PHILADELPHIA -- Just about everything went the Phillies’ way on Saturday night at Citizens Bank Park -- except for a couple of injuries to key contributors.
First, Luis Arraez exited the club’s 12-3 win over the Cardinals in the fourth inning -- but it appears to be nothing serious. The Phillies quickly announced that Arraez had departed due to "lower body cramping." He was replaced by Bryson Stott -- who was not in the starting lineup -- at second base to begin the top of the fourth.
Just a few innings later, outfielder Derek Hill was lifted for a pinch-hitter due to neck stiffness. It was unclear when he sustained the injury, but he was replaced by Justin Crawford in the bottom of the sixth.
Interim manager Don Mattingly said following the game that they will wait to see how both players are feeling on Sunday morning before deciding on their status for the series finale against the Cards.
Arraez’s departure came shortly after one of his legs appeared to lock up on him while running the bases in the bottom of the third. Arraez took a big turn around second base on an Alec Bohm single before slamming on the brakes and retreating to the bag.
Arraez appeared to limp momentarily, but he remained in the game and came around to score. He went to third on a single by Edmundo Sosa, then jogged home on Bryan De La Cruz's two-run single.
Arraez, however, did not take the field to begin the next inning. The Phillies were leading 7-0 at the time.
Needless to say, the cramping diagnosis was a best-case scenario for a Phillies team that can ill-afford to lose its new second baseman.
Arraez, who was 1-for-2 before exiting, is hitting .315 (23-for-73) in 17 games with the Phillies since being acquired from the Giants on Aug. 3. His third-inning single against the Cardinals extended his hitting streak to nine games, during which he's batting .432 (16-for-37).