WASHINGTON — Kyle Schwarber said the Phillies were hoping not to hear anything “super serious” on Jhoan Duran’s injury Friday night.
So far, so good.
Duran exited the Phils’ 6-2 win over the Nationals sitting in the bullpen cart after he was hit in the right ankle by a 94.1 mph Paul DeJong liner. A Phillies official said X-rays on Duran were negative and he’ll be evaluated further Saturday.
The Phils’ closer had a slight limp in the postgame clubhouse. On the field, he’d grimaced and struggled to put weight on his right foot during an extended delay. DeJong’s comebacker evidently struck him in a painful spot.
“It hit him off the right ankle, the outer (part) of his ankle,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said. “He ran like a shot over to retrieve the ball, and then once he got there the adrenaline wore off and the pain set in.
“But before the cart came out — I know it took a long time — he actually said, ‘I feel better. I think I can walk over to the dugout.’ But we have all these steps out here (leading to the clubhouse), so we just wanted to use the cart and take him all the way around.”
Duran was the Phillies’ big trade deadline pickup. He’d been fantastic in his first four outings — four saves, one baserunner, a signature entrance and a powerful arsenal of pitches.
The Phillies held a four-run lead when Duran entered because Schwarber bashed a three-run homer in the seventh inning and Bryce Harper made it back-to-back jacks. David Robertson got the last three outs and the Phils halted a three-game losing streak.
They’ll learn more about Duran’s ankle in the days to come. Caution was the obvious approach Friday.
“He’s 240 pounds,” Thomson said with a smile. “I don’t want him carrying all that up the stairs.”