FRACTURED FINGER TO SIDELINE NOLA
Starting catcher may not be available for opener in two weeks
Austin Nola played through a fracture in his left foot upon joining the Padres last summer. Time will tell how much a fractured left middle finger — sustained during Saturday’s Cactus League game — impacts the 31-year-old catcher’s availability for the start of the season in a little more than two weeks.
“I think we need to wait and see how he responds,” Padres manager Jayce Tingler said Sunday morning. “Will he be ready for opening day? I don’t know. I know he’s extremely tough. It wouldn’t surprise me if he’s ready sooner rather than later. We won’t know until we get some treatment on it and see how it responds.”
The fracture occurred on a foul tip off Nola’s glove. He did not alert the Padres’ training staff he was experiencing discomfort until after his scheduled exit from the game, the latest setback to strike the club over the past week or so.
First, Fernando Tatis Jr. missed a week of Cactus League games with a bout of the flu. He homered in his first at-bat back on Friday, served as the DH on Saturday and exited that game after a headfirst dive at the plate, a decision that Tingler described as “precautionary.” Trent Grisham is already down with a Grade 1 hamstring sprain that the team hopes only sidelines him for a week. Wil Myers was
scratched from Saturday’s lineup with right knee soreness and Ha-seong Kim was pulled from Sunday’s lineup with “some aches and pains,” although Tingler was quick to note the training staff did not believe his condition was COVID-19-related.
Kim was 0-for-2 Saturday with two strikeouts and walk and was hitless over his last five games, dropping his Cactus League average to .111.
“I don’t know if it’s some of the weather change or whatever, but just the body aching a little bit,” Tingler said. “… We’ll see if we can have a little bit of a recovery day and see how quickly we can get him back.”
Temperatures dipping into the mid-50s, too, played a role in Myers being pulled from Saturday’s lineup with soreness and inflammation at the top of his right kneecap after going through a full slate of pregame activity.
Both Myers and Tatis ran through regular off-day work without issue and will do so again today. Tingler said Myers could return to the lineup then, but allowed that both Tatis and Myers could be off another day before returning to Cactus League action. Meantime, Grisham continues to take small steps forward.
“He’s already feeling better than yesterday,” Tingler said of Grisham. “For his treatment, they’re going to continue to increase the workload from the day before and so it’s been relatively positive. He’s making progress day by day.”
As for Nola and the catching position in general, the short-term plan before the injury, Tingler said, was to give Victor Caratini back-toback starts Sunday and today for the second time this season. Prospect Luis Campusano can also expect an increase in playing time as the Padres get a better idea of just how long their starting catcher may be out.
“We’ve got a lot of confidence in our catchers,” Tingler said. “Campusano has been catching (more) and getting some at-bats over the last couple days. That’s going to continue now, so should be a nice time for those guys to find some rhythm and timing and get going to find a flow offensively and defensively over the next week.”
First baseman Eric Hosmer missed a little more than two weeks last year after fracturing his left index finger, although Tingler said the only comparison worth making at this point is the willingness to play through pain that Hosmer displayed in 2020.
Nola did the same after fracturing a small bone in his foot on a foul tip early in his tenure in San Diego. He remained an asset for the pitching staff, but his batting line slipped from .306/.373/ .531 in a half-season with the Mariners to .222/.324/.381 over 19 games with the Padres.
“The reality is with these things everyone heals a little bit differently,” Tingler said. “I don’t want to put a timeline or a comparison out there. I just know both men are extremely tough being around them. … They can take a lot of pain and not show much.”
[ 1 GONZAGA ] The Bulldogs are off to a good start in this regional, having already knocked off the Nos. 2, 3and 4 seeds this season, beating Kansas by 12, Iowa by 11 and Virginia by 23.
[2IOWA] The Hawkeyes went 1-4 this season against teams ranked in the top 10 at the time. Nine Big Ten teams have been to a combined 51 Sweet 16s since 2000 — none by Iowa.
[ 3 KANSAS ] As noted by ESPN Stats & Info, the Jayhawks have been a top-three seed in 13 of the past 14 tournaments, the most of any school. Duke is the only other in double digits.
[ 4 VIRGINIA ] Virginia’s most recent game, before pulling out of the ACC tournament, was a win over Syracuse thanks to a buzzer-beating three by freshman point guard Reece Beekman.
Cinderella search
Don’t overlook UC Santa Barbara, which features Pac-12 transfers JaQuori McLaughlin and 6-10 forward Miles Norris. The Gauchos — who have lost just once in 2021 — could be the latest 12-over-5 upset.
Top players
Luka Garza, center, Iowa
The Hawkeyes have already retired the No. 55 of Garza, the two-time Big Ten player of the year who led the nation with 687 points and seven 30-point games.
Evan Mobley, forward, USC
Mobley, outstanding at both ends of the court, ran the table in Pac-12 awards: freshman of the year, defensive player of the year and player of the year.
Corey Kispert, guard, Gonzaga
Kispert stayed all four years and tormented opponents with his deadly accuracy. The likely lottery pick and long-range sniper shoots 44% from behind the arc.
Rim shots
The four No. 1 seeds — Gonzaga, Baylor, Illinois and Michigan — have accounted for one NCAA title, with the Wolverines winning in 1989.
Kansas and Virginia have to be relieved they’re in a region that starts playing Saturday. Both had to withdraw from their conference tournaments before the semifinals because of positive COVID-19 tests.
Wichita State made the tournament even though seven of their players from last season transferred, and the Shockers saw eight games postponed or canceled due to the coronavirus.
Grand Canyon coach Bryce Drew knows something about upsets. He hit a gamewinning three for Valparaiso against Mississippi in the tournament 23 years ago.