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The nation's capital's baseball fans can stop holding their collective breath. According to reports from AT&T Park tonight, where the Washington Nationals are taking on the San Francisco Giants in the first game of a four-game set, Anthony Rendon is close to returning to the lineup after injuring his thumb/forefinger on a grounder the other day in San Diego, CA's Petco Park.
Though the 24-year-old, 2011 1st Round pick is out of the lineup again tonight, Nats' skipper Matt Williams told reporters that he is available to pinch hit and should be able to start tomorrow night's game:
Matt Williams says Anthony Rendon (hand) is doing better. Should be back in the lineup tomorrow. Available off the bench tonight.
— Dan Kolko (@masnKolko) June 10, 2014
Anthony Rendon is available to pinch hit, Williams said. He hit again and felt better than yesterday.
— Adam Kilgore (@AdamKilgoreWP) June 10, 2014
Before he took a grounder off the hand in San Diego, Rendon was starting to heat up at the plate after a rough .212/.292/.323 month of May in which he hit a double, two triples and two home runs in 114 plate appearances. In his last 10 games before the injury, the Nationals' two-hole hitter and third baseman was 14 for 41 (.341/.413/.683) with a triple and four home runs in 46 PAs.
The Nationals will field a Rendon-less lineup once again tonight however, as they send Stephen Strasburg to the mound to take on the Giants and veteran right-hander Ryan Vogelsong.
• Here are the lineups for the first game of four in AT&T Park: