Bard Slowly Goes About Business Despite Strain

DENVER, July 8 -- Even on his best days, Josh Bard moves at dial-up speed. But now that Washington's catcher is dealing with a sore right groin -- first aggravated while planting on first base in a June 27 game at Baltimore -- his running pace is almost a flailing walk. Summer amusement park lines move faster than Bard.

"There are a lot of guys who are banged up," Bard said. "I'm just really slow, so it looks worse."

As Bard tries to grind through his injury without a trip to the disabled list, his base running provides only a visual suggestion of the challenge. Before games, he goes through an elaborate stretching routine that includes yoga postures, plenty of twisting and a particular sit-down stand-up exercise conducted as a seatbelt-like strap holds his legs together. He's taking what he described, without elaborating, as "heavy medication."

Bard, too, sat out during a four-game stretch (June 28-July 1), hoping the time off could jump-start the recovery. But he'll need more time. On Wednesday, Bard received his first off day of the series against the Rockies. Chances are, he'll sit out the final game before the all-star break, thus allowing him another four-day stretch of inactivity.

"I think those days are gonna do wonders for him," Manager Manny Acta said.

Despite his hobble, Bard has managed, in recent games, to achieve the base-running must-dos. On Saturday, he scored from second on a single. On Tuesday, he went from first to third on a single. He also slammed a ball off the right field wall, just about five feet shy of a homer, but ended up only with a single.

"They're paying me to play, not to sit on the friggin' bench," Bard said. "I think that if we want to change the culture around here it comes down to wanting to be out there, playing the game the right way. When I first came up, I saw guys like Ellis Burks taking three hours before the game to get on the field, taking injections in his knees, draining them, and he didn't have anything left to prove but he loved the game and wanted to play. Brian Giles played with a broken kneecap for two months with San Diego, and when I see guys like that, I mean, a little strained [groin] doesn't seem like that big of a deal.

"It's not trying to send a message. If you want to last in this game, you've got to go out there and play."

Picking Up the Action

The Nationals begin their four-game series against the Houston Astros on Thursday night at Minute Maid Park -- but not without first concluding a suspended game, which began on May 5 at Nationals Park. That game, scheduled to begin at 7:05 Washington time, will pick up in the 11th inning with the score tied at 10.