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The Padres’ road to an NL West crown became harder Monday night when All-Star reliever Jason Adam reportedly suffered a season-ending ruptured tendon in his left quadriceps.
Adam collapsed while reacting to an infield single hit up the middle by Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson, and exited the field on a cart.
“I felt the pop right away, felt it kind, felt like a quad kind of rolled up, so I kinda knew it wasn’t good,” Adam said after the Padres’ 4-3 loss. “It was pain at first, and then you can kind of come to like, ‘Hey, did we get the out?’ Then, it’s just waiting to hear how long.”
Adam, 34, has played a large role in why the Padres’ 3.11 bullpen ERA is the best in the sport.
He’s 8-4 with a 1.93 ERA spanning 65 1/3 innings, striking out 70 batters in that time.
The Padres are in position to win the NL West, thanks to their strong bullpen, and trail the Dodgers by 2 1/2 games, but losing such a key contributor at this point in the season is a tough blow.
Adam seemingly suffered the injury moments after firing an 88-mph changeup Monday that Henderson hit to his right, with the veteran in clear discomfort as he spun to his left to watch the ball.
Adam laid on the ground in clear pain while Padres shortstop Jose Iglesias could not make the play on a slow roller, and a trainer, teammates and manager Mike Shildt immediately came to check on him.
The fans applauded Adam while he exited on a cart, and the Orioles ultimately scored the game-winning run that inning.
Adam used crutches while speaking to the media after the game and had a large brace on his left knee, according to the Associated Press.
He reportedly estimated that he will be sidelined for six to nine months.
“I think that’s the hardest part, the recovery is what it is, you can take that day by day, but just knowing this group in here, the mental toughness they have, the skill, you just know — there’s everything in this clubhouse to win the World Series, so you want to be part of that,” Adam said. “But I can still play a small part in that, and that’s showing up every day for the boys. Yeah, that’s the hardest part.”
Teammate Mason Miller said the injury is “really heartbreaking,” while Shildt praised the righty, per the AP.
“We’ve got a great clubhouse. We’ve got great dudes. I love him to death,” Shildt said. “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.”
The Padres own the second Wild Card spot and sit three games behind the Cubs for the first Wild Card spot, and two games above the Mets for the final NL playoff berth.
Their bullpen is still in relatively decent shape thanks to the trade deadline acquisition of Miller, closer Robert Suarez and lefties Adrian Morejon and Wandy Peralta, among others.
“I told (general manager) A.J. (Preller), I’m really glad you went out and got Mason,” Adam said.
“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.”
