WASHINGTON — Daniel Murphy and the Washington Nationals are trying to play it safe so a little hamstring soreness doesn’t turn into a bigger problem.
Murphy sat out the Nationals’ 5-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday night because of tightness in his left hamstring. The 31-year-old, who leads the majors with a .348 average, felt it sliding into second during the ninth inning of the All-Star Game on Tuesday and was a late scratch in the first game out of the break.
Manager Dusty Baker said that decision was precautionary. The team listed him as day-to-day.
"The leg is hurt, but it’s not too bad," Baker said. "We want to stop it before it gets to something worse."
Murphy said he didn’t know if he would be able to play Saturday night. Asked if there was concern or if he was being cautious, he said: "We’ll see tomorrow."
With the Nationals atop the National League East, it was a no-brainer for Murphy, Baker and the training staff to decide playing Friday wasn’t a must. Clint Robinson, who started at first base in Murphy’s place, went 2 for 4 with an RBI and a run scored.
"After speaking with the training staff we thought it was the best idea to give it a day and then we’ll come in tomorrow and see how it feels," Murphy said. "It’s a very advantageous situation for us to be in as we saw the way Clint swung the bat today. It’s a deep group of position players."
