Jhoan Duran takes liner off foot, exits early in Phillies’ win over Nationals
Jhoan Duran entered Friday night’s game at Nationals Park with the Phillies leading the Nationals, 6-2. Duran wouldn’t record an out. He took a liner off the bat of Paul DeJong off his right foot/ankle four pitches into his outing.
DeJong’s liner had an exit velocity of 94.1 mph. Duran appeared to be in pain on the field. He had a serious limp. Phillies trainers immediately came out to check on the big right-hander. He stayed on the field for some time as David Robertson got warm out in the bullpen. Duran eventually left the field on the motorized bullpen cart as he appeared unable to put weight on his right foot/ankle.
X-rays on the Phillies closer came back negative, as reported by Scott Lauber of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Duran will be further evaluated on Saturday.
Lauber also noted that Duran was seen leaving the X-ray under his own power.
Robertson came in and got three straight outs after allowing a double that put runners on second and third, securing a 6-2 Phillies win that ended the club’s three-game skid.
Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper helped out in a big way, too, going back-to-back with a pair of homers off reliever Konnor Pilkington in the seventh inning. Schwarber’s homer came on a hanging slider. He sent the cement mixer into the upper deck out in right field for a go-ahead, three-run shot.
Harper’s long ball landed just beyond the center-field wall.
Acquired from the Twins ahead of last month’s trade deadline, Duran has already become an important player for Rob Thomson’s club, settling into the closer’s role and being a true shutdown arm so far. While Duran’s ultimate status is still unknown, X-rays coming back negative are a sign that the worst-case scenario has likely been avoided.