ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Anthony Rendon couldn’t even swing a bat, but he played the entire game for the ailing Los Angeles Angels.
Rendon’s left hand got swollen after the oft-injured third baseman was hit by a pitch in the first inning Thursday night against Texas, just before first baseman Gio Urshela jammed his hip and knee on an awkward fall when trying to beat out an inning-ending double play.
“Get out of here before somebody else gets hurt,” manager Phil Nevin said after his team won 5-3 to take three of four games from the AL West-leading Rangers.
Even before the series finale, the Angels put rookie shortstop Zach Neto on the 10-day injured list with an oblique strain. He felt discomfort and was removed after playing only one inning Wednesday night.
Nevin said Urshela was “hurting pretty good“ and on crutches after Thursday night’s game and would be evaluated when the team got to Kansas City for the start of a series Friday. Urshela played one inning before exiting. He had been out of the starting lineup the previous four games because of back soreness.
Rendon, in the fourth season of the $245 million, seven-year contract he signed with the Angels, had X-rays taken before the team left Texas. He struck out in his last three at-bats without taking a full swing.
After remaining in the game, the closest Rendon came to swinging at any of the 14 pitches he saw were two unsuccessful bunt attempts in the sixth inning, including one with two strikes.
“That thing swelled up, but he told me he could field,” Nevin said. “As long as we were tied or ahead, I was going to leave him in. I found out he can’t bunt, so I won’t be calling on that any time soon.”
Rendon, who is hitting .248 with one homer and 21 RBIs in 38 games, missed 21 games earlier this season because of a groin injury.
A wrist injury limited Rendon to only 47 games last year. He played 58 games in 2021, when he had a hamstring injury and then injured his hip while rehabbing.
The Angels were also short another infielder Thursday. Brandon Drury served a one-game MLB suspension for making slight contact with an umpire during an argument in the series opener Monday night.
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
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