Arenado limited to pinch-hitting

Nolan Arenado was held out of the Rockies lineup for the second consecutive day Sunday against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Coors Field because of shoulder soreness.

The all-star third baseman exited Friday’s game against the Dodgers because of discomfort in his right shoulder after turning a double play in the third inning, and Arenado said the injury was initially caused by a bad habit he developed in which he wasn’t using his legs while he threw.

Colorado delayed posting its lineup to give Arenado more time to get to the ballpark and see how he felt.

“Day games, the guys get here a little bit later and we encourage them to sleep in the best they can,” manager Bud Black said before the game. “Nolan’s getting treatment. At some point he’ll move the arm around, and then we’ll decide.”

The decision came about an hour before the game, after Arenado — in shorts, wearing his hat backward and in a cutoff T-shirt — warmed up in front of the Rockies’ dugout with head trainer Keith Dugger, who threw him easy groundballs to test the arm on throws back. Arenado also threw some slight long toss.

“It feels better today, and it’s gotten slightly better each day for sure,” Arenado said.

Pat Valaika played third base in Arenado’s place, and Arenado came on as a pinch hitter in the eighth inning and grounded out in Colorado’s 4-3 walk-off victory.

With an off day Monday, Arenado’s arm will be on three days’ rest heading into Colorado’s sixgame road trip at Houston and Atlanta. And if necessary, he’ll be a designated hitter Tuesday and Wednesday against the Astros.

“He’ll be in the lineup on Tuesday, whether it’s in the field or as the designated hitter,” Black said.