As Orioles center fielder Adam Jones was face-down on the Kauffman Stadium warning track, nearly motionless for several moments after an awkward collision with the left-center-field wall Thursday afternoon, a difficult August for the Orioles turned much worse in a matter of seconds.
Already without Gold Glove shortstop J.J. Hardy, the Orioles can’t afford another key injury, let alone to their franchise player, as they try to claw their way back into the playoffs over the regular season’s final weeks.
Jones, who rarely acknowledges he’s hurt to his manager let alone the public, remained in the game after crashing into an unpadded portion of the outfield wall while chasing Ben Zobrist’s ground-rule double in the bottom of the first inning.