Russell Martin injured?

[1010011010]

Jun 17 The Associated Press' Beth Harris reports Los Angeles Dodgers C Russell Martin (stiff neck) was held out of the starting lineup Sunday, June 17.

Anyone know how serious this is?

[pappymojo]

I'm not worried. He's a catcher and they've been playing him a lot. I'm glad they gave him the day off. I don't think it's anything serious.

[ordinarygenius]

Here's how the Dodgers' website sums it up:

"Slumping catcher Russell Martin woke up on Sunday with a stiff neck and was replaced in the lineup by Mike Lieberthal.

"I felt great yesterday, went to bed early, but when I woke up, I couldn't move my neck," said Martin, who is 4-for-28 on this homestand, dropping his average from .308 to .288. "Maybe it's the baseball gods telling me to chill out."

Martin has started 62 of the Dodgers' 68 games this year. He said he's fallen into a typical bad habit of pulling off pitches in recent games.

"Every year, you go through the ups and downs of a season, and there's times when you feel you have energy and times when you feel you lack a little energy, and that's just the way it is," he said. "When I go through this, it's usually because I'm pulling off a touch. I just need to relax and simplify it. So, I just try to go the other way. That's how I get out of it."

Martin hit four homers in the last six games of the recent trip, but he hasn't had an extra-base hit since June 4.

That didn't stop TV's Extra from naming Martin one of "America's Most Eligible Bachelors." He will be featured in an upcoming Sports Illustrated article and on ESPN.com and has been the focal point of a MySpace page and YouTube video. Most recently, Martin has been featured on billboards throughout the Los Angeles area and on All-Star campaign t-shirts and stickers distributed throughout Dodger Stadium.

Martin said he expects 30-40 family members and friends to make the five- to six-hour drive from his hometown of Montreal to see him play in Toronto."