PHILADELPHIA — In search of offense, the Giants lost one of their most productive hitters in the second inning of their series opener Friday night against the Phillies.
As Alec Bohm’s walk-up music rang through Citizens Bank Park, catcher Patrick Bailey motioned to the Giants dugout. He requested the training staff and appeared to tell them, “I’m dizzy.” The catcher accompanied head trainer Dave Groeschner and manager Bob Melvin back to the dugout and was replaced by Tom Murphy.
The Giants announced midway through the game that Bailey was being evaluated for blurry vision.
Nothing immediately preceding Bailey’s exit suggested a concussion or any other injury. The previous inning, he was struck in the face mask by a foul ball off Bohm’s bat but remained in the game for the final batter of the first inning and the first two batters of the second.
After Nick Castellanos reached on an error by third baseman Matt Chapman, Bailey called for Melvin and Groeschner.
A runner-up for a Gold Glove as a rookie, Bailey had been one of the few things going right for the Giants’ offense, which had failed to score more than three runs in any of its past seven games entering Friday night. In 24 games, Bailey had been 31% better than the ballpark-adjusted league-average hitter, and his .279/.337/.45 batting line equaled a, .793 OPS, second only to LaMonte Wade Jr. among Giants hitters.
If Bailey is forced to miss time, the Giants no longer have Joey Bart at Triple-A Sacramento to call up in his place. Blake Sabol is the only other catcher the Giants have on their 40-man roster.
As for Friday night, when it came time to warm up Jordan Hicks in between innings, it was Tyler Fitzgerald who threw on shin guards and a catcher’s mitt. Maybe the superutility man will play all nine positions after all.