The San Diego Padres‘ biggest strength took a huge hit Monday.
Padres right-hander Jason Adam sustained a catastrophic ruptured quadriceps that is expected to end his season in their 4-3 loss to the Baltimore Orioles.
Adam is 8-4 with a 1.93 ERA and leads all Padres relievers in innings (65 1/3) and is tied for the team lead in appearances (65) with Adrian Morejon and Jeremiah Estrada. Led by them, and All-Star closer Robert Suarez, the Padres have the best bullpen ERA (3.11) and FIP (3.57) in the majors this season.
The Padres (76-62) sit in the NL’s second wild card, six games ahead of the Cincinnati Reds and two up on the No. 3 wild card, the New York Mets. San Diego trails the Los Angeles Dodgers by 2.5 games for the NL West lead with 24 games to play.
What Happened To Jason Adam?
Pitching in the bottom of the seventh inning with the score tied at 3, Adam delivered a 1-2 sinker to Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson, who tapped the ball past the mound.
Adam collapsed immediately after the muscle in his plant leg buckled, and he stayed down for minutes while receiving medical treatment.
“I felt the pop right away, felt like the quad rolled up, so I kind of knew it wasn’t good,” Adam said, according to The Associated Press. “I was in pain at first and then you kind of come to and you’re like, ‘Hey, did we get the out?’ — and then, it’s just waiting to hear how long.”
The Padres carted Adam off the field, and he was on crutches with his left leg in a big brace when he spoke with reporters according to the AP. Adding insult to injury, Adam took the loss since Henderson came around to score on Dylan Beavers’ two-out, RBI single off Suarez that gave Baltimore the lead for good.
Adam was scheduled to receive imaging Tuesday, but he told reporters that, if confirmed, the injury will require six-to-nine months recovery.
“We’ve got a great clubhouse,” Padres manager Mike Shildt said. “We’ve got great dudes. I love him to death. Jason is as solid a guy as there is. He’s well-respected and means a lot to us. We’ll miss him, and we’ll have to figure it out.”
Who Will Fill In For Jason Adam?
Adam is a fixture of the Padres bullpen, and he has been deployed as early as the fifth inning in some games.
Yet, he’s not the only superb arm to come out of the pen, since aside from the above-listed pitchers, Padres general manager also brought in flame-thrower Mason Miller from the Athletics.
“I told A.J., I’m really glad you went out and got Mason,” said Adam. “That’s all I’ve really processed. This bullpen’s so deep. Of all the bullpens in the league to not need me, it’s this one. So, I’m excited to cheer those guys on. It’s a family out there, so I’m excited.”
Miller has primarily been the eighth-inning setup man and has pitched to a 1.64 ERA with 19 strikeouts in 11 innings since joining the Padres.
“You hate to see anybody go down with anything, especially something like that. It’s just a baseball oddity, a slow-hit ball like that. It’s nothing he did, just his instincts taking over,” Miller said. “In his absence, guys are going to have to step up and fill that role. We certainly have guys like that.”
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