MIAMI, Aug. 31 (UPI) -- The Florida Marlins likely have lost third baseman Mike Lowell for the balance of the season because of a hand injury.
Lowell, the subject of trade rumors for much of the season, suffered a fracture of the bone under the ring finger on his left hand, the fourth metacarpal, in Saturday's 4-3 win over Montreal.
"I know it's a freak thing, but I still feel like I'm letting the guys down," Lowell said. "We're in the thick of things. We have to grind it out and see what happens."
Lowell, who was an NL All-Star this year, batted .277 with 32 home runs, 105 RBI, 26 doubles, and a .531 slugging percentage. The early prognosis is that he will be out a minimum of four weeks.
The Marlins entered Sunday tied with Philadelphia for the NL wild card lead with 27 games left. The only way they make the postseason is as a wild card because they trail Atlanta by 14 games in the NL East.
