Troubling news for Arizona Diamondbacks fans: Relief pitcher David Hernandez was forced to leave Saturday night's game against the San Diego Padres after a line drive off the bat of Alberto Gonzalez struck the setup man in the ankle area.
The D-backs' righthander has been very reliable during the 2011 season, earning 18 holds and 11 saves while sporting a 2.67 ERA. Brad Ziegler, acquired at the trade deadline from Oakland, came into the game to replace Hernandez with one out and two men on base.
After being struck on the line drive, Hernandez walked gingerly off the field and went in the locker room to be checked out by the team's medical staff. As of now, no official word on his injury has been released, but it is a very good sign that Hernandez was able to walk off the field under his own power.
Ziegler was able to close out the eighth inning for Hernandez, and the Diamondbacks went into the bottom of the eighth with a 3-1 lead over the Padres.