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Hamilton given day off to rest achy knee

ANAHEIM -- Josh Hamilton was out of the Angels' starting lineup Saturday, still nursing a sore left knee after leaving Friday's game early.

Hamilton said his knee felt better Saturday, and manager Mike Scioscia expects him to return to the lineup Sunday.

The 33-year-old left fielder had started 46 consecutive games, although three of his last seven starts had been as the designated hitter.

"It's just spillover from playing a lot and sometimes you just need to take a half-step back and catch your breath a little bit," Scioscia said.

Scioscia said Hamilton wanted to play Saturday but the Angels chose to give him the day off.

"He was laboring to move [Friday], so it was obvious that it had gotten to a level where we want to err on the side of caution," Scioscia said.

Efren Navarro, who replaced Hamilton on Friday, started in left field on Saturday.

Matthew DeFranks is an associate reporter for MLB.com.
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