WASHINGTON -- Wilson Ramos
jumped to catch a relay throw on a play at the plate that appeared
pretty harmless. Only this time, his right foot hit the dirt and he
crumpled to the ground, clutching his right knee.
The All-Star catcher writhed in pain and was helped off the field during the Washington Nationals' 14-4 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday night. The injury could be another major blow to the NL East champions, already expected to be without ailing pitcher Stephen Strasburg in the Division Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Nationals manager Dusty Baker said Ramos would have an MRI on Tuesday to determine the extent of the damage. But the damage to the team's World Series hopes might already have been done.
"There's nothing you can do about it," Baker said. "You've got to play and nobody feels sorry for you, so we're not going to feel sorry for ourselves."
It was the same knee Ramos injured badly during the 2012 season, when he tore his ACL and medial collateral ligament. Ramos, who can become a free agent after the season, is hitting .307 with 22 home runs and 80 RBI.
"He's a silent leader," said starter Tanner Roark (15-10), who took the loss after allowing five runs and four hits in four innings. "He goes out there and does it with his glove and behind the dish and his bat."
The injury happened on Yasmany Tomas' RBI double in the sixth when first baseman Ryan Zimmerman relayed home. Teammates immediately knew something was wrong with Ramos, who usually stays in the game after taking foul balls off just about every part of his body.
"Tough moment," said Roark, who is expected to follow Max Scherzer in Washington's playoff rotation. "Something just gave out and he pointed right to his knee."
Ramos called for medical attention and couldn't walk off under his own power. Baker and players hoped for the best, but it's clear they immediately feared the worst.
"You hate (for) it to happen this late, right before the playoffs, but our next step is try to figure out a way to play without Wilson," Baker said. "I've been mixing and matching this year and most of my life. Therefore, it's another obstacle and I've just got to try to go back to the drawing board and figure out something."
The Nationals have two other catchers on their September roster in Pedro Severino and Jose Lobaton. But they don't have someone who can replace Ramos' power and presence in the middle of the lineup.
Washington should have reigning NL MVP Bryce Harper back by the playoffs, if not sooner, after Baker said X-rays came back negative on the slugger's left thumb. Baker said Harper could be back within a few days, and second baseman Daniel Murphy is expected to be in the lineup for Game 1 against the Dodgers on Oct. 7 after being shut down with a strained glute.
Nationals pitchers allowed a season-high five home runs -- two to Jean Segura, a three-run shot to Tomas and one each to Mitch Haniger and Jake Lamb.
Washington is one game up on the Dodgers for home-field advantage in the NLDS.
BLAME THE RAIN
Including a 20-minute rain delay that started one pitch in, the top of the sixth inning took almost an hour to play. The Diamondbacks sent 11 hitters to the plate, scoring five runs on six hits with an error sprinkled in for good measure.
TOMAS' NIGHT
Tomas, a Cuban countryman of late Miami Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez, made a running catch at the wall in the second inning and had a big night at the plate. Tomas was 2 for 5 with five RBI, including his 30th home run of the season.
After Fernandez's death in a boating accident early Sunday at age 24, Tomas tweeted in Spanish calling Fernandez a friend and thanking him for the moments he provided in baseball. After the game he declined to talk about Fernandez.
GOODWIN IN LOSS
Starting in place of Harper, Nationals rookie outfielder Brian Goodwin hit his first major league triple and drove in two runs. With nothing but home-field advantage in the first round left to play for, Goodwin could see a lot of action the rest of the week.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Diamondbacks: Manager Chip Hale said RHP Rubby De La Rosa will have a stem cell injection in his elbow Tuesday in an attempt to avoid a second Tommy John surgery.
Nationals: LHP Sammy Solis was activated off the disabled list after missing more than a month with shoulder inflammation.
UP NEXT
Scherzer (18-7, 2.82 ERA) continues his Cy Young Award campaign against Arizona's Matt Koch (1-1, 1.29), who will make his first major league start.
Arizona Diamondbacks
The All-Star catcher writhed in pain and was helped off the field during the Washington Nationals' 14-4 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday night. The injury could be another major blow to the NL East champions, already expected to be without ailing pitcher Stephen Strasburg in the Division Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Nationals manager Dusty Baker said Ramos would have an MRI on Tuesday to determine the extent of the damage. But the damage to the team's World Series hopes might already have been done.
"There's nothing you can do about it," Baker said. "You've got to play and nobody feels sorry for you, so we're not going to feel sorry for ourselves."
It was the same knee Ramos injured badly during the 2012 season, when he tore his ACL and medial collateral ligament. Ramos, who can become a free agent after the season, is hitting .307 with 22 home runs and 80 RBI.
"He's a silent leader," said starter Tanner Roark (15-10), who took the loss after allowing five runs and four hits in four innings. "He goes out there and does it with his glove and behind the dish and his bat."
The injury happened on Yasmany Tomas' RBI double in the sixth when first baseman Ryan Zimmerman relayed home. Teammates immediately knew something was wrong with Ramos, who usually stays in the game after taking foul balls off just about every part of his body.
"Tough moment," said Roark, who is expected to follow Max Scherzer in Washington's playoff rotation. "Something just gave out and he pointed right to his knee."
Ramos called for medical attention and couldn't walk off under his own power. Baker and players hoped for the best, but it's clear they immediately feared the worst.
"You hate (for) it to happen this late, right before the playoffs, but our next step is try to figure out a way to play without Wilson," Baker said. "I've been mixing and matching this year and most of my life. Therefore, it's another obstacle and I've just got to try to go back to the drawing board and figure out something."
The Nationals have two other catchers on their September roster in Pedro Severino and Jose Lobaton. But they don't have someone who can replace Ramos' power and presence in the middle of the lineup.
Washington should have reigning NL MVP Bryce Harper back by the playoffs, if not sooner, after Baker said X-rays came back negative on the slugger's left thumb. Baker said Harper could be back within a few days, and second baseman Daniel Murphy is expected to be in the lineup for Game 1 against the Dodgers on Oct. 7 after being shut down with a strained glute.
Nationals pitchers allowed a season-high five home runs -- two to Jean Segura, a three-run shot to Tomas and one each to Mitch Haniger and Jake Lamb.
Washington is one game up on the Dodgers for home-field advantage in the NLDS.
BLAME THE RAIN
Including a 20-minute rain delay that started one pitch in, the top of the sixth inning took almost an hour to play. The Diamondbacks sent 11 hitters to the plate, scoring five runs on six hits with an error sprinkled in for good measure.
TOMAS' NIGHT
Tomas, a Cuban countryman of late Miami Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez, made a running catch at the wall in the second inning and had a big night at the plate. Tomas was 2 for 5 with five RBI, including his 30th home run of the season.
After Fernandez's death in a boating accident early Sunday at age 24, Tomas tweeted in Spanish calling Fernandez a friend and thanking him for the moments he provided in baseball. After the game he declined to talk about Fernandez.
GOODWIN IN LOSS
Starting in place of Harper, Nationals rookie outfielder Brian Goodwin hit his first major league triple and drove in two runs. With nothing but home-field advantage in the first round left to play for, Goodwin could see a lot of action the rest of the week.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Diamondbacks: Manager Chip Hale said RHP Rubby De La Rosa will have a stem cell injection in his elbow Tuesday in an attempt to avoid a second Tommy John surgery.
Nationals: LHP Sammy Solis was activated off the disabled list after missing more than a month with shoulder inflammation.
UP NEXT
Scherzer (18-7, 2.82 ERA) continues his Cy Young Award campaign against Arizona's Matt Koch (1-1, 1.29), who will make his first major league start.
| View: Play-By-Play | Pitch-By-Pitch | Inning: All | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
| Arizona - Top of 1st | SCORE | |
|---|---|---|
| Tanner Roark pitching for Washington | ARI | WSH |
| Segura flied out to right. | 0 | 0 |
| Lamb flied out to left. | 0 | 0 |
| Goldschmidt struck out looking. | 0 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Washington - Bottom of 1st | SCORE | |
| Archie Bradley pitching for Arizona | ARI | WSH |
| Turner singled to left. | 0 | 0 |
| Werth struck out swinging. Turner caught stealing second, catcher to second. | 0 | 0 |
| Rendon flied out to left. | 0 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Arizona - Top of 2nd | SCORE | |
| Tanner Roark pitching for Washington | ARI | WSH |
| Castillo struck out swinging. | 0 | 0 |
| Drury struck out swinging. | 0 | 0 |
| Tomás struck out swinging. | 0 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Washington - Bottom of 2nd | SCORE | |
| Archie Bradley pitching for Arizona | ARI | WSH |
| Ramos lined out to right. | 0 | 0 |
| Drew doubled to right. | 0 | 0 |
| Zimmerman struck out swinging. | 0 | 0 |
| Goodwin tripled to deep right, Drew scored. | 0 | 1 |
| Espinosa intentionally walked. | 0 | 1 |
| Roark struck out swinging. | 0 | 1 |
| 1 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Arizona - Top of 3rd | SCORE | |
| Tanner Roark pitching for Washington | ARI | WSH |
| Owings flied out to right. | 0 | 1 |
| Haniger lined out to center. | 0 | 1 |
| Bradley struck out looking. | 0 | 1 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Washington - Bottom of 3rd | SCORE | |
| Archie Bradley pitching for Arizona | ARI | WSH |
| Turner flied out to left. | 0 | 1 |
| Werth grounded out to third. | 0 | 1 |
| Rendon flied out to right. | 0 | 1 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Arizona - Top of 4th | SCORE | |
| Tanner Roark pitching for Washington | ARI | WSH |
| Segura homered to right center (390 feet). | 1 | 1 |
| Lamb walked. | 1 | 1 |
| Goldschmidt flied out to right. | 1 | 1 |
| Castillo singled to right center, Lamb to third. | 1 | 1 |
| Drury singled to left, Lamb scored, Castillo to second. | 2 | 1 |
| Tomás homered to center (409 feet), Castillo and Drury scored. | 5 | 1 |
| Owings grounded out to shortstop. | 5 | 1 |
| Haniger struck out swinging. | 5 | 1 |
| 5 Runs, 4 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Washington - Bottom of 4th | SCORE | |
| Archie Bradley pitching for Arizona | ARI | WSH |
| Ramos singled to right. | 5 | 1 |
| Drew walked, Ramos to second. | 5 | 1 |
| Zimmerman singled to center, Ramos to third, Drew to second. | 5 | 1 |
| Goodwin walked, Ramos scored, Drew to third, Zimmerman to second. | 5 | 2 |
| Espinosa struck out swinging. | 5 | 2 |
| Heisey hit for Roark. | 5 | 2 |
| Heisey struck out looking. | 5 | 2 |
| Turner doubled to left center, Drew and Zimmerman scored, Goodwin to third. | 5 | 4 |
| Werth walked. | 5 | 4 |
| Delgado relieved Bradley. | 5 | 4 |
| Rendon struck out swinging. | 5 | 4 |
| 3 Runs, 3 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Arizona - Top of 5th | SCORE | |
| Yusmeiro Petit pitching for Washington | ARI | WSH |
| Petit relieved Roark. | 5 | 4 |
| O'Brien hit for Delgado. | 5 | 4 |
| O'Brien popped out to second. | 5 | 4 |
| Segura popped out to second. | 5 | 4 |
| Lamb grounded out to first. | 5 | 4 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Washington - Bottom of 5th | SCORE | |
| Zack Godley pitching for Arizona | ARI | WSH |
| Godley relieved Delgado. | 5 | 4 |
| Ramos struck out looking. | 5 | 4 |
| Drew grounded out to shortstop. | 5 | 4 |
| Zimmerman struck out looking. | 5 | 4 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Arizona - Top of 6th | SCORE | |
| Yusmeiro Petit pitching for Washington | ARI | WSH |
| Goldschmidt singled to center. | 5 | 4 |
| Castillo struck out swinging. | 5 | 4 |
| Goldschmidt stole second. | 5 | 4 |
| Drury safe at first on error by shortstop Espinosa. | 5 | 4 |
| Tomás doubled to deep right, Goldschmidt and Drury scored, Tomás to third advancing on throw. | 7 | 4 |
| Severino catching. | 7 | 4 |
| Owings singled to center, Tomás scored. | 8 | 4 |
| Haniger homered to left (417 feet), Owings scored. | 10 | 4 |
| Gott relieved Petit. | 10 | 4 |
| Godley struck out swinging. | 10 | 4 |
| Segura singled to right. | 10 | 4 |
| Lamb singled to right, Segura to second. | 10 | 4 |
| Goldschmidt hit by pitch, Segura to third, Lamb to second. | 10 | 4 |
| Castillo flied out to center. | 10 | 4 |
| 5 Runs, 6 Hits, 1 Errors | ||
| Washington - Bottom of 6th | SCORE | |
| Zack Godley pitching for Arizona | ARI | WSH |
| Goodwin grounded out to second. | 10 | 4 |
| Espinosa struck out swinging. | 10 | 4 |
| Revere hit for Gott. | 10 | 4 |
| Revere grounded out to first. | 10 | 4 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Arizona - Top of 7th | SCORE | |
| Rafael Martin pitching for Washington | ARI | WSH |
| Martin relieved Gott. | 10 | 4 |
| Drury struck out swinging. | 10 | 4 |
| Tomás struck out swinging. | 10 | 4 |
| Owings struck out swinging. | 10 | 4 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Washington - Bottom of 7th | SCORE | |
| Zack Godley pitching for Arizona | ARI | WSH |
| Turner singled to center. | 10 | 4 |
| Werth grounded into double play, shortstop to second to first, Turner out at second. | 10 | 4 |
| Rendon grounded out to third. | 10 | 4 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Arizona - Top of 8th | SCORE | |
| Lucas Giolito pitching for Washington | ARI | WSH |
| Giolito relieved Martin. | 10 | 4 |
| Haniger walked. | 10 | 4 |
| Jensen hit for Godley. | 10 | 4 |
| Jensen fouled out to first. | 10 | 4 |
| Segura homered to right center (392 feet), Haniger scored. | 12 | 4 |
| Lamb homered to right center (397 feet). | 13 | 4 |
| Goldschmidt grounded out to pitcher. | 13 | 4 |
| Castillo struck out looking. | 13 | 4 |
| 3 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Washington - Bottom of 8th | SCORE | |
| Edwin Escobar pitching for Arizona | ARI | WSH |
| Gosselin at second base. | 13 | 4 |
| Escobar relieved Godley. | 13 | 4 |
| Jensen at first base. | 13 | 4 |
| Severino popped out to shortstop. | 13 | 4 |
| Drew flied out to center. | 13 | 4 |
| Zimmerman singled to left. | 13 | 4 |
| Taylor hit for Goodwin. | 13 | 4 |
| Taylor struck out looking. | 13 | 4 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Arizona - Top of 9th | SCORE | |
| Lucas Giolito pitching for Washington | ARI | WSH |
| Taylor in right field. | 13 | 4 |
| Drury doubled to deep left. | 13 | 4 |
| Tomás grounded out to second, Drury to third. | 13 | 4 |
| Owings grounded out to shortstop, Drury scored. | 14 | 4 |
| Haniger fouled out to first. | 14 | 4 |
| 1 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Washington - Bottom of 9th | SCORE | |
| Silvino Bracho pitching for Arizona | ARI | WSH |
| Bracho relieved Escobar. | 14 | 4 |
| Hernández catching. | 14 | 4 |
| Espinosa struck out looking. | 14 | 4 |
| Difo hit for Giolito. | 14 | 4 |
| Difo walked. | 14 | 4 |
| Turner grounded out to first, Difo to second. | 14 | 4 |
| Werth grounded out to first. | 14 | 4 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
Arizona Diamondbacks
| Hitters | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | #P | AVG | OBP | SLG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Segura 2B | 5 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 14 | .317 | .364 | .493 |
Gosselin 2B
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .279 | .326 | .372 |
| Lamb 3B | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 19 | .250 | .329 | .517 |
| Goldschmidt 1B | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 20 | .301 | .414 | .494 |
Escobar P
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
Bracho P
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| Castillo C | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 18 | .266 | .323 | .426 |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .250 | .250 | .625 | |
| Drury LF | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 26 | .277 | .325 | .450 |
| Tomás RF | 5 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 19 | .269 | .310 | .506 |
| Owings SS | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 16 | .273 | .314 | .412 |
| Haniger CF | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 20 | .233 | .314 | .411 |
| Bradley P | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | .073 | .071 | .073 |
Delgado P
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
a-O'Brien PH
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .143 | .182 | .397 |
Godley P
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | .111 | .111 | .111 |
b-Jensen PH-1B
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | .179 | .258 | .464 |
| Totals | 41 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 2 | 12 | 168 | |||
| a-popped out to second for R Delgado in the 5th b-fouled out to first for Z Godley in the 8th | ||||||||||
| BATTING 2B: Tomás (30, Petit); Drury (29, Giolito) HR: Segura 2 (19, 4th inning off Roark 0 on, 0 Out; 8th inning off Giolito 1 on, 1 Out); Tomás (30, 4th inning off Roark 2 on, 1 Out); Haniger (4, 6th inning off Petit 1 on, 1 Out); Lamb (29, 8th inning off Giolito 0 on, 1 Out) RBI: Segura 3 (63), Drury (50), Tomás 5 (80), Owings 2 (44), Haniger 2 (16), Lamb (90) Diamondbacks RISP: 4-8 (Tomás 2-3, Castillo 0-1, Drury 1-2, Owings 1-2) Team LOB: 3 | ||||||||||
| BASERUNNING SB: Goldschmidt (29, 2nd base off Petit/Ramos) | ||||||||||
| FIELDING DP: 2 (Castillo-Segura, Owings-Segura-Goldschmidt). | ||||||||||
Game Notes
| The game was delayed 20 minutes by rain in the top of the sixth inning. |
| C W. RAMOS (KNEE) LEFT GAME TOP 6TH |
Game Information
| Stadium | Nationals Park, Washington, D.C. |
| Attendance | 18,707 (45.1% full) - % is based on regular season capacity |
| Game Time | 3:21 |
| Weather | 70 degrees, overcast |
| Wind | 5 mph |
| Umpires | Home Plate - Manny Gonzalez, First Base - Adam Hamari, Second Base - CB Bucknor, Third Base - Fieldin Culbreth |
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