Do you have a rooting interest in the NL Wild Card race? Well, if so, prepare for a significant shakeup.
Marlins Manager Don Mattingly said today, following an MRI of outfielder Giancarlo Stanton’s groin, the team has probably lost the slugger for the rest of the season. Stanton injured the groin – a full on Grade 3 strain, which is really significant – trying to stretch a single into a double on Friday.
Without Stanton, the Marlins will have quite a bit less pop in the lineup, though the 26-year-old wasn’t quite having his typically enormous season (.244/.329/.496, 117 wRC+).
As things stand, the Marlins are 61-56, 8.5 games out of the NL East, but tied with none other than the St. Louis Cardinals for the second Wild Card spot. If the Cubs manage to hold onto the best record in the NL, they would face the winner of the Wild Card Game in the divisional round of the playoffs. So there are some really significant implications here.
The injury is also such a bummer for fans of the game, as it seems like Stanton does something incredible on an almost nightly basis.[adinserter block=”1″]