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Rockies' Weiss would sit LeMahieu to preserve batting title

Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports / Reuters

Given the opportunity, Colorado Rockies manager Walt Weiss will sit DJ LeMahieu if it means it'll help him win a batting title.

Coming into Tuesday's game against the San Francisco Giants, LeMahieu leads the majors with a .350 batting average. Nipping at his heels is Washington Nationals slugger Daniel Murphy, who is at .347.

"I’ve taken a lot of heat for something like this, with (Justin) Morneau, and I’ll fall on the sword, for sure, for DJ," Weiss told the Denver Post's Patrick Saunders. “When it comes down to sitting out an at-bat or two, whatever it looks like, I’m willing to do that to get him the batting title.”

Murphy hasn't played since Sept. 20 due to a strained buttocks, while LeMahieu has continued to be in the lineup.

While Weiss is fully aware that he might get ripped for his decision to play the odds in favor of his player, he has a reason behind his madness.

“Winning a batting title doesn’t take one day, the last game of the season, it takes six months," Weiss said. "I don’t know how it’s all going to play out. I’d love to see DJ win that batting title.”

But while most players would be thrilled at the chance of winning a batting title, LeMahieu, despite his manager's efforts, doesn't care too much.

The Rockies came into the game 17 games back of the NL West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers, so it's tough for LeMahieu to focus on something like his achievements when the team is struggling.

“I don’t really enjoy that,” he said. “It’s not how I got here, it’s not how I played all year. And now that we are officially out of (the playoffs), it makes it harder. It’s more difficult to concentrate on winning. We don’t have that urgency we had a couple of weeks ago.”

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