Not-so-good news on Dmitri Young: He was sent back to Washington this afternoon so he can have his injured back examined by a specialist.
An MRI taken on Young yesterday in Philadelphia revealed some inflammation in his lower back. As you know, he wasn't available even to pinch-hit in the series finale against the Phillies, something that came into play when Manny Acta was forced to use Willie Harris with the bases loaded in the ninth inning. Young did fly to St. Louis with the club last night but was back on a plane this afternoon headed for D.C.
Acta said no DL moves are forthcoming, so the Nats plan to go the weekend with a man down on their bench. Once the club returns home for Monday's game against the Marlins, they'll make a decision based on Young's status at that point.
The larger issue: This has been bothering Young since spring training, on and off. Everyone knows he came to Florida out of shape, weighing in at close to 300 pounds. He also admitted he didn't pick up a bat the entire offseason. Now, I know much of Dmitri's focus over the winter was trying to get his diabetes under control. It's a very difficult disease to maintain, and it requires all sorts of fine-tuning with regards to diet and exercise. Being a professional ballplayer only complicates the situation more. So obviously he's dealing with some serious stuff here.
That said, I know some people with the club were not happy with the condition Young reported to camp in, and we may be seeing the result of that now. I asked Acta earlier today whether he thought this injury was related to conditioning or baseball. He paused and said: "I'm not sure." I think people are being very careful what they say about Dmitri.
Other stuff...
It appears the Nats will announce after the game that John Lannan is being called up from Columbus to start Sunday. They'll have to make a corresponding roster move, and a reliever would be my best guess.
Felipe Lopez is back in left field again tonight, and it looks like he'll be there all weekend. "Until he gives me a reason not to," Acta said.
Chad Cordero still feels well, so he'll proceed with his bullpen throwing session tomorrow and then hopes to be available to pitch on Sunday.
And Wily Mo Pena continues to make progress in Florida, playing catch from 120 feet and hitting off a tee. I suspect he'll go on a rehab assignment sometime soon.
OK, here's tonight's lineups...
NATS
SS Guzman
CF Milledge
3B Zimmerman
1B Johnson
RF Kearns
C Lo Duca
2B Belliard
LF Lopez
P Perez
CARDINALS
LF Barton
CF Ankiel
1B Pujols
3B Glaus
RF Ludwick
C Molina
SS Izturis
P Looper (Yes, Tony La Russa is batting the pitcher eighth all season)
2B Miles
