This time, Greene's injury not serious

By: BRIAN HIRO - Staff Writer | Thursday, August 3, 2006 11:34 PM PDT ∞

SAN DIEGO ---- When shortstop Khalil Greene requested medical attention on his left middle finger midway through the Padres' game against Houston on Thursday afternoon, trainer Todd Hutcheson was worried ---- with good reason.

"The past few years, when Greenie hurts something, something breaks," Hutcheson said.

Greene's rookie season of 2004 was cut short by a broken right index finger suffered in September. Last year, he landed on the disabled list twice with a fractured right ring finger and right big toe, the latter injury occurring in August.

The fourth time around, fortune appears to have smiled on Greene. A preliminary X-ray on the middle finger of his non-throwing hand revealed no fracture, and Greene was diagnosed with a sprain. The Padres sent him to Scripps Carmel Valley to be further examined by team physician Jan Fronek.

"Mainly, it's to get Fronek's estimate on a time frame," Hutcheson said. "It could be a couple of days, but that remains to be seen."

Greene hurt the finger when he swung on an inside sinker from Astros pitcher Matt Albers in the fourth inning and the bat flew out of his hands. He grounded out in that at-bat and remained in the game until his next plate appearance, when Geoff Blum replaced him and doubled to start the sixth.

"He said he was fine for defense, but he couldn't swing the bat," Padres manager Bruce Bochy said. "The swelling is minimal, so we're hoping for the best."

Bochy admitted that Greene's injury history leads to slightly more concern.

"It seems like the timing is always the same, near the end of the season," Bochy said. "He's our starting shortstop. (Losing him) would be a huge blow for us."

Greene, 26, is batting .260 with a team-best 26 doubles and 55 RBIs, tied for second with Brian Giles. With 15 home runs, he has already matched his club record for a shortstop set in each of his first two seasons.

Walker takes the heat

Inevitably, it seems, the ball will find a player who's struggling in the field. The first ball struck Thursday homed in on Padres third baseman Todd Walker like a heat-seeking missile.

Even Walker was surprised to find himself back at the hot corner a day after committing two ugly throwing errors during his first start at the position since 1997.

"I'm human, and last night was very difficult," Walker said. "I went home and I could barely sleep."

He surely enjoyed less fitful rest Thursday night.

Willy Taveras led off the game with a rocket down the third-base line. Walker dove to his right to stab it and, from his backside, threw out the fleet Taveras.

"He made a Web Gem today," Bochy said.

Said Walker: "I didn't think about anything. I just threw it. This game is all about confidence, and it's a great relief when something like that happens. I have a lot of respect for these fans and the guys on this team. I don't want to be the one who lets them down."

Bochy's trust in Walker will come gradually. For the second game in a row, he inserted Mark Bellhorn as a defensive replacement in the late innings.