09/30/2004 10:07 PM ET
SAN DIEGO -- As Stan Conte raced toward the visitors' bullpen mound at PETCO Park on Wednesday night, watching right fielder Dustan Mohr lying in the dirt and in obvious pain, the Giants trainer feared the worst.
A broken leg. Knee tendons ripped from their moorings. Surgery.
Amazingly, Mohr's condition apparently isn't as dreadful as Conte thought, with the outfielder's left patellar tendon strained, not ruptured, and the anterior cruciate ligament OK. Flown to San Francisco for an MRI test Thursday, Mohr was to be examined by team orthopedist Dr. Ken Akizuki but then will fly to Los Angeles for the Giants' series there starting Friday.
Mohr was injured while chasing a foul popup in the 10th inning of the Giants-Padres contest. He caught the ball on the bullpen mound, stumbled, twisting his knee, then sprawled on the ground, still clutching the baseball. It was a sacrifice fly, as Kerry Robinson tagged third and scored, giving San Diego at 4-3 victory.
"The MRI will confirm that there's nothing wrong with the [AC ligament]," said Conte. "Best-case scenario, he has a strained tendon and whether we can get him back for the regular season is debatable. We have no way of knowing."
Conte said Mohr's knee was quite painful Wednesday night but better Thursday with minimal swelling.
"Those are all good signs that it wasn't a real bad injury," said Conte. "It's difficult to tell until we get the results of the MRI. It's better than I thought when I ran out to see it or when I was there. It could have been an ugly situation."
The trainer said Mohr felt something in his knee and fell right away, probably preventing a more serious injury.
"He's flying back no matter what," said Conte, "because he wants to be with the team."
Giants manager Felipe Alou was glad Mohr will be rejoining the squad in Los Angeles even if he can't play.
"Our guys are feeling better because it wasn't as bad as it could have been -- it's not a broken leg," said Alou. "It's important that he'll be here. Last night, even the Padres players didn't celebrate [the win] that much and watched Mohr to find out what was happening. Bottom line, they care for other players."
The 28-year-old Mohr blossomed into a semi-starter after early struggles and became a fan favorite with his spirited defensive play and team-first attitude. Mohr is third on the club with a .397 on-base percentage and was hitting. 301 over his last 98 games.
"You'll always find him in the tunnel or batting cage -- I've never seen a guy more ready for pinch-hitting, pinch-running or going to the outfield," said Alou. "He is always ready and loose. He's a high-strung guy and you gotta like him."
Rookie Todd Linden will take Mohr's spot in right when Michael Tucker isn't in the lineup.
