Mike Jacobs to miss Tuesday's game

Mike Jacobs is expected to be riding the pine when the Marlins open up against the Los Angeles on Tuesday .

Mike Jacobs said his injured middle finger won't heal without significant rest, and it is an issue he will have to deal with the rest of the season. After fouling off a 1-1 pitch in the sixth inning Saturday, Jacobs abruptly returned to the dugout, ceding the rest of the at-bat to pinch-hitter Wes Helms.

''It hurt too much,'' he said. ``I couldn't swing.''

Jacobs said he gets a numbing sensation in his right hand on certain swings, but the feeling always returns.

Nothing goes right for Jacobs.  He starts the season off hot, which isn't always the case, and then a nagging injury rears it's ugly head.

The good news is that this doesn't sound serious, at least for now, and giving Helms a day or two to play the field isn't the worst thing.  Especially since Wes has recently found a knack for driving in the winning run.

(Disclaimer: Helms has a history of driving in winning runs against the Brewers, it remains to be seen if that will carry over to the other 14 NL teams.)