ST. LOUIS -- Jeremy Hellickson feared the worst when he injured his right wrist trying to break his fall in the fifth inning of Wednesday's 4-2 loss to the Cardinals. With Harrison Bader trying to score from third on a wild pitch, Spencer Kieboom's throw to Hellickson covering home plate was high and as Bader slid at the plate, Hellickson attempted to jump over him and tumbled to the ground, using his hand to break the fall.
Although he tried to toss a few warmup pitches, Hellickson had trouble gripping the ball and was removed from the game. X-rays on his wrist were negative, but he was still sore after the game.
"When I went down, I thought it was going to be a lot worse," Hellickson said. "Really sore on the pinky ring side of my hand. Little tingly. Tough to squeeze and grip. I think I got kind of lucky, wasn't as bad as I initially thought."
After Hellickson left the game, Wander Suero came on in relief and allowed his first inherited runner to score all season when he gave up a single to Yadier Molina. Hellickson was charged with three runs in 4 1/3 innings with two strikeouts and two walks.
Injuries have been an issue all season for the Nationals, who fell to a game under .500 and a season-high nine games out of first place with Wednesday's loss. Although they were relieved Hellickson avoided the worst, manager Dave Martinez said they will make a decision on a potential DL stint Thursday.
"It was one of those freak plays," Martinez said. "When I saw him land, I actually thought it looked a lot worse than the outcome. I thought he broke his wrist, but hopefully he's OK."