Dukes injures knee--UPDATED POSTGAME

Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse for the Nationals, left fielder Elijah Dukes injured his right knee catching a fly ball up against the fence in the seventh inning of tonight's game. Dukes appeared to catch his foot in the warning track just before making the catch, and immediately went down to the ground writhing in agony. He remained there several minutes before being helped onto a groundskeeping cart and being driven back to the clubhouse. The early word on his injury from the club is that it's a patella (kneecap) injury. Reds team doctor Tim Kremchek is examining him right now, but the initial diagnosis would appear to be better than if the injury was to one of the sides of Dukes' knee (where the ligaments are). Obviously it's too early to speculate, but that's what we know so far. I'll update when I have more. UPDATE AT 10 P.M. -- Kremchek's evaluation determined that Dukes has a strained patella tendon. He'll undergo an MRI at some point (perhaps early tomorrow) and will be re-evaluated. UPDATE AT 11:15 P.M. -- Following the Nationals' 3-2 loss to the Reds, Dukes was taken to a local hospital to undergo the MRI. The club is still awaiting results of that test, but people were cautiously optimistic after the game that the injury wasn't as severe as it might have looked at first. "I learned a long time we'll wait and see what the MRI says," general manager Jim Bowden said. "At least he was bearing weight as he left the clubhouse, which is a good sign if there is one." Dukes won't immediately be placed on the DL, but it's pretty much certain he'll wind up there. The questions then become how long he'll be out and who will take his spot in left field and as No. 3 hitter in the interim. Class AAA Columbus is playing this weekend at Toledo, which means someone could make it down here pretty quickly and probably in time for tomorrow afternoon's game. Kory Casto was just sent down Thursday; perhaps we'll see him again. As for who takes over in left field ... "Another shot for Wily Mo Pena or somebody that comes up from the minor leagues," Manny Acta said. "It's another opportunity for some other young man." The clubhouse was dead silent after this game, all thoughts were on Dukes and not really on this game (Washington's fourth straight loss). Tim Redding, who pitched well again and yet again got no decision (his ninth straight, one short of the MLB record) had no interest talking about his own performance: "We lost the ballgame. That's the only thing that really matters. And hopefully we didn't lose a teammate for a while. I'm not worried about how I did. I'm worried about Elijah Dukes right now." For a club that has seen such key players as Ryan Zimmerman, Chad Cordero, Nick Johnson, Shawn Hill, Austin Kearns and Lastings Milledge go down to injuries, this latest injury could leave everyone emotionally drained and wanting to throw up their hands in concession. But as Redding put it, that's not the way players in that clubhouse think. "You just try and pick everybody up," he said. "It gets redundant sometimes to keep saying we just got to pick them up, pick them up. But that's what you've got to do." ONE MORE UPDATE AT 11:35 P.M. -- The MRI results are in, and it turns out it is more serious than the initial diagnosis. Dukes has a meniscus tear that will need to be repaired with arthroscopic surgery on Monday. He also has a partial tear of the patella tendon. He'll be out a minimum of four to six weeks. The Nats haven't officially placed him on the DL yet, but that will happen soon. It appears they're going to go tomorrow with only 24 healthy players and then add someone from Columbus' roster -- perhaps Casto -- on Tuesday for the start of a six-game homestand.