SAN FRANCISCO -- Nothing separated the Padres and Giants at Oracle Park this week. The two National League West rivals split four games, all of which were decided by precisely one run. And at the end of a tight, tense, at times feisty series, San Diego emerged with its share of battle wounds.
First baseman Luis Arraez exited Thursday afternoon’s series finale -- a 3-2 Giants victory -- with posterior right knee soreness. He joins fellow infielder Xander Bogaerts, who left Wednesday’s game with left shoulder soreness, as day to day. As things stand, the team is hopeful both can avoid the injured list.
“I think we’re optimistic on both,” said Padres manager Mike Shildt. “But not out of the woods on either.”
Meanwhile, Thursday’s starter Dylan Cease took a 104 mph Matt Chapman line drive off his right forearm in the bottom of the fifth inning. He remained in the game and said he was fine afterward -- a sigh of relief for the Padres, who are already without Michael King (right shoulder pinched nerve) and Yu Darvish (right elbow inflammation) in their rotation.
The good news on Cease was quickly tempered by Arraez’s sixth-inning exit. He later described his injury as tightness in the back of his right leg toward the top of the calf muscle. He sustained the injury making a diving play in the bottom of the fourth inning.
Two innings later, Arraez hit a grounder to short and, as he was running down the line, continued to feel that tightness. He was removed from the game before the bottom of the frame.
“I didn’t want to push too hard,” Arraez said. “It’s a long season. I feel bad because I want to finish my game. … Let’s see tomorrow how I feel.”
Arraez is hopeful he can play in Friday’s series opener in Milwaukee, as the Padres continue a critical stretch of their schedule. This week’s series against the Giants marked the start of a period of 17 games against fellow NL contenders in 18 days. Fourteen of those games are on the road.
Needless to say, the Padres can hardly afford to be without two of their starting infielders for an extended period. Jose Iglesias is a capable fill-in for Bogaerts at short. But he’s best suited moving around the diamond as matchups dictate.
Meanwhile, utilityman Tyler Wade replaced Arraez on Thursday, playing second base with Jake Cronenworth sliding to first. Presumably, the Padres would simply use Gavin Sheets at first base if Arraez were to miss time moving forward. But Sheets had started Thursday’s game at designated hitter.
Still, Arraez is hoping it won’t come to that, noting after the game: “I’ll play tomorrow.” That’s a largely expected response from Arraez, who hates days off. But the reality is that his status is still up in the air.
“We’re not overly concerned,” Shildt said. “But clearly there is concern to some level. We’ll just evaluate how he feels moving forward, but we’re hopeful it’s more of a day to day situation.”
Without Arraez and Bogaerts, the Padres couldn’t mount a comeback after the Giants scored three runs against Cease in the bottom of the third inning, taking a 3-2 lead. Manny Machado had put San Diego on top, 2-0, with his 350th career home run in the top of the frame.
“It was a grind,” Machado said. “Helluva series from both sides, and we played some really good baseball.”