Nats' Ortiz Angry Over Missed Turn

Washington Nationals pitcher Ramon Ortiz, scheduled to start last night against the Atlanta Braves before the game was rained out, was not happy that he will now miss a turn in the rotation.

Manager Frank Robinson decided that he will stay with tonight's scheduled starter, Tony Armas Jr., against the Braves in a nationally televised game to close out the Atlanta series. Ortiz, he said, will go to the bullpen and be available if the Nationals need him before his next start.

"This is Frank's decision, but I don't like it," said Ortiz, who is 0-2 this season with a 7.31 ERA. "I like to pitch every five days. When you miss a game you usually pitch the next day. He says no. He's the manager. . . . I don't feel good about that.

"I told him I was ready for tomorrow. He said he wants Armas tomorrow. It's not my decision. There's nothing you can do. I don't feel good about it, but what can I do? I'm a professional guy. . . . It's unbelievable, unbelievable."

Robinson said he decided to go with Armas to keep his five-man rotation on schedule, among several reasons.

"Armas is coming off arm surgery, and to just skip him, where is he going to stay in condition for his next start?" Robinson said about 45 minutes after the game was postponed. "I felt it was [Armas's] turn. It's best for him to stay in his regular turn.

"Ramon can go to the bullpen to help us out there. That way we would not disrupt the rest of the rotation. He was the person I felt could handle the bullpen better than Armas."

Asked if he was upset about Ortiz's angry clubhouse remarks, Robinson said, "I have no comment on that."

Nationals pitching coach Randy St. Claire said he could understand Ortiz's frustration and added: "I don't think it's an overreaction on any starter's part. They want the ball every fifth day. It's never easy keeping everyone happy. . . . That's Frank's decision. He thinks about all the intangibles that are best for the team. It's up to him to make that decision. . . . No starter is happy about it, but they have to understand, it's the manager's decision."

St. Claire said he would feel comfortable using Ortiz in relief up to within two days of his next start, which likely will come Thursday, when the Nationals head to St. Louis for the first contest in a six-game road trip.

Armas won seven games last year in an injury plagued season. He underwent rotator cuff surgery in 2003 and had another procedure on his shoulder Sept. 28 (posterior capsule release). This season, he's 1-2 with a 3.71 ERA and earned his only victory with a quality start in Tuesday's 10-3 win over the Phillies in Philadelphia. He allowed three runs and seven hits in six innings, only his third victory on the road in his last 18 starting assignments.

Atlanta Manager Bobby Cox said after the game he would start John Thomson (0-0, 1.23 ERA), the scheduled pitcher last night before the rainout. It will be Thomson's first appearance in Washington.

The game was officially postponed at 6:01 last night, 1 hour 4 minutes before its scheduled start. It was the Nationals' first rainout at RFK since the team relocated to Washington for the 2005 season.

Nationals team president Tony Tavares had been confident earlier in the afternoon that the game could be played based on reports from the National Weather Service, but the forecast changed several hours later, calling for rain all evening. The game will be made up at RFK on Sept. 18, originally scheduled as an open date before a two-game series against the Braves.