached his dugout, he yelled in frustration, but also let Snell know he didn’t think the pitch was deliberate.
The left hander acknowledged Harper’s words, raising his cap as the star left the field. After the game, Snell said, “obviously I felt terrible hitting him … he knows that,” adding that he understood why Harper got emotional in the aftermath.
Snell had cruised through four innings – manager Bob Melvin said he “looked like he was rolling” – giving up just one hit. But in the fifth, the Phillies tagged him for three runs, including a leadoff homer to catcher J.T. Realmuto.
Scary sight in San Diego. Bryce Harper had to leave the game after taking a pitch off his hand. pic.twitter.com/uDeTOiOqjT
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) June 26, 2022
The Padres got two back in the bottom of the inning, as Jorge Alfaro hit a two-out double to drive in C.J. Abrams and Jake Cronenworth. But that was all, as the Padre mustered just four hits in the game.
Meanwhile, the Padres have a leader among baseball’s luminaries vying for spots in the All-Star Game in Los Angeles next month.
The tally, released earlier this week, shows Manny Machado with a huge lead – nearly 400,000 votes – among NL third basemen. Eric Hosmer sits in fifth among first basemen, but far behind leader Paul Goldschmidt of the St. Louis Cardinals.
No other Padre ranks higher than sixth among the contenders except one who won’t be able to play – Fernando Tatis Jr. is in fifth among shortstops despite not having played yet this year due to an injured wrist.
Phase 1 of the balloting – with voting open online – concludes at 11 a.m. Thursday.
The Padres finish the home stand Sunday, with Yu Darvish on the mound at Petco Park to try and salvage a series split.