Washington Nationals outfielder Michael Morse is in the lineup Tuesday night, batting fifth despite injuries to his left wrist and right hand. Morse sat out Monday's game against the Milwaukee Brewers and received a cortisone shot. Nationals manager Davey Johnson expressed his desire for Morse to get healthy and is worried about his condition, but has given him the start anyways:
"I'm not real confident, but the doctors tell me he can't really hurt it worse, and he wants to play and I want him in there," Johnson said. "So we'll see how it goes."
Since injuring his wrist against the Giants on Aug. 13 Morse is batting just .257 with three HRs, 12 RBIs, and a .367 slugging percentage over 29 games. Johnson hopes Morse can get back to the form he displayed last year.
"He was our cleanup hitter last year," Johnson said. "We need him warming up and doing the things he's capable of doing ... We've got some tough games coming up."