The numbers do not resemble those of an ace pitcher. John Patterson had all of one win for the Nationals last year, his season over even before the All-Star break after surgery to correct a pinched right forearm nerve.
Yet Patterson takes the mound for Opening Day this afternoon at RFK Stadium against the Florida Marlins as the unquestioned anchor of a rotation with more question marks than any team in baseball. That has little to do with 2006 and everything to do with what the Nationals saw from Patterson in 2005, the team’s first season in Washington and his breakout season in the big leagues.
“We know what John can do when he is completely healthy,” Nationals catcher Brian Schneider said. “It was all there two years ago. There’s no reason that can’t happen again.”
That season, Patterson, a 6-foot-5, 210-pound right-hander, was 9-7 with a 3.13 ERA, a key part of a rotation that kept Washington in the playoff race well into August. It was a gratifying year for a highly-regarded prospect who missed almost all of the 2000 and 2001 seasons after elbow surgery and was on the disabled list in 2004 for 10 weeks with a groin injury. But the injury bug bit again last season, leaving Patterson’s ability to stay healthy in question.
“I’m still not putting that much pressure on myself. I feel good right now,” Patterson said. “And as a starting pitcher you’re hopefully going to get 30 or more starts in a season. If I have a bad game or two, it’s not the end of the world. You can make up for that. But for a ball club sometimes, that’s harder to do.”
Patterson had surgery on his forearm on July 20 and has not pitched in a game since July 9 vs. San Diego. His lone win last season came against Florida on April 15, a complete-game, three-hitter where Patterson allowed one run and struck out 13 batters.
“John has embraced his role on this team,” said Nats General Manager Jim Bowden. “He wants to be the Opening Day starter. He wants to be the No. 1 guy. He has the makeup, the character and the attitude to do that.”
