CHICAGO _ The bad news for Miami Marlins first baseman Justin Bour is ankle trouble is keeping him out of the lineup again.
The good news for Bour is that this time it's his left ankle, not the right one, which he sprained last summer, causing him to miss two months.
The Marlins sent Bour for an MRI on Monday in Chicago. Manager Don Mattingly said it was precautionary, and the club expects Bour to be OK. Tyler Moore filled in for Bour at first base for a second day in a row as Miami opened a series against the Chicago Cubs.
"I'm hoping he's going to be fine," Mattingly said. "I don't think it's going to be anything serious, but the fact that he was sore today still was something that we wanted to make sure there wasn't anything more than what we think."
Bour got hurt during his final at-bat Saturday, stepping on a first base during an eighth-inning RBI double off of the right-field wall, but Mattingly didn't find out about it immediately due in part to the hoopla surrounding Edinson Volquez's no-hitter.
"The next morning," Mattingly said, "it was there."
Bour pinch-hit Sunday, grounding out to first base. When his discomfort lingered into Monday, the Marlins decided to send him for a test.
Losing Bour for any length of time would be a blow for a Miami lineup that found its groove during an 8-2 homestand.
Bour had a hugely successful May, raising his average from .184 on the last day of April to .295 now in addition to a .369 OBP and .589 slugging percentage. His 16 homers are tied with Cincinnati's Scott Schebler for the National League lead. And Bour's 40 RBIs started the week tied with Marcell Ozuna for most on the Marlins.
