NATIONALS NOTEBOOK
Patterson Is Looking at a June 1 Return
Wednesday, May 10, 2006; Page E09
CINCINNATI, May 9 -- The more John Patterson rests his strained right forearm, the further he seems to get from pitching. The Washington Nationals' right-hander spent Monday flying to see noted orthopedist James Andrews in Birmingham and returned to the club with yet another opinion on what ails him. Andrews diagnosed tendinitis and gave him a cortisone shot aimed at quelling the inflammation.
Thus, Patterson has a new course of action that involves not even playing catch until Friday, reevaluation after that, and perhaps a bullpen session on May 18. His planned rehabilitation start for this Saturday has been scrapped, and Patterson said he is now targeting a June 1 return.
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VIDEO | Nationals Spring Training ON THE FIELD Jesus Flores' two-run, ninth-inning double gives the Nationals a 4-3 win over the Marlins. Notebook: The Nationals trade left-handed reliever Ray King, the most veteran member of their pitching staff, to the Brewers for a player to be named. Boswell: The statistics show a return to normalcy in baseball and the end of the Steroid Era. Minor Leagues: Justin Maxwell has come out of the slump he was in after straining an oblique muscle by sneezing and is now hitting .423 with 24 homers. NATIONALS REPORTBy the Numbers89: Errors for the Nationals through Monday. Through 138 games a year ago, they had 113 errors. Personnel Dept.OF Ryan Langerhans hit his first homer of a 14-game stint with Class AAA Columbus on Monday, just before he was called up. "I felt a lot more comfortable," he said. "My approach was a lot better." Langerhans will be used primarily as a defensive replacement. ... The club activated LHP Micah Bowie, who hadn't pitched in the majors since June because of a hip injury. ... The club announced that Centerplate would replace Aramark as the concessionaire at the new ballpark in 2008. Quotable"He certainly was a good influence on our young pitchers, had a lot to do with some of their developments. Our clubhouse was a better place with Ray King a part of it." -- GM Jim Bowden NATIONALS JOURNALBarry Svrluga provides the latest news on the Nationals. MULTIMEDIA Podcasts: Postgame audio from Barry Svrluga and video from Washington Post Live. Slideshow: A crowd of 40,389 pack into RFK Stadium to open up the 2007 baseball season. Photos: Manny Acta returns home. Webcam: Check back daily and follow the progress of construction on the stadium. |
Patterson said he suggested the visit to Andrews, who performed ligament replacement surgery on him in 2003. "He knows my elbow," he said. "I've seen him throughout my career. He knows me better than anyone."
Visits to Andrews carry a connotation of a major problem. But Nationals officials insist this is, as head athletic trainer Tim Abraham said Tuesday, "a soft-tissue injury" and that the ligament is fine. In fact General Manager Jim Bowden said: "Can he pitch with this right now? Yes. He can pitch. He could pitch every fifth day, no issues. Right now. Without risking any further injury. But the reality is you're not going to get better for the rest of the year unless you rest it and get the soreness out."
Asked how much the team misses Patterson, who is 1-0 with a 3.86 ERA in four starts, Manager Frank Robinson said, "Are you kidding me?"
Bowden Goes Home Again
Bowden spent much of the Reds' batting practice Tuesday night hanging out by the cage, watching the Cincinnati players -- many of whom he acquired during his 10 1/2 -year tenure as GM here. Last year, when Bowden made his first trip back since being fired by the Reds, the then-owners put up a notice saying no former Reds employees would be allowed in areas designated for the team. There were no such notices Tuesday.
"Every time I come to Cincinnati, it's wonderful because my children are here," said Bowden, who brought four of his five boys to the park.
