Webb, Snitker on Pillar's injury: 'It's tough'

ATLANTA -- Braves manager Brian Snitker communicated with Kevin Pillar on Tuesday morning, and then spent some time attempting to comfort right-handed reliever Jacob Webb, who was unsettled after hitting the Mets outfielder’s nose with a pitch on Monday night.

“You’ve got to be mentally strong and tough and go on with it,” Snitker said. “I think [Webb] will be fine. The next time he gets the call, he's just going to have to come in and pitch. You have to face those kinds of things in this game. You’re not going to duck it.”

Webb felt some relief on Monday night, when Pillar tweeted, “Scary moment, but I’m doing fine.” But the reliever has remained concerned about the 32-year-old veteran, who suffered multiple nasal fractures when the bridge of his nose was hit with a 94.5-mph fastball during Monday’s seventh inning.

Blood poured from Pillar’s face as he remained facedown in the batter’s box and as he walked to the dugout. It was a scary scene that created concern throughout Truist Park. You could visibly see Webb’s anguish as he crouched on the mound.

“I'm just obviously -- I'm thinking about him, you know. I just injured the guy,” Webb said. “It's definitely tough moving forward. You’ve got to get it out of your mind and go back to doing your thing. But your main concern was obviously him and making sure he was all right."

Pillar was placed on the 10-day injured list on Tuesday. But he energized his teammates when he entered the clubhouse before Tuesday’s game and said, “Am I in the lineup or what?”

While texting with Snitker on Tuesday morning, Pillar had said, “If I could see out of my right eye, I would play.”

“You hate to see that happen to anybody,” Snitker said. “More than anything, I wanted to let him know I was going to keep him in my prayers, and I hope he has a strong recovery.”

Snitker will likely not use Webb over the next few days, partly because of the reliever’s workload. But Webb knows the only way to distance himself from this event is to get back on the mound as soon as possible.

“It’s tough, man,” Webb said. “You never want to hurt a fellow competitor out there. We’re all here trying to do the same thing. It’s a tough, tough situation.”