Harrison Bader injury only adds to Phillies fans' despair after Game 1 loss

The Philadelphia Phillies dropped Game 1 of the NLDS at home on Saturday. A lot of things went wrong or didn't happen much at all when it came to the offense. Aside from the loss to kick off the series, the Phillies also lost a vital part of their recent offensive success in the process.

Phillies center fielder Harrison Bader was pinch hit for in the bottom of the seventh inning for Nick Castellanos. There was a lot of initial confusion as to why Bader was lifted from a tight game. It was later announced that it was due to an injury he suffered on the field(subscription required), per Alex Coffey of The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Losing Harrison Bader would be a massive blow to Phillies for rest of NLDS

According to Phillies manager Rob Thomson, the injury apparently occurred in the bottom of the fifth inning. Bader was hit by a pitch which was followed by a Bryson Stott single. While Bader was pulling up to second base, his groin apparently tightened up on him.

Bader initially thought it was his hamstring, but it was later confirmed by Thomson that it was his groin, per Lochlahn March of The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Thomson also confirmed that Bader would get imaging done on Sunday before making any decisions about his availability for the remainder of the series. Any amount of time missed would be inopportune for the Phillies, given the team's success with Bader playing center field for them. On the bright side, Bader himself believes he'll be able to return to this series, per MLB.com's Paul Casella.

“I definitely feel like I'll be able to come back, for sure,” Bader said when asked if he believes he’ll play again in the NLDS, per Casella. “We have an off-day tomorrow, we'll just get some imaging done and go from there.”

It'll be a relief if Bader can remain on the active roster for the rest of the Division Series. Bader has been an integral part of the Phillies' wins down the stretch after being acquired at the deadline. As a member of the Phillies during the regular season, Bader posted a .305 batting average and an .824 OPS through 50 games.

He's brought a great energy to the clubhouse and has continued making plays in the outfield for the Phillies in fantastic fashion. The Phillies can't afford to lose him now, especially now down 1-0 with another potential hole to fill in the outfield for the rest of the NLDS.