It's not just Ryan Zimmerman who will not play for the Nationals against the Philadelphia Phillies due to injury. It's also Adam LaRoche and Michael Morse. LaRoche will not play due to ongoing shoulder pain, while Morse is out because of the flu.
That means the Nationals won't have their No. 3, No. 4 and No. 5 hitters when they face Joe Blanton and the Phillies at Nationals Park. Therefore, the Nationals will trot out the following batting order:
- Ian Desmond (SS)
- Rick Ankiel (CF)
- Jayson Werth (RF)
- Laynce Nix (LF)
- Wilson Ramos (C)
- Matt Stairs (1B)
- Danny Espinosa (2B)
- Jerry Hairston Jr. (3B)
- Livan Hernandez (P)
Yup, that's your Nationals lineup. Put this one in the history books, folks, because we're not going to be seeing Matt Stairs, Laynce Nix, Jerry Hairston Jr. and Livan Hernandez all starting in a Major League lineup in 2011 very much in the future.