Ryan Braun held out due to Achilles flare-up

Los Angeles - Brewers leftfielder Ryan Braun was out of the starting lineup Thursday night due to a flare-up of the right Achilles tightness that has bothered him at times this season.

After a hard slide into second base Wednesday night in the 6-3 victory over the Dodgers, Braun mentioned to manager Ron Roenicke that he felt the tightness again. The two talked earlier in the day Thursday and Roenicke posted a lineup without Braun before Braun arrived at Dodger Stadium.

While it's difficult to imagine the inflammation in the Achilles completely disappearing while Braun plays regularly, Roenicke said there have been times when it has not been an issue.

"He tells me at times that it's real good," said Roenicke. "He'll say it feels real good and he'll steal a base. I think some of the slides get him. He slid late into second base last night and said he felt it."

Asked what the approach will be with Braun going forward, Roenicke said, "You need to feel like you're making progress (with the ailment). If not, you need to change something."

So, the teams' best players were not on the field. The Dodgers announced before the game that Matt Kemp, the runner-up to Braun as 2011 NL MVP, had been placed back on the disabled list with a left hamstring strain after being activated for just one game. Kemp re-aggravated the hamstring scoring from first base in the first inning Wednesday night.

Oddly enough, had Braun not successfully appealed a pending 50-game suspension for a positive drug test over the off-season, the series finale would have been his first game back.


(jsonline.com)