Dustin Pedroia’s injury was the most bothersome aspect of the Boston Red Sox’s 7-0 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field.
Pedroia wobbled off the field in the bottom of the second inning Saturday night after being elbowed in the head by Logan Forsythe on a play at second base. It’s unclear at this point if the blow will be enough to send Pedroia to the disabled list, but the Red Sox second baseman looked woozy while exiting the diamond.
“He’s got some symptoms that are consistent with a concussion,” Red Sox manager John Farrell said after the game. “He’s improved as the game has gone on. … Not as dizzy as he was when he first came off. But we’ll take every precaution necessary with Dustin.”
Forsythe tagged up and took second base on Ryan Hanigan’s sacrifice fly to center field. As Forsythe dived head-first into the bag, he lifted his right arm in a swim-move motion, clipping Pedroia, who was going for a tag, full-force on the side of the head. Pedroia immediately hit the ground and motioned toward the Red Sox’s dugout. The Red Sox wasted no time in removing the four-time All-Star from the contest.
“I’ve only played with him a year and a half, but I’ve seen him play his whole career,” shortstop Xander Bogaerts said. “He’s a guy who never wants to come off the field, so for him to come off the field, it takes something.”
Bogaerts returned from the seven-day concussion disabled list Saturday after being struck in the head by a pitch Aug. 22. He certainly understands Pedroia’s pain, though it’s still difficult to compare the two situations.
“Each have taken a blow to head, so it’s going to be individual,” Farrell said. “I can’t say that I’ve got a direct comparison of the two, but (Pedroia’s) bell was rung when he came off the field. Like I said, some of the dizziness has cleared up at this point. This will be a day-to-day situation.”
Farrell said he was unsure if Pedroia, who remained at Tropicana Field, had been examined by a doctor. Pedroia obviously will be examined if he hasn’t been already, though, and the skipper said the team will make sure every symptom has subsided before the hard-nosed veteran returns to action.
The play certainly was strange, especially given the bad blood between the Red Sox and Rays. Forsythe said after the game he absolutely did not mean to elbow Pedroia, however, and that he hated that the injury occurred.
The Red Sox were held to only one hit Saturday. Allen Webster also turned in his second consecutive lackluster outing on the mound. But nothing was as nerve-wracking as seeing Boston’s de facto captain walk off in a daze.
