Philadelphia Phillies closer Jhoan Duran, carted off the field on Friday in Washington after being hit by a one-hopper on his right ankle, underwent X-rays that were negative.
The team announced that Duran would undergo further evaluation on Saturday.
Duran entered in the ninth inning of the Phillies’ road game against the Washington Nationals, with Philadelphia up 6-2. On Duran’s fourth pitch, Paul DeJong hit a hard grounder that struck the pitcher and bounced toward the first base line.
Duran came off the mound and raced toward the ball before slowing down and then stopping. He spoke with manager Rob Thomson and the club’s trainers before finally exiting the field after a long delay.
“He ran like a shot over to retrieve the ball, and then once he got there, I think the adrenaline wore off and the pain set in,” Thomson said. “Before the cart came out, it took a long time and he said, ‘I feel better, I think I can walk over to the dugout.’ But there’s all these steps here and we wanted to use the cart.”
David Robertson took over on the mound and allowed a double to Luis Garcia Jr. before retiring the next three batters to end the game.
Duran, 27, was acquired by the Phillies on July 30 from the Minnesota Twins in exchange for right-handed reliever Mick Abel and minor league catcher Eduardo Tait.
One of the majors’ hardest-throwing pitchers, Duran is 4-for-4 in save chances for his new club with a 0.00 ERA in four innings. Overall this year, he has 20 saves in 22 opportunities with a 1.86 ERA in 54 appearances. He has 56 strikeouts and 18 walks in 53 1/3 innings.
In four major league seasons, the first 3 1/2 with the Twins, Duran is 78-for-87 on save chances with a 17-23 record and a 2.42 ERA in 227 appearances, all in relief.
–Field Level Media
