It has been assumed for several weeks that Shawn Hill’s rehab start today at Class A Potomac would be his last before making his 2008 major league debut against the Braves on Sunday. But if that plan holds up, it will force the Washington Nationals to make some decisions about their rotation.
Hill, who had surgery in September to decompress the radial nerve in his right forearm and missed all of spring training with lingering tightness in his throwing arm, will throw five innings or 80 pitches for the Potomac Nationals today. He said he’s still on track to pitch Sunday, but the way John Lannan looked against the Cardinals, Hill will have to convince general manager Jim Bowden and manager Manny Acta he’s in good enough shape to be one of the team’s best five pitchers right now.
“I don’t think it’s going to do any good if he’s stretched out to throw 100 pitches at 81 miles per hour,” Acta said. “That’s not what he’s been doing in [accelerated minor league camp in] Florida. But we have to see that he’s fine and he’s coming over here ready to help us out.”
Lannan gave up two runs in 62/3 innings in a 3-0 loss to the Cardinals on Sunday after being called up from Class AAA Columbus. His strong spring nearly got him in the Nationals’ rotation at the end of camp, and assuming he pitches Saturday against the Braves, Washington would have to move Tim Redding’s next start to accommodate Hill on Sunday.
The other option, of course, would be to send Lannan back to Columbus and keep Redding on a five-day schedule that allows him to pitch Saturday. Until the Nationals see Hill in an actual game today — not a simulated contest — they won’t have a good read on their options.
“It’s all performance now,” Bowden said. “How does the arm react? How is the stuff in the fifth inning compared to the first inning? It’s all about performance.”
Injury updates
First baseman Dmitri Young, who was sent home Friday to have his lower back examined, received his National League comeback player of the year award yesterday but wasn’t available to play. He will be re-evaluated tomorrow and could resume baseball activities then.
Bowden said closer Chad Cordero, who was placed on the disabled list Friday with shoulder tendinitis, will pitch an inning at Potomac tomorrow.
Wily Mo Pena, recovering from a torn oblique muscle, will play three innings in an extended spring training game in Florida today. Acta said the left fielder will increase his innings until he’s able to make a rehab stint in a minor league game.
Fans report no problems
With the Nationals playing their first weeknight game, city and team officials had braced themselves for complications as fans competed with rush hour traffic on the roads and Metro. But by nearly all accounts, things went relatively smoothly, with most fans touting a quick and easy ride to the ballpark.
“It was really, really easy,” said Mike Pagenkoph, a freelance video producer from Silver Spring who rode Metro to the game. “On the way here [it] was not bad.”
Metro was not able to add trains to accommodate ballpark passengers because of rush hour, but it appeared no fan had to wait more than five minutes for a train to the Navy Yard station, and platforms were not too overcrowded.
Even fans who took their cars and parked reported no major problems with traffic.
“We drove, and it was a piece of cake,” said Scott Michaels, a business consultant from Falls Church.
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