Phillies outlast Cubs; Hernandez dislocates thumb

A game-tying fielding error became secondary when Cesar Hernandez collided with the Chicago Cubs' Anthony Rizzo and tumbled to the ground. Hernandez, the Phillies' 25-year-old second baseman, winced in pain as a trainer ran out to first base to tend to him.

A dislocated left thumb forced Hernandez from the Phillies' 7-4 win on Sunday afternoon against the playoff-bound Cubs at Citizens Bank Park. With only 18 games remaining on the Phillies' schedule, it's likely the injury to his catching hand will spell the end of the season for Hernandez.

Hernandez will visit a hand specialist on Monday. There is "some concern about the ligament," interim manager Pete Mackanin said.

"It doesn't look good for the rest of the year," Mackanin said, "but we'll just and wait and see when he sees the hand specialist."

The injury occurred in the seventh inning. Hernandez dropped a chopper by Rizzo, and his momentum carried him into the Cubs all-star first baseman, who had already safely crossed first base. Rizzo was shaken up on the play, too, but remained in the game.

Addison Russell scored on the error, tying the score at 4. The Phillies retook the lead in the bottom half of the seventh when Aaron Altherr tripled and later scored on a Clayton Richard wild pitch. Freddy Galvis' two-run triple in the ninth helped seal the team's second win in as many days. Ken Giles converted his 13th save in as many opportunities since assuming the closer's role on July 28.

In the first season of the Phillies' rebuilding project, Hernandez was one of the many young players the team was giving a chance to play regularly. Garnering playing time while Chase Utley was injured over the summer, Hernandez took over at second base on a permanent basis when Utley was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Aug. 19.

Hernandez was batting .272 over 405 at-bats, by far the most playing time he has garnered over the last three seasons. The switch-hitting Venezuelan has experienced an uneven season at the plate, hitting .324 in June but only .245 in August. Of his 110 hits, 85 are singles. His defense is adequate at best.

The injury opens the door for switch-hitting utility man Darnell Sweeney to play on a more regular basis over the season's final three weeks. Acquired by the Phillies in the Utley trade, Sweeney, 24, has just nine hits over the first 47 at-bats of his major-league career, although six of those hits have gone for extra bases. Second base is his best position, but eight of his 11 starts have been in the outfield because of Hernandez's presence in the lineup.

Although he has played more elsewhere since joining the Phillies, Sweeney has mixed in ground balls at second base each day during batting practice. The Phillies will also likely bring up another infielder to add to their bench, Mackanin said.

"If my name gets called to be that second baseman, I definitely would be happy for the opportunity," Sweeney said. "I don't want to see anybody get hurt for playing time. I hope Cesar is all right. It seemed like it was just a freak accident. I've never seen anything happen like that. So hopefully he gets better and comes back in a good, timely matter."

Sweeney pinch-hit in the sixth inning - he struck out against Richard, the Cubs' lefthanded reliever - so he was not available to replace Hernandez after the injury. Andres Blanco entered the game and contributed a single, a run scored and snagged the game's final out on a hard-hit line drive by Rizzo.

While Sweeney looks forward to a chance, Altherr continues to capitalize on his. Batting cleanup for the first time as a major-leaguer, he tallied a double in addition to his key triple. Twelve of his 19 big-league hits have gone for extra bases.

"He's a good-looking young athlete and I think he's got a chance to be a real good player. . . . I think his upside is [that of an everyday player], but once again, we've got 18 more games," Mackanin said. "He's auditioning, but I like what I see so far."

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