LaRoche sits out with sore right quad muscle

HOUSTON -- The Nationals' hero in Tuesday's 4-3 win against the Astros did not get the same chance on Wednesday.

Adam LaRoche did not start the final game of this two-game set in Houston because of a nagging sore right quadriceps. The lefty aggravated the injury on his eighth-inning double that tied Tuesday's game at 3. He brought home the winning run an inning later with a one-out single.

The injury is nothing new for LaRoche, who also missed a game last week while nursing the quad.

"You don't want to take him out of the lineup, but it's probably better to give him two days of rest, with the off-day coming [Thursday]," said manager Matt Williams. "Get some rest, try to calm this down a little."

LaRoche is in the midst of a torrid run-producing stretch, driving in seven runs and collecting 10 hits in his last seven games. Given that production, Williams said he'd rather be cautious.

"It's long-term thought," Williams said. "Over the course of the season, we're going to need him. I don't want to get him in a situation where he's out for an extended period."

LaRoche was available to pinch-hit and was even considered for the designated hitter slot with the Nationals in an American League park, but he was not called on during the club's 7-0 victory.

"That's almost worse because he sits for potentially two innings and then he hits a ball in the gap and has to get going and it's tight," Williams said. "[Tyler Moore] plays well [at first base] and [the Astros] have a lefty [in Brett Oberholtzer], so we stacked the lineup with righties."