Adams tweaks right side, Beltran gets start

WASHINGTON -- Cardinals manager Mike Matheny's plan to rest Carlos Beltran on Monday hardly had a shelf life, as an injury to Matt Adams during pregame work forced the rookie first baseman out of the lineup and Beltran back in.

Adams said he felt some tightness in his right side while taking swings in the batting cage before the team gathered for organized batting practice. That was the first indication of any issue, as he said he felt no discomfort while lifting weights or stretching earlier in the afternoon.

As a result, Adams was directed to the trainer's room while the rest of his teammates continued with their pregame work.

"[We] shut him down real fast," Matheny said. "He doesn't seem overly concerned, and neither does the medical staff. But we feel concerned enough not to put him in on a [cold] night like this."

With Adams unavailable to start, Matheny slid Beltran back into the lineup. The initial plan to sit the right fielder was dictated by some lower back tightness that Beltran had alerted the medical staff to on Sunday. But Beltran arrived at Nationals Park on Monday with news that he was feeling much better.

Matheny joked that while health situations were fluctuating throughout the afternoon, he wrote about 20 lineups in order to have all scenarios covered. The lineup he settled on plugged Beltran into the cleanup spot and pushed Yadier Molina into the five-hole. Molina had been slated to bat fourth before Beltran was reinserted.