Mike Jacobs is claiming he could be ready to go today .

He said he is "95 percent sure" that he will be in the lineup tonight when the Marlins start a three-game series in Washington.

I bet he isn't.  Given that last night's game was so long and the Marlins left the park and had a plane ride to D.C., I doubt he will feel up to challenge and Helms will once again man first.

On the other side of the equation, I miss my bets a lot, so we will see.

Whatever tweaked means.  Mike Jacobs experienced some tightness in his left quad last night in what should've been a home run trot .

The Marlins first baseman was removed in the third inning on Wednesday after he experienced tightness in his left quad while getting out of the batter's box on a two-run double at Dolphin Stadium.

---

While approaching first base, Jacobs began limping, and he trotted slowly into second base. The Marlins went on to win, 6-2, securing a series victory over Milwaukee.

Actually, Jacobs first tweaked the quad during his third-inning, two-run homer in a 3-0 win on Tuesday night.

"I didn't think the ball I hit out [Tuesday] was going out, so I came out of the box pretty hard," Jacobs said. "It kind of tightened up on me a little bit. The same thing tonight. I came out hard, and running the bases, I just felt it a little bit."

---

 

"He felt a little tightness," Gonzalez said. "We'll check him out tomorrow."

Pressed more, Gonzalez sounded more like he would opt for using Wes Helms at first base, giving Jacobs more time to recover.

 

The encouraging thing is the Marlins and Jacobs don't believe the problem is serious.

Who knows what Jacobs could do if he ever remained healthy for a full season, but given the data we have so far, we may never know.  If there is an injury floating around in space, it will find Jacobs and make a home.

I have no idea why one player is cursed by nagging injuries and another is not.  It's kinda like I have friends who drive twenty miles per hour over the speed limit and they never get a ticket.  Me, however, I get speeding tickets for driving 35 mph in a 30 mph zone, complete with a lecture from the officer.  I guess some people are lucky and others aren't.

Hopefully, it is as everyone thinks and his quad tweak is nothing to be concerned about.  And anyway, Helms has a history of making Brewer fans cry so giving him some playing time in the last game of the series ain't all that bad.

Matt Lindstrom's back problems haven't eased, but there appears to be no major damage .

Right-hander Matt Lindstrom's back is acting up again, but an MRI on Thursday ruled out any serious injury.

There's still a chance he could end up on the disabled list if the discomfort persists. "Hopefully it'll be better by (today),'' the reliever said. "We'll just take it day by day.''

In order to get back to playing form Matt is going use every high-tech option available to him .

"I think we're just going to keep treating it to see how it goes,'' he said. ``We'll just take it day by day.''

Last season, Lindstrom also experienced back pain, which he alleviated by sleeping on a hard floor.

''I might have to go back to the floor again,'' he said. ``I'll try whatever.''

Hey, if it works or at least you think it works, give it a go.

The problem brewing with the Lindstrom, Willingham and Jacobs injuries is that Fredi is now having to manage a short-handed bench and bullpen.  And if they persist, someone is going on the DL, probably retroactive, but a 22 man team causes a disadvantage.  One of the main disadvantages being that the catcher not starting the game can't be used in that day's game unless he is needed to replace the starting catcher.

The two possible candidates for emergency catcher, should it come to that, are injured, and therefore Fredi can't take the chance to use the non-starter for anything but insurance.

So the team becomes basically 21 men each game while Willingham, Jacobs and Lindstrom are recovering.  They have a few days to get better or someone is DL bound.  Hopefully Josh and/or Jake will return tonight.

And it just keeps getting better and better.

First up is Matt Lindstrom .

Marlins reliever Matt Lindstrom was lifted in the eighth inning on Wednesday night with tightness in his lower back.

---

Lindstrom said he will meet with the team doctors before Thursday's game to decide what, if any tests, will be performed.

---

"This one is different because it is not on my muscle, and it was spasming," said Lindstrom, who didn't go on the disabled list in '07. "This is different because something is slipping in my spine, because I don't feel it in my muscle area. Yesterday it was bad."

Even though Lindstrom didn't pitch on Tuesday, he felt discomfort going through his regular routine. Just walking up on the mound, he felt his back slipping. He felt it pinch, and he tried to pitch through, but was unable.

"My back started aching about a week ago, and I've been getting treatment trying to stay on top of it," he said. "This time, it felt a little different."

Oh, that is just marvelous.  If Lindstrom ends up on the DL, look for Joe Nelson to take his place.

Second up: Josh Willingham.

Looking at the big picture, the Marlins are more interested in the long haul than the short run.

That's why there is no rush to get left fielder Josh Willingham into action. A late scratch on Tuesday night because of back stiffness, he also was held out of the lineup on Wednesday against the Dodgers at Dolphin Stadium.

The most realistic return day?

Willingham said Friday probably would be the day, even though manager Fredi Gonzalez hasn't ruled out Thursday's 12:10 p.m. ET start.

I doubt he will play today and if he does it will be as a pinch hitter.

Finally, Mike Jacobs.

First baseman Mike Jacobs had a cortisone shot on his right middle finger on Wednesday. The first baseman, who pinch-hit and struck out for the final out on Tuesday, remains day-to-day.

Another player I don't expect to see the starting lineup, maybe tomorrow.  But really who knows.

And that concludes today's walking wounded report.

As you all know by now Josh Willingham didn't make the start yesterday and Mike Jacobs remains on the bench .

Marlins left fielder Josh Willingham was scratched from Tuesday's lineup after experiencing stiffness in his back during pregame warmups.

---

Willingham has dealt with back issues in the past. He missed most of last September with a herniated disk.

Sometime in the future Willingham will require surgery on his back, the condition is just too chronic to avoid it.

Jacobs didn't make it back into the lineup on Tuesday as originally hoped, it's now looking like Thursday .

The sprained right middle finger that forced Jacobs from the lineup Sunday likely will keep him from starting until Thursday, Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez said.

Jacobs felt a jolt during a sixth-inning at-bat Saturday at Milwaukee and left the game. X-rays taken after the game were negative.

Jacobs pinch-hit in the ninth inning Tuesday and struck out."In an emergency, he can play," Gonzalez said. "But we're trying to not irritate it more."

If for some reason Fredi doesn't want to start Helms at first while Jacobs is recovering, Gonzo is getting ready .

Veteran outfielder Luis Gonzalez did some early work at first base before Tuesday's game just in case the Marlins need him to play there. Gonzalez said he had not played first in a game since he was with the Cubs early in his career, saying, ``It's like riding a bike, although

I haven't been on that bike in a long time.''

The biggest problem with Willingham and Jacobs out of the lineup, besides the team missing their bats, isn't Helms or Gonzo in the starting lineup, wherever they play, I'm sure they will do fine.  It is the fact that it leaves a very short bench for Fredi to work with.  On the other hand, I would enjoy seeing another late inning PH game winner from Andino.  He does that all the time.  Right?

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.)