ATLANTA — Padres right-hander Edwin Jackson did not make it through three innings Tuesday, barraged by the Atlanta Braves offense before an early exit.
By the bottom of the fourth, both ends of the Padres' battery had changed. Catcher Christian Bethancourt, who was making his return to Turner Field, did not emerge from the dugout that inning. Instead, the former Braves backstop exited the game due to an intercostal strain in his left side.
Such an injury can be very painful. The intercostal muscles are the ones that run between the ribs, and a strain can sideline a player for more than a few days, particular if that player's position requires a lot of throwing.