'Best case scenario': Arraez in stable condition after being carted off following collision

HOUSTON -- Time will tell, manager Mike Shildt said, but early postgame indications about Luis Arraez’s condition were good after the Padres first baseman was carted off the field early in Sunday’s night’s 3-2 victory over the Astros at Daikin Field.

Arraez was taken to Houston Methodist Hospital after colliding with Astros second baseman Mauricio Dubón at first base on the second play of the game. Arraez was back with the Padres after the game and seen chatting with Dubón outside the San Diego clubhouse. At the advice of the Padres’ medical staff, Arraez did not speak with reporters.

“Best-case scenario with Luis,” Shildt said. “Obviously, very scary. We think he’s for the most part out of the woods. Time will tell, but the initial testing is very favorable. No fractures of any sort. A little bit of laceration on his jawline, so we’re worried about his jaw, clearly his cervical region.

“We’ve been burned on testing before, so we’ll be cautiously optimistic. He did have a period [on the field] of where he wasn’t aware of where he was, so that’s clearly concerning, but everything’s coming back to him now, and his initial testing from a concussion standpoint is favorable. All things considered, it’s a blessing.”

Arraez, who at age 28 can claim a batting title for each of the past three seasons, entered Sunday hitting .287 for the MLB-best Padres and was batting .338 over his last 17 games after starting the season 1-for-18. Any prolonged absence would be another blow to a team already missing the bats of Jackson Merrill, Jake Cronenworth, Brandon Lockridge and Jason Heyward, who are all on the injured list.

“No one’s going to feel sorry for us, and we’re not going to feel sorry for ourselves,” said Shildt, whose team snapped a two-game losing streak to improve to 16-6. “We’re going to love on the guys that aren’t here and aren’t on the field with us and support ‘em like crazy, but we also know we have a job to get done, and somebody’s going to get it done.”

After Fernando Tatis Jr. led off the game with a walk against Astros left-hander Framber Valdez, Arraez laid down a sacrifice bunt attempt that was fielded on the right side of the infield by Astros first baseman Christian Walker. Dubón was racing to first to take Walker’s throw and, while recording the putout, appeared to hit Arraez’s chin with his elbow.

With Shildt looking on, Arraez lay on the field in a chilling scene while being attended to by the medical staff as the game was delayed for 11 minutes. His head and neck were secured by a brace before he was carted off. Arraez did give a thumbs-up to the crowd as he was taken off the field through a gate in the right-field corner.

“I heard the collision,” said Tatis, whose back was initially turned as he reached second base. “As soon as they called timeout, I went to see my boy just to see what was going on.

“It’s a sad moment, especially getting close with him and seeing him on the ground like that. Definitely get scared, and you almost go into tears. But just sat down next to him and started praying for him right away.”

Dubón sensed the possible collision but said he had no room to maneuver as he barreled toward first base.

“I tried to stay on the bag, and it was full speed,” Dubón said. “I just braced myself and closed my eyes. I couldn’t move anywhere, anything. So that’s why I just try to take it.

“It was scary, just watching him not move. Especially when people know the type of player I am. I’m not a dirty player or anything, so it sucks. There’s nothing I could have done. I braced myself and, you know, thought I was gonna get the worst out of it.”

Astros manager Joe Espada had a direct view of the bunt play, which took the word sacrifice to a different level.

“We thought we defended it well,” Espada said. “It's just really hard to stop the momentum, a second baseman coming full speed, catching that ball. It's hard to prevent that from happening.”

The play overshadowed a stellar game for Tatis, who scored all three Padres runs, including the decisive one on a tie-breaking homer off Tayler Scott in the seventh. Tatis also tripled and has reached base in all 21 Padres games this season.

What gave him the most joy, however, was seeing Arraez back in the Padres’ midst after the game.

“Just happy he’s back with us already and just happy he’s standing up,” Tatis said. “It’s just a sad part of the game, but stuff happens sometimes. I’m just happy he’s all right.”