Nationals first baseman Adam LaRoche is dealing with a stiff knee that eventually forced him from Wednesday’s 7-6 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
LaRoche is back in the lineup for Thursday’s game, but he will have the knee wrapped heavily. The 32-year-old didn’t want to come out of the game, according to Washington manager Davey Johnson. But after team trainers took him back into the clubhouse to wrap the knee and he re-entered the contest in some pain he finally conceded upon return to the dugout and was pulled.
Didn’t hurt that his club was down 6-0 at the time. LaRoche grounded out to end the seventh inning and was replaced by Tyler Moore at first base in the top of the eighth inning. Washington eventually rallied without him to tie the game at 6-6 before falling. LaRoche had an X-ray taken on Thursday and the results showed no serious damage.
LaRoche has exactly one hit in each of his last eight games and play both ends of the doubleheader on Wednesday. That stretch includes two doubles and a home run. Overall in 17 September games he has a .420 on-base percentage, a .742 slugging percentage and a 1.162 OPS so he’s hardly struggling at the plate.
But the knee is at least of some concern if only because, as Johnson said, “it’s something that’s acted up before.”
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