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Giancarlo Stanton out 4-6 weeks with broken bone in hand

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The Miami Marlins finally caught a break.

It just wasn’t the type they were hoping for.

On Saturday, the Marlins confirmed outfielder Giancarlo Stanton will miss four to six weeks because of a fractured bone in his left hand. The injury was sustained in Friday’s 7-1 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers at Marlins Park.

“Injuries are unfortunately part of the game,” Marlins manager Dan Jennings said. “We have to step it up. It’d be easy if you want to toss in the towel right now or we’re going to find out what kind of fighters we have and how we step up.”

The Marlins’ staff learned of the news at around 1 a.m., Saturday, just hours after the defeat. As players trickled in the locker room, they were still unaware of the complete details. Stanton will be further evaluated after visiting a hand specialist but surgery is expected.

“We’re hoping that it will be the quickest course possible,” Jennings said. “It’s certainly not great news when you lose a guy that means what he means to this ball club and to baseball.”

According to Stanton, the injury occurred during an at-bat in the sixth inning. He said the pain worsened as the game progressed, reaching the peak in his final at-bat in the ninth.

“My bat dug into my hand a little bit,” Stanton said after Friday’s game. “It didn’t feel the greatest. Just get checked out and then know for sure what’s going on.”

Stanton, who leads the league in homers (27) and RBI (67), went 0 for 4 with three strikeouts. He did not speak with reporters before Saturday’s game against the Dodgers.

“It’s on my hand where I grip the bat, where it rotates in my hand,” Stanton said. “That’s where it was.”

Stanton was expected to play in next month’s All-Star Game in Cincinnati but is likely a scratch. In 2012, he missed the Home Run Derby because of knee surgery.

“It’s extremely disappointing,” Marlins pitcher Mike Dunn said. “He’s one of the best players in the game. He’s a stable part of our offense. It’s definitely going to be a big blow. … You can’t really replace that kind of a guy, but just try to get somebody to just step in and kind of help out a little bit.”

Stanton had played all but one game this season since missing the final 17 games last year after being hit in the face by a pitch against the Milwaukee Brewers. He was replaced in the starting lineup Saturday by Cole Gillespie.

“It’s unfortunate for us but the game of baseball goes on,” first baseman Jeff Baker said. “It’s a big hole, obviously. No one is going to fill his shoes. We just collectively have to pick it up. No one is going to feel sorry for us. No one cares outside of this room, and our fans and his family.”

Evaluating Morris

Jennings said pitcher Bryan Morris is moving closer to a return.

Morris has been out since early June with a lower back strain. He is expected to pitch his second game in consecutive days Sunday with the Single-A affiliate in Jupiter.

“Probably after 30 pitches, we’ll be able to assess where he is and make sure the quality of his strides are where they need to be,” Jenning said. “He’s going back-to-back, which is good. We’ll run him out there for two innings. From there, reassess it and make a decision.”

srichardson@tribpub.com