There was a bizarre scene at Chase Field Sunday afternoon. Diamondbacks starter Jason Marquis was on the hill facing the Mets, and when he threw a pitch in the fourth inning that hit Josh Thole in the leg, both Marquis and Thole went down to the ground. Thole was able to get up and remain in the game, but Marquis came out, and now Bob Nightengale tells us why:

#mlb #DBacks Jason Marquis has fractured right leg, likely out for season.

It was initially thought that Marquis simply twisted his ankle, but this injury is obviously quite a bit more serious. He had been hit in the leg by a comebacker in the previous inning, which presumably caused the injury. It's a bummer for Marquis, and it's a bummer for the first-place Diamondbacks, who acquired Marquis at the trade deadline to improve the back of their rotation. Marquis was making just his third starter in an Arizona uniform.

If Marquis' 2011 season is indeed over, it ends with a 4.43 ERA. He was replaced on Sunday by Zach Duke, who is a candidate to assume Marquis' vacated rotation spot. Other candidates include Micah Owings, Wade Miley and Jarrod Parker.