MIAMI — Brandon Marsh and the Phillies believe the outfielder avoided anything major when he was hit on the right elbow by a pitch in the seventh inning of Friday's 6-5 win over the Marlins.
Marsh initially stayed in the game to run the bases, but was ultimately removed defensively the next half inning when Dylan Moore came in to play left field. The Phillies said he left the game with a right elbow contusion.
"We think OK," Don Mattingly said postgame of how Marsh came out of things.
"I think he did the X-Ray thing, I know they have it all ballparks and no fracture. So it's just a matter of how it's gonna feel tomorrow, we'll see."
Don Mattingly on Brandon Marsh’s right elbow
(Via @TimKellySports) pic.twitter.com/7X3vqiRAOo
For his part, Marsh seemed to think he'll be fine, despite acknowledging that the ball missed the guard on his right elbow. Obviously, as Mattingly noted, it will come down to how Marsh feels tomorrow and whether there's any swelling overnight. But a crisis seems to have been averted.
The Phillies finally seem to have some momentum, having won their first four games since Mattingly replaced Rob Thomson as interim manager. Keeping Marsh healthy is crucial to the Phillies continuing to dig out of their 13-19 hole, as he's hitting .304 with an .810 OPS.