Daniel Murphy was a late scratch for the Nationals’ 5-1 win over the Pirates Friday night because of left hamstring tightness and the all-star second baseman said he is unsure if he will play Saturday.
Murphy said he first felt the discomfort near the end of Tuesday’s All-Star Game. Baseball’s leading hitter with a .348 batting average played the exhibition’s final five innings and went 2-for-3.
“I just felt some tightness,” Murphy said. “I think ‘hurt’ may be a little extreme. But yeah. It was sore and after talking with Dusty [Baker] and the training staff, we thought it would be best to not play today.”
[With different lineup behind him, Strasburg improves to 13-0]
Murphy said he will get treatment when he reports to work Saturday and then determine whether he will suit up to face Pittsburgh. Murphy was slated to play first base Friday because Baker put Trea Turner at second base and Ryan Zimmerman remains out with an injury. Clint Robinson replaced Murphy at first and batted eighth. He went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored. Both his hits were singles off left-hander Francisco Liriano.
“It’s a very advantageous situation for us to be in as we saw the way Clint swung the bat today,” Murphy said. “It’s a deep group of position players. That was a great lineup out there today and Clint swung the bat well.”
If Murphy doesn’t play Saturday, Baker could put Turner at second base again or replace him with left-handed-hitting Stephen Drew opposite Pirates right-hander Gerritt Cole. Robinson will likely get the start at first base regardless because he’s a left-handed hitter.
Asked if Murphy’s injury is a long-term concern, Baker indicated it wasn’t.
“It was more precaution,” Baker said. “He hurt his game some at the All-Star Game. So we decided, all of us including Murph, that it would be best if he didn’t play today. Not sure about tomorrow because we can’t lose Murphy for any period of time. So he’s day to day. Clint Robinson, he’s always ready. He didn’t seem to be fazed by the left-hander. Liriano’s one of the best left-handers around. He got some big hits for us. He tied the game up off Liriano, and then he got another hit that continued a rally. So Clint has been a lifesaver for us and especially in Zim’s absence.”
