Two-Way Player Hits Leadoff Home Run Despite Knee Irritation

A two-way player scratched from his scheduled pitching start due to left knee irritation still served as designated hitter and hit a leadoff home run in the first inning of a 9-3 loss. The player took an inside fastball the other way for a 381-foot solo shot three pitches into his first at-bat. The homer was his 21st of the season and his 10th since knee problems began on June 10.

The player is scheduled to have the knee drained on Sunday and will likely receive a pain-relieving injection afterward. That plan will keep him from the All-Star Game. The manager said the player would have pitched if the game had been in October and felt healthy enough to keep taking at-bats in mid-July.

The team used a bullpen game after the starter was scratched. The opener allowed two runs in the first inning, and three later relievers combined to give up four more runs while walking four batters. The defense committed three errors that contributed three unearned runs. Over the last three games the team has now made six errors.

An outfielder followed the leadoff homer with one of his own and finished 3-for-4, raising his average to .269. The opposing starter settled in after an early homer and worked six innings, allowing two runs. The team still leads the league in fielding percentage for the season despite the recent defensive lapses.