Diving in vain: Washington Nationals’ Kyle Schwarber misses sprawling catch, leaves game

Left fielder Kyle Schwarber left the Washington Nationals’ 5-3 win over the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday night after he missed on a diving attempt on a fly ball.

Schwarber had already made a tricky play earlier in the game, backing to the wall on Ozzie Albies’ deep fly ball in the fifth inning.

Now in the seventh, Abraham Almonte led off against Tanner Rainey by lofting a lazy drive just down the line. Schwarber, playing the lefty hitter the other way, still had to hustle for a chance.

Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

Schwarber launched into a full-extension dive, but the ball bounced on the warning track, just past his outstretched glove, about a foot in fair territory, and jumped into the stands for a ground-rule double.

Schwarber got up slowly, putting his hand on the outfield wall for support, and stayed in for a few more pitches before he walked gingerly toward the dugout. Manager Davey Martinez and Head Athletic Trainer Paul Lessard met him halfway and walked back with him.

“His knee locked up on him,” Martinez said after the game. “He felt like he couldn’t run. He came out of the game, they examined him, he said he feels pretty good. But we’ll — he got treatment, we’ll see how he feels tomorrow. He’s walking normal right now, he said it doesn’t feel that bad, but we’ll see if it swells up overnight.”

Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

Andrew Stevenson took Schwarber’s place in left field.

Schwarber has played in 45 of the team’s 52 games this year, and Thursday is an early afternoon getaway-day game after a night game.

Will he be back in left? Or will he get a day off?