PHILADELPHIA — In search of offense, the Giants lost one of their most productive hitters in the second inning of their series opener Friday night against the Phillies.
As Alec Bohm’s walk-up music rang through Citizens Bank Park, catcher Patrick Bailey motioned to the Giants dugout. He requested the training staff and appeared to tell them, “I’m dizzy.” The catcher accompanied head trainer Dave Groeschner and manager Bob Melvin back to the dugout and was replaced by Tom Murphy.
The Giants announced midway through the game that Bailey was being evaluated for blurry vision.
After the game, Melvin said Bailey was “doing a little better” and not in concussion protocol.
“He had some blurry vision, so obviously we were going to be proactive about that,” Melvin said. “The doc saw him and we’re monitoring him right now.”
Nothing immediately preceding Bailey’s exit suggested a concussion or any other injury. The previous inning, he was struck in the face mask by a foul ball off Bohm’s bat but remained in the game for the final batter of the first inning and the first two batters of the second.
After Nick Castellanos reached on an error by third baseman Matt Chapman, Bailey called for Melvin and Groeschner.
“I checked right in with him, and he seems to be doing OK,” Murphy said. “It’s terrifying, right? Pat’s been through some concussions and that sort of thing. I feel for that kid deeply. Hopefully he figures out a better mask, or something better for him. I just really hope he’s OK.”
A runner-up for a Gold Glove as a rookie, Bailey had been one of the few things going right for the Giants’ offense, which had failed to score more than three runs in any of its past seven games entering Friday night. In 24 games, Bailey had been 31% better than the ballpark-adjusted league-average hitter, and his .279/.337/.456 batting line equaled a .793 OPS, second only to LaMonte Wade Jr. among Giants hitters.
“Hopefully it’s not a loss,” Melvin said of the potential impact of Bailey’s absence. “He is central to kind of everything we do.”
If Bailey is forced to miss time, the Giants no longer have Joey Bart at Triple-A Sacramento to call up in his place. Blake Sabol is the only other catcher the Giants have on their 40-man roster.
As for Friday night, when it came time to warm up Jordan Hicks in between innings, it was Tyler Fitzgerald who threw on shin guards and a catcher’s mitt. Maybe the superutility man will play all nine positions after all.
