Hart hoping for the best with foot injury

MILWAUKEE -- First baseman Corey Hart was out of the Brewers' lineup on Monday with an injury to his left foot that is troublesome in terms of its timing, if not its severity.

Hart was hurt when he planted and returned to second base in the fourth inning of Sunday's extra-innings loss to the Cardinals. He exited the game an inning later and was to be examined by head team physician William Raasch at Miller Park on Monday before the series opener against the Braves.

"Hopefully, it's nothing," Hart said. "The best case, they can give me a [cortisone] shot in the foot and I can play a couple of days later."

The Brewers initially called the issue a sprained left ankle, but Hart, who has sprained and broken ankles before, said that the pain is in his arch. He downplayed the visible limp as he walked around the clubhouse.

"All I did was push off to go back to the base, and it felt like I got shot in the foot," he said.

Hart's absence is significant, because he's batted .351 with 20 RBIs over his last 20 games and, as the five-hole hitter, represents a key cog in the National League's second-best scoring offense.

But there was better news on left fielder Ryan Braun, who exited Sunday's game an inning after Hart because of a flareup of the right wrist injury that has been bothering him for weeks. Braun was back in the lineup on Monday and said he is confident he'll be able to continue playing through the pain.