ST. LOUIS – Alex Blandino couldn’t hide the pain when he was hit by a 91-mph fastball in the fifth inning Friday.
He bent at the waist, took a step and then looked straight up as he tried to avoid moving his right hand. He walked with his hand behind his back as a trainer approached. He briefly remained in the game before he was replaced by a pinch-runner.
The news was worse Saturday when he was placed on the 10-day injured list with a broken right hand. It was a clean break, Reds manager David Bell said, so his injury won’t require surgery. He’s expected to miss the next three to six weeks.
“It’s part of the game,” Bell said. “You hate to see it. Blandy was in good spirits and those things could be worse. He'll do everything he can to heal and get back.”
Reds lead the majors in hit batters
The Reds lead the Major Leagues with 40 hit batters this season. They’ve ben hit 13 times in their eight games against the St. Louis Cardinals this year, including seven times on Thursday and Friday. It was the first time in Cardinals franchise history that they plunked at least three batters in consecutive games since at least 1901.
