After an X-ray on his thumb showed nothing was broken, Washington Nationals' shortstop Ian Desmond was asked by reporters in the visitor's clubhouse in Oriole Park at Camden Yards if he thought the HBP on his right hand late in the series finale in Baltimore on Thursday would lead to him missing any time?
"I don't think so," Desmond said, but he described the feeling when he tested the thumb out by throwing before leaving the game against the Orioles, as being, "... kind of like you got hit in the funny bone where it's not really that funny. That's kind of what it felt like."
"It's the meat part of the thumb," Nats' skipper Matt Williams said. "It's the biggest part of the hand, so it's probably a good thing. The good news is there's no fracture. He'll be sore for a couple of days, I'm sure."
Desmond did, however, sit out of the series opener in Citizens Bank Park last night, with Danny Espinosa playing shortstop in his stead.
"'He’s fine,'" Williams assured reporters, including NatsInsider.com's Mark Zuckerman before last night's 6-2 loss in Philadelphia. "'He’s a little sore. He got in, did some early treatment today. He was able to throw the ball a little bit. I don’t expect it to be more than just today, but we’ll see how it goes.'"
Desmond, who has played in 89 of the Nationals' 91 games this season, putting up a .241/.293/.429 line with 13 doubles and 16 HRs in 372 plate appearances, is back in the lineup tonight:
#Nats lineup at #Phillies: Span CF, Rendon 2B, Werth RF, LaRoche 1B, Zimmerman 3B, Desmond SS, Hairston LF, Ramos C, Strasburg P
— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) July 12, 2014
Noteable by his absence, after homering in last night's game to break an 0 for 15 stretch at the plate, is Bryce Harper, who is 8 for 25 with a double, two walks and four Ks in 28 PAs against Phillies' starter Cole Hamels.
Williams apparently opted for the bat of right-handed hitting backup outfielder Scott Hairston. Hairston's 15 for 38 career against Hamels (.395/.439/.921) with five doubles, five home runs, two walks and 10 Ks against Philadelphia's left-hander.
• Here are the lineups for the Nationals and Phillies in Citizens Bank Park: