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BY RICH CAMPBELL
VIERA, Fla.--
Shawn Hill was pleased with how his ailing right forearm felt after pitching two innings in a minor league game yesterday, his first game action of the spring."The feeling I had, I expected it to be worse and it wasn't all that bad today," Hill said. "So I'm kind of encouraged by that."
Hill threw 39 pitches (23 strikes) and gave up two runs, two hits, a walk and struck out two against a team of Los Angeles Dodgers' advanced Single-A players.
He didn't care about stats, though. The condition of his arm was all that mattered.
It mattered to manager Manny Acta, too. So much, in fact, that Acta skipped the start of Washington's 5-3 loss to Detroit to watch Hill pitch on an adjacent field.
Hill, who has been plagued by various right-arm injuries throughout his eight-year professional career, had offseason surgery to repair a nerve problem in his right forearm. The discomfort resurfaced, however, early in spring training and prevented him from pitching in any games.
He had a MRI and some nerve tests performed earlier this month during a visit to Duke University, and those revealed no structural damage. The team has already placed him on the 15-day disabled list to start the season.
"When I'm throwing, at times it hurts like absolute hell," Hill said. "Whatever it is causing the pain, we don't know, but I'm not going to hurt myself by throwing. We're still trying to find out what might be wrong. But until we can find out, I might as well keep throwing because I'm not doing any damage. If I can tolerate the pain, I can continue to throw."
Acta said the team will break camp with a four-man rotation, which means it is counting on Hill to make his scheduled start against Atlanta on April 13.
"I can't be very confident," Acta said. "His track record speaks for itself. I hope he gets better and pitches for us, but it is what it is."
Hill's outing yesterday puts him on the regular five-day throwing schedule that all of the Nationals' starters follow. He expects to pitch in another minor league game on March 29. If that goes well, he will pitch in minor league games on April 3 and April 8 before flying north to Washington.
"Today I was more worried about how I felt," Hill said. "The next outing I'll probably concentrate more on stuff like pitching to a hitter, setting him up and stuff."
REDDING DOING BETTER
The Nationals are encouraged by how right-hander Tim Redding felt a day after leaving his start prematurely due to back spasms.
Redding visited a doctor yesterday and is not scheduled for an MRI. He is slated to play catch tomorrow and is still scheduled to start a minor league game Friday.
"He's fine," Acta said. "It checked out OK. It's a lot better today and his range of motion is a lot better."
Flores vows to make most of stint in d.c.
Catcher Jesus Flores will likely begin the season as the Nationals' backup catcher because Johnny Estrada is still making his way back from right-elbow pain.
Washington had planned for Flores to start in Double-A Harrisburg and play every day so he can develop his skills. But because starter Paul Lo Duca is easing his way back into game shape after January knee surgery, the team believes Flores will get sufficient playing time in the week or two Estrada is expected to miss.
"I don't think I need [500 at-bats in the minors], but like I said, I have to still keep working on my skills--defense and batting," Flores said. "I'm excited to be at the new stadium, but I know later I'm going to be [sent] to Harrisburg. I'll still be working hard and be prepared for an opportunity to be in the big leagues."
Estrada has not yet been put on the disabled list. He practiced throwing from home plate to second base and took batting practice on the field yesterday for the first time in three weeks.
"When I'm catching up there in a game, I need to be able to contribute," Estrada said. "I don't want to just be good enough to get by. It makes sense to keep me down [in extended spring training] and get me some playing time and work out the kinks."
EXTRA BASES
Jason Bergmann took the loss against Detroit after giving up three runs (two earned) on seven hits, two walks and four strikeouts. His ERA is 2.70 in 18 innings this spring.
"Everybody knows he's got the stuff," Acta said. "Consistency has been his biggest problem. We wanted to see that out of him, and at least throughout spring training he's had it."
Bergmann returned the sinking fastball to his repertoire this spring after shelving it last season. He estimated that half of the fastballs he has thrown this spring are sinkers.
"Last year I didn't feel real confident in it," Bergmann said. "Now I have a little bit more of an understanding of how my body is working with the sinker and I'm not trying to do too much with it, and it's actually sinking."
Catcher Paul Lo Duca started for the second day in a row for the first time this spring and went 2-for-3 with an RBI double.
Third baseman Ryan Zimmerman hit his fourth home run of the spring. He's batting .359 (14-for-39).
Rich Campbell: 540/735-1974
Email: rcampbell@freelancestar.com
