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Sean Burroughs was just beginning to get comfortable at the top of the lineup.
The San Diego Padres may be without their sparkplug leadoff man when they conclude
their three-game series with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Burroughs, who is hitting .329 with a .376 on-base percentage, was forced to leave Saturday's 4-2 win in the fifth inning after twisting his ankle swinging at a pitch two innings earlier. The Padres said he would be evaluated Sunday.
If Burroughs is out for any extended period of time, the Padres are bound to suffer offensively. Though he is not known for his power numbers -- just eight career home runs heading into this, his third season -- Burroughs had been working a 1-2 punch with Mark Loretta, who is batting .347 with a .415 on-base percentage.
Burroughs had been giving the Padres a solid on-base presence and frequent run to knock in.
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``I'm getting a lot of chances to score,'' Burroughs said recently. ``That's
my job, to get to second. As people start getting a little hotter and start
getting into a bit of a groove, things will start getting a lot easier.''
Burroughs came into the weekend tied for fifth in the majors with 26 hits. The 23-year-old third baseman has at least one hit in 15 of 18 games and already has eight multihit games.
Ramon Vazquez took Burroughs' place on Saturday and may be the Padres' short-term answer at third base. Vazquez, who was just 2-for-15 this season in limited action, is a lifetime .267 hitter in his four-year career and is a capable backup infielder.
The Padres have won four of five.
The Diamondbacks had their two-game win streak snapped Saturday and have lost five of seven overall.
Danny Bautista has a major league-high 16-game hitting streak, during which
he is hitting .403 (25-for-62).