PADRES UPDATE : NOTEBOOK / BOB NIGHTENGALE : McGriff Sustains Bruised Foot

Padre first baseman Fred McGriff sustained a bruised right foot Sunday afternoon, and had an X-ray of the foot taken Sunday night in Houston.

The X-ray revealed no fracture.

McGriff was spiked in the right foot during the first inning of the Padres’ 9-7 defeat to the Atlanta Braves. Although McGriff remained in the game, his pain became unbearable.

“I just know it hurts. It hurts bad,” said McGriff, who needed crutches to leave Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium Sunday afternoon.

McGriff likely will miss at least tonight’s game against the Houston Astros, and his status is questionable for the four-game series.

The injury occurred in the first inning when Keith Mitchell slid back into first base on a pickoff attempt. McGriff had the gash tapes, and continued to play, even hitting a two-run homer in the sixth inning for his 20th of the year.

“It didn’t hurt trotting around the bases,” McGriff said.

Yet, if he had reached base in his last at-bat in the ninth, he said, he would have had to leave for a pinch-runner.

“I couldn’t run,” McGriff said, “I can’t even put any weight on it now.”

The injury was the latest in a series to McGriff this season. He has had a severely bruised left toe most of the season. He has sprained his right ankle. And now this.

“It’s one of those years I’ll never forget,” he said.

Jerald Clark, who missed Sunday’s game with a sore left heal, likely will take McGriff’s spot at first base tonight, and any games that McGriff will be required to miss. Darrin Jackson, who has 14 hits in his past 24 at-bats, likely would take Clark’s spot in left field. The Padres shuffled their batting order Sunday, putting Tony Gwynn into the No. 2 spot for the first time since July 17, 1990, and batting Darrin Jackson third.

“I told Tony I’m the only one around here who could move him out of that spot,” Jackson said, laughing. “I told him he’ll even get better pitching to hit now.” Padre relievers Mike Maddux and Jose Melendez have combined to allow only two earned run in their past 42 innings. In fact, Maddux’s streak of 23 1/3 scoreless innings came to a halt Saturday, leaving him 4 1/3 innings shy of the franchise record set by Mark Davis.

“I’m sure Orel (Hershiser) can sleep better now, knowing his record’s safe,” Maddux said.