WASHINGTON (AP) - After being away from Nationals Park for nearly two years, Ian Desmond had been looking forward to Friday night’s series opener against Washington all season.
The former Nationals shortstop and 2012 All-Star would have to wait to make his return to the field after landing on the 10-day DL earlier Friday.
As it turns out, so would the rest of the Colorado Rockies as their game with Washington was postponed due to heavy rain.
Colorado and Washington will play a split doubleheader on Sunday.
“I got a lot more emotional than I thought I would,” Desmond said of his return to Nationals Park.
Desmond, who played for Washington from 2009 to 2015, re-injured his right calf on Tuesday against St. Louis. Desmond spent time earlier in July on the DL for the same injury.
“Yeah it’s tough,” Desmond said about making the trip to Washington only to end up unable to play.
“This is one I had marked on my schedule. This is the first time back. I wanted to get back out in front of the fans who rooted me on for so long.”
Colorado has a 4 1/2-game lead over Milwaukee for the second wild-card spot and trails division rival Arizona for the first wild card.
“I think with the position that our team is in it’s probably better to have a fresh body than me limping around out there,” Desmond said.
Desmond is hitting .285 with five home runs and 32 RBIs in his first season with Colorado, which makes its only appearance in Washington this weekend.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Rockies: Desmond was placed on the 10-day DL with a right calf strain retroactive to July 26. It is Desmond’s third stint on the DL this season. . RHP Pat Neshek (3-2, 1.12 ERA), who was acquired in a trade with Philadelphia on Wednesday, was added to the 25-man roster. Neshek said that with the Phillies struggling “it wasn’t a surprise at all. You realize that if you are doing good, you’re possibly going to be gone.”
Nationals: Manager Dusty Baker said Shawn Kelley (lower back strain) threw a simulated game on Wednesday. “We’ll wait a couple days and he’ll go out on a rehab assignment,” Baker said. .OF Jayson Werth (left foot contusion), who has been on the DL since June 4, still isn’t running. “I think they backed him off from running because it’s not quite healing as fast as we would have liked,” Baker said.
UP NEXT
Rockies: RHP German Marquez (8-4, 4.20 ERA) is 3-0 in his last three starts with 23 strikeouts. Marquez lost his only previous start against the Nationals on April 25 at home.
Nationals: Tanner Roark (8-6, 4.83 ERA) has won his last two starts after going just 1-4 in the month of June.
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