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D-Backs silent on Hudson’s condition
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TO FIRST: Diamondbacks second baseman Orlando Hudson avoids the slide of the Padres’ Adrian Gonzalez and relays to first to complete a double play Aug. 28.
The Associated Press
The Diamondbacks had nothing to say about All-Star second baseman Orlando Hudson’s left thumb injury Thursday, a silence that seemed deafening.
Read Jack Magruder's Inside Baseball Blog
Hudson, a sparkplug and team leader, underwent an MRI exam Thursday afternoon after being removed from Wednesday’s 9-6 victory over San Diego, but the D-Backs opted to defer comment until after another meeting with doctors Friday.
Hudson suffered the injury when he jammed his hand into the bag while stealing third base on a head-first slide in the seventh inning of a 9-1 victory Tuesday.
He started Wednesday and tripled in a run in a four-run fifth inning but was replaced by Augie Ojeda at the start of the eighth when the injury worsened, manager Bob Melvin said.
“We hope he’s all right,” Ojeda said.
“He’s one of our major core guys. We’ll keep our fingers crossed. Someone will have to step up and do the job, whatever it takes.”
Hudson is having his second consecutive career year for the D-Backs, and his loss for an extended period would be a blow to a team that enters the weekend with a one-game lead in the NL West and a four-game cushion over wild card contenders.
Hudson is leading the D-Backs with a .294 batting average, 28 doubles and nine triples, and his 63 RBIs are second behind Eric Byrnes’ 80.
The stolen base on which Hudson was injured was his 10th of the year, a career high, and his triple Wednesday was his ninth, tying a career high.
Hudson, who has won back-to-back Gold Gloves, also has strengthened his case for a third straight Gold Glove with his play over the last 12 weeks.
Hudson has played 40 consecutive errorless games, and he has committed only one of his 10 errors in his last 75 games.
Ojeda, Alberto Callaspo and Emilio Bonifacio would be candidates to fill in for Hudson.
Callaspo opened the season with the D-Backs before being optioned to Tucson following an alleged domestic dispute. He hit .341 in with 30 RBIs in 59 games in Tucson.
Bonifacio led the Double-A Southern League with 41 stolen bases and 157 hits while batting .285.
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