BOSTON — David Ortiz’s pain this weekend went beyond the frustration of the Red Sox’s eight-game losing streak.
Ortiz, who already had left Saturday’s game after being hit by a pitch, was forced to exit Sunday’s, as well, after fouling an offering from Seattle Mariners reliever Dominic Leone off his right foot during the fourth inning.
The designated hitter remained in the game after falling to the ground and being examined by the team trainer, but he was replaced by Kelly Johnson on the basepaths after singling in his next at-bat. The injury was announced as a right foot contusion, and manager John Farrell described Ortiz’s condition as day to day when speaking with reporters after the game.
“It’s a contusion,” Farrell said. “The fluoroscan at this point proved negative — no fractures of any kind based on that test — and we’ll check him once we get to the ballpark (Monday) and obviously throughout the night tonight.”
Johnson stepped up in Ortiz’s stead, driving in Brock Holt with an RBI double in his first at-bat of the game, but the absence of the slugger’s big bat proved costly in the the ninth inning. Johnson struck out with the bases loaded for the final out of the Red Sox’s 8-6 loss.
“Any time you lose David Ortiz out of your lineup, it’s a hole,” Farrell said. “And that’s not to take anything away from Kelly Johnson, who doubled in his first at-bat, but we’d like to have David up at the plate more often than the four or five times a night to begin with. So, yeah, it’s someone we miss who’s been a main cog in our offense daily and year to date. Hopefully, this is just a short-lived loss in the lineup for him.”
Ortiz went 1-for-3 with a walk and a run scored before leaving the game to extend his on-base streak to 12 games. He is tied for fourth in the majors with 30 home runs on the season and tied for second with 93 RBIs.
Photo via Greg M. Cooper/USA TODAY Sports Images
