ATLANTA — Washington Nationals second baseman Daniel Murphy was scratched from the lineup Thursday with tightness in his right leg.
Manager Dusty Baker said he could tell Murphy wasn’t following through with his swing during Wednesday’s 14-4 win over Atlanta. Murphy walked twice but was hitless in four at-bats.
Baker added that shortstop Trea Turner, on the 10-day disabled list since April 10 with a strained right hamstring, will be activated before Friday’s game at the New York Mets but likely won’t start.
Left fielder Jayson Werth was held out of Thursday’s lineup with a sore groin.
Murphy missed his first game of the season. He finished second in the NL MVP voting last year and is hitting .344 with two homers and 10 RBIs this season.
"I thought it’d be better to give him today off," Baker said. "He doesn’t want off, we don’t want him off in New York and we’ve still got a big stretch of the road trip to go."
Washington begins a three-game series at the New York Mets on Friday and has a four-game series at Colorado next week.
Turner, the NL rookie of the month in August and September last year, is hitting .158 in five games.
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