So...according to MLB.com writer T.R. Sullivan's article entitled, "Rangers sign pitcher Patterson", John Patterson has agreed to a Minor League deal with the Texas Rangers, which returns Patterson to within around 250 miles of his birthplace in Orange, Texas, which is located east of Beaumont and south of Arlington, according to the city's wikipedia.org site.

Federalbaseball.com, and e chigliak in particular wish John Patterson nothing but the best of luck in Texas...unless it's a Nationals/Rangers World Series this season...What? It COULD happen...

MLB.com's Bill Ladson is with the Nationals in their Spring home of Viera, Florida, and he's reporting in an article entitled, "Hill's forearm pain a mystery", that Shawn Hill experienced pain in his right forearm before an appearance in a Minor League game against Los Angeles, as Mr. Ladson recounts, Hill:

"...was in serious pain before the game started, but said that the pain subsided once he started warming up. Hill is currently on the disabled list because of the forearm."

...and no one involved, from Hill, to the team, to the several doctors Hill's said to have seen, appears to know exactly what is wrong with his surgically-repaired arm...

MEANWHILE...Washington Times writer Mark Zuckerman reports that the "medical report" on Tim Redding's ailing back is back and the diagnosis, Mr. Zuckerman writes, in a post at "Chatter: A Nats Blog" entitled, "Redding's injury: Thoracic spasm?", is quite simply that:

"...he has spasms in the right part of his upper back.

Doesn't sound terribly serious, but we'll have to wait and see what Redding has to say and how he looks. For now, he's just getting treatment and is being monitored.

...and continuing on this tour of the Nationals' starting rotation, Jason Bergmann's record dropped to (1-2) as he gave up 7 hits, 3 runs, (2 earned), and 2 walks, while striking out 4 in the Nationals' 5-3 loss this afternoon in another Spring Training tilt with the Tigers. Bergmann now has a 2.70 ERA in 4 starts and 16.2 innings this Spring, while Detroit got 5.1 IP today from their starter, Nate Robertson, (1-0), who allowed 4 hits, 1 run and 2 walks while striking out three to lower his ERA to 1.26 in 3 starts and 14.1 innings.

Ryan Zimmerman hit a two-run home run in the eigth inning of today's game off Tigers' reliever Zach Miner, for Zimmeran's 11th and 12th RBI's of the Spring. 1 for 4 with a run scored and 2 RBI's on the day for Zimmerman. Lo Duca's 2 for 3 with a double, which is where Washington Post writer Barry Svrluga picks it up in a post entitled, "Bergmann: Pecked to death", at his "Nationals Journal" blog today, in which Mr. Svrluga writes:

"And if you wanted to see the most remarkable sight of spring training, you had to see Paul Lo Duca hit a double down the left-field line in the second, and then watch Dmitri Young take off from first. He huffed, and he puffed, but he scored standing up. A remarkable accomplishment."

But did DY knock off his helmet coming around second?

Lastings Milledge? The Lastings Milledge Fan Club is happy to report that Milledge went 2 for 3 against Detroit with a walk and a run scored, for a .355 AVG, 22 hits in 62 at bats, 5 doubles, 1 triple, 1 HR, 9 RBI's, 6 steals, and a .420 OBP, though the L.M.F.C can't get behind Milledge's 12 K's, which are tied for second on the team with Ryan Langerhans' own 12, and both of the two are 2 K's behind Elijah Dukes, who has struck out 14 times in 40 AB's while accumulating 4 doubles, 1 triple and 1 HR and 3 RBI's in 15 Grapefruit League games with the Nationals.

Tomorrow it's off to Jupiter, Florida, where the Nationals' lefty, "Opening-Night" Odalis Perez takes on Flat-Brimmed Anthony Reyes of the St. Louis Cardinals in a day game I'll be tuning in to on XM Radio...(ed. note- "No idea what Matt Chico did today, sorry.")