ST. PETERSBURG -- The Angels appear to have avoided serious injuries to both Zach Neto and Nick Madrigal after the pair exited Saturday’s 14-3 win over the Rays, as both players were back in the lineup on Sunday.
After a wild pitch from Ian Seymour in the seventh inning, Neto slid feet-first into home plate and appeared to suffer an injury after a collision near the plate. Madrigal was later hit by a pitch in the ninth and exited the game.
Neto returned to the leadoff spot while wearing tape on the back of his neck. Madrigal was in good condition after requiring stitches in the center of his bottom lip.
“They both wanted to play today, and I put them in there,” manager Kurt Suzuki said.
After being evaluated by the Angles’ training staff after the collision, Neto was able to walk off the field under his own power. Madrigal entered the game and took over at second base while Oswald Peraza shifted from second to shortstop. It was the first time this season another player had appeared at shortstop for the Angels, with Neto having played every inning there entering the game.
After the pitch got away, Rays catcher Nick Fortes retrieved the ball and threw to Seymour, who was charging toward home and collided with Neto. The Angels' shortstop remained on the ground near the plate holding the back of his neck after being called safe.
"I just tried to put a tag down,” Seymour said. “I sort of [jumped] over him, and I guess my buttcheek hit him in the back. Looking back at it, there's certainly no, like, [bad] intention there. He's a great player, and I hope he's OK."
Neto had drawn a walk earlier in the inning and advanced to second on a Mike Trout walk. He later stole third with two outs before scampering home on the wild pitch.
Suzuki said Neto told him after Saturday's game to keep him in the lineup for the series finale against the Rays, telling him that he was “good.”
“I feel good. A little sore, a little tired right now,” Neto told reporters after Saturday’s game. “I was just trying to score a run, and I did. I knew it was going to be a rough impact at the plate, but I was just making sure I was there safe. I'll deal with the consequences after, but thankfully, nothing was bad.”
Madrigal's injury came in the ninth inning, when a sinker from Andrew Wantz ricocheted off his hand and struck him in the face on an 0-2 pitch. He immediately headed to the dugout and exited the game while holding a towel to his face, with Adam Frazier entering as a pinch-runner.
Madrigal briefly told reporters he was "all good" while leaving the clubhouse on Saturday. On Sunday, he revealed that he left the ballpark and went to the emergency room up the road from Tropicana Field, where he got some stitches.
“I'm fine. It looks kind of funny right now,” Madrigal said. “It's just a little swollen, but overall, not too bad. So it could have been a lot worse.
“I had to go sit and do it all. It was a 'fun' day yesterday. I was probably there for about an hour and a half, so not too long."