Morse happy to be Opening Day left fielder

Michael Morse was arguably the Nationals’ Spring Training Most Valuable Player, hitting .364 with a team-leading nine home runs and 18 RBIs.

For his work with the bat, Morse was named Washington’s starting left fielder and he vows his hitting will carry over into the regular season.

He gets to prove his worth when he faces Braves right-hander Derek Lowe on Thursday afternoon at Nationals Park. Game time is at 1:05 p.m. ET. It will be the first time Morse gets to start on Opening Day. He will bat fifth in the lineup.

“I’m not going to change anything. I’m going to keep doing what I’m doing. I’m going to keep playing the game that I play,” Morse said. “I would say the biggest key [to success] is knowing me and knowing the way I play and hit. I have good enough teammates around me that will notice that if I put too much pressure on myself, they will bring me right back down.”