SAN FRANCISCO — Giants first baseman Dominic Smith departed Friday night’s series opener against the Dodgers after suffering an apparent right leg injury while stretching for a ball in the top of the fourth inning at Oracle Park.
The Dodgers had runners on second and third with two outs when Andy Pages hit a grounder to the left side that was fielded by third baseman Matt Chapman, who made a diving stop before getting up and firing to an outstretched Smith at first base.
Pages was called out by first-base umpire Roberto Ortiz to leave both runners stranded and end the inning, but the play didn’t come without a cost to the Giants, as Smith immediately winced and grabbed his right leg after catching the ball.
Smith received attention from assistant athletic trainer Ryo Watanabe and manager Bob Melvin while the Dodgers challenged the call, which was ultimately upheld following the replay review. Smith tried jogging out to shallow right field to test his leg, but he didn’t look comfortable and ended up walking gingerly off the field once the inning officially came to an end.
Wilmer Flores came out to pinch-hit for Smith in the bottom of the fourth and stayed in to play first base in the fifth.
Smith, 30, batted cleanup against Los Angeles right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto on Friday and is hitting .284 with a .750 OPS in 63 games since signing a Major League deal with the Giants on June 4.
