Fowler carted off after scary play

Right fielder Dexter Fowler was carted off due to a left knee contusion during the second inning of the Angels' 7-1 road win against the Blue Jays on Friday. Fowler was placed on the 10-day injured list Saturday with a sprained left knee.

Fowler, who was acquired by the Angels from the Cardinals this past offseason, went into second base standing up and beat Bo Bichette’s throw to the bag. In the process, he stepped and landed awkwardly on the base. Fowler drew a walk in his only plate appearance before he left the game. He was replaced by José Rojas.

Fowler isn’t expected to be sidelined for too long by the knee contusion and might not need to go on the IL, Angels manager Joe Maddon said in a postgame media conference.

"All systems seem pretty good,” Maddon said about Fowler. “I don’t think it’s bad, fortunately.”

The picture may become clearer on Saturday, Maddon said. The early belief is that there won’t need to be a roster move.

“I just spoke with [Fowler] in the hall,” Maddon said during Friday’s postgame media conference. “He’s actually responding very well.”

Maddon said the play at the bag was one that swung the momentum of the game.

By beating Bichette’s throw at second base, Fowler kept the inning alive and loaded the bases for Shohei Ohtani, who brought all the runners home on a double off the wall in right-center to put the Angels up 4-0.

“I do want to point out, that [play] was the game-changer,” he said. “I just saw a photograph of his primary and secondary lead prior to that, and that’s why he was safe and he beats that play.”