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Adrian Gonzalez out of lineup a third straight game for Dodgers

The Dodgers hope to have Adrian Gonzalez back in the lineup on Saturday in San Diego.

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Dodgers first baseman Adrian Gonzalez remains sidelined for a third straight game, not in the starting lineup for Thursday night's series finale against the Angels in Anaheim.

Gonzalez left Monday night's game after five innings with lower back tightness, and has missed each of the last two games. Manager Dave Roberts said on Wednesday that Gonzalez was making progress and that he hoped to return to the lineup by Thursday or Friday.

Thursday did not happen, and apparently neither will Friday, as Roberts said Thursday that Roberts won't start on Friday in San Diego either, instead hoping for a Saturday return to the lineup, per Jack Baer of MLB.com.

Gonzalez had played in each of the Dodgers' first 39 games of the season, starting 38 times. This is just the third time since the start of the 2006 season that Gonzalez will have not started in at least three straight games. He also did so from May 3-6, 2006 with the Padres, though he played in three of those four games as a reserve, and from May 3-5, 2013 with the Dodgers, appearing in one game.

If he doesn't appear in Thursday's game as a reserve, it will be the first time Gonzalez has missed three straight games since Aug. 20-23, 2005, when he was with the Rangers.

Gonzalez from 2006-2015 averaged 159 games and 155 starts per season, and his 1,628 games played since the start of 2006 are 34 more games than anybody else in baseball.

Gonzalez is hitting .282/.362/.408 with four home runs and six doubles so far this season.