Only bone bruise for Betts
Mookie Betts left Loandepot Park in Miami on crutches Thursday night and struggled onto the team plane. He spent Friday trying to find out just how bad things might be.
Though he couldn’t dodge the foul ball, the Dodgers dodged a bullet. An MRI and CT scan of his left foot “came back negative,” according to Roberts. He was diagnosed with a bone bruise and is expected to miss the series in Washington at least but could return soon after.
Betts actually stayed in Thursday’s game for seven innings after injuring his foot and reached base four times. X-rays at the stadium were negative but the Dodgers sent Betts for further examination once they got to Washington on Friday.
“Mookie is better than he was yesterday,” Roberts said before the game. “I think we’re doing the whole gamut of CT, X-rays yesterday, MRI, just to kind of make sure we have all the information.”
Roberts was optimistic that Betts’ time out of action would be minimal.
Betts is an MVP contender, leading the National League in on-base percentage (.411) and slugging percentage (.609), and ranking third in RBIS (99), fourth in home runs (a career-high 38) and fifth in batting average (.314). He hit .455 with 11 homers and 30 RBIS in August..
The leadoff hitter was playing college baseball in May. The No. 9 hitter suited up in the rookie league as recently as last season.
In between, the Angels mixed and matched a most improbable lineup Friday, with the hope that youthful energy and a tiny bit of veteran savvy could build off a comeback victory one day earlier. It could not.
The Angels fell 6-3 to the Cleveland Guardians for their seventh loss in the last eight games and 10th in the last 12. Mike Trout hasn’t played in any of those dozen games and Shohei Ohtani has played in just seven, with none as a pitcher.
In addition to missing Trout (hand) and Ohtani (oblique) on Friday, Luis Rengifo was out with a biceps injury and Mickey Moniak was out with a strained back.
Shortstop Zach Neto is on a rehab assignment with his own back injury, and while there was an Anthony Rendon sighting, the third baseman was merely participating in light running drills before the game as he recovers from a leg contusion.
So first baseman Nolan Schanuel led off and shortstop Kyren Paris brought up the rear of the lineup, which also had Logan O’hoppe batting cleanup in just his 32nd game this season. There was Randal Grichuk, who was put on waivers two weeks ago, Jordyn Adams who was just recalled earlier Friday and Brett Phillips, who played 66 games at Triple-a.
The scrappy group had its moments.
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