St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Matt Holliday exited Thursday night's game against the Chicago Cubs after being hit on his right hand by a pitch in the 10th inning. He was placed on the disabled list after the game, and it's unclear when he'll return to the field.
Continue for updates.
Holliday Comments on Injury
Friday, Aug. 12
Holliday discussed the nature of his injury after Thursday's game:
Holliday DL-Bound After Breaking Thumb
Thursday, Aug. 11
Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported Holliday suffered a fractured thumb and was headed back to St. Louis for further evaluation. The team hasn't disclosed the amount of time that he is slated to miss, but Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com reported he will be headed to the disabled list.
Veteran Holliday Still Among League's Best Sluggers
Even at 36 years old, Holliday continues to show plenty of power at the plate. Through 106 games, he has 19 home runs, 60 RBI and a .451 slugging percentage. However, Holliday is getting on base at the lowest rate of his career. His .315 on-base percentage is 67 points below his career average.
Holliday was on the receiving end of one of the scariest moments this year. On July 21, he took a 95 mph fastball to the face from San Diego Padres starting pitcher Andrew Cashner:
Despite that hit-by-pitch, the Cardinals put him in the starting lineup the next day.
St. Louis will hope Holliday's thumb injury proves to be minor, because the timing was not ideal. The Cardinals need his bat in the lineup as they prepare for the stretch run.
After Chicago's 4-3 win Thursday, the Cubs are 13 games ahead of the Cardinals in the National League Central and are likely going to take the division. That leaves the wild card as the Cardinals' best chance at reaching the postseason. In a tight NL wild-card race, St. Louis can't afford to surrender any ground.
Especially with the team struggling mightily this year, the Cardinals need to be able to count on their outfield to deliver at the plate, and Holliday's absence would make that difficult.
Manager Mike Matheny will likely have to use Tommy Pham or Jeremy Hazelbaker in left field while Holliday recovers.
Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com
- Login to post comments