[EXTRA BASES:@ RHP Ryan Drese probably will have shoulder surgery Sept. 12 or 13, team doctor Bruce Thomas said. Drese could be sidelined three months, Thomas said, or as long as into early next season, depending on how badly torn his labrum is. ... RHP Esteban Loaiza will start Sunday against Philadelphia on short rest, with RHP Livan Hernandez pitching Monday's series opener against Florida. ... Three minor leaguers called up by the Nationals arrived a few hours before Friday's first pitch: outfielders Kenny Kelly and Brandon Watson, and infielder Rick Short, who flirted with hitting .400 at Triple-A New Orleans. Short was batting .400 as late as Aug. 19 — no minor leaguer has finished a season above that mark since Aaron Pointer hit .402 in 1961 — and wound up at .383.] I experienced firsthand how hard it is, ... Just to make a run at it was fun. |
I don't have any family or friends or anybody down there. But just seeing the pictures, and seeing a restaurant or someplace you went to get a drink or something, it's tough. |
I hadn't played in nine days and I was a little concerned about the timing and getting some at-bats, ... But after the first at-bat the jitters went away and I just played like I always have. |
I hadn't realized it, |
I realize the opportunities are probably going to be limited, so I've got to make an impact when I can. When you have a season like that I think everyone has confidence. They know I can hit. |
It's kind of bad timing because I was getting a chance to play, ... But I guess in another way it's great timing because there's only eight games left and I can get ready for spring training. It's better it happened now than in April and lose the whole season. |
It's nice to get up here and see what major league baseball is all about. I have confidence I can play here. But given the situation that we came into, being in the middle of a pennant race . . . we understood our playing time was going to be kind of sparse. |
The jitters weren't there. Whenever a September call-up gets in there, you try to do something to win a game, make an impact, leave an impression on somebody, and that's all you can do. |