Murphy exits game after leg "tightens up"

SAN FRANCISCO - Lost amid the chaos and the celebration of last night's triple-play-featured Nationals victory was a potentially disheartening sight: Daniel Murphy coming out of the game with an apparent injury.

Murphy departed in the bottom of the sixth, one inning after he appeared to pull up a bit rounding second base on a long triple to deep right-center.

According to manager Dusty Baker, Murphy said "his legs were tightening up."

"It's cold," Baker said. "Invariably whenever you come to San Francisco, somebody's going to get a tight hammy or quad or something. We took him out for precaution, because we certainly can't take any chance losing Murph."

It was 61 degrees at gametime and got colder as the evening progressed. It was 58 degrees at first pitch Thursday night during the series opener, when it appears Murphy first felt something in his leg.

"I think it was on a play last night," Baker said. "And then on the triple, he had a triple all the way. ... I'm not really sure when he did it. I talked to my trainer, but they said he did it on a previous play last night or earlier in the day."

Murphy did initially remain in the game after his fifth-inning triple. He took the field for the bottom of the inning. But when the bottom of the sixth arrived, Trea Turner took over at second base, where he finished the game.

Murphy dealt with a sore left hamstring earlier this month, an injury he suffered during the ninth inning of the All-Star Game. He did not start any of the Nationals' first three games coming out of the break, though he has played since with no issues.