"I'll be okay in the next couple of days."

(Pudge Rodriguez won't be flying West with the Washington Nationals for their 10-game roadtrip. Photo by Getty Images.)

"It's just tight in the lower back. It just got me a little bit. It's a little tight right now, but I'm just going to take a few days, and I'm sure, 100 percent, I'll be okay in the next couple of days...You don't need to worry about me."
(Pudge Rodriguez, via Nationals Journal, 5/22/2010)

"Next couple of days" = "Enjoy your trip out West, I'll see you suckers in June!"

Surprise. Pudge's back is worse than he said it was on Saturday. MLB.com's Bill Ladson reported Sunday night that Pudge didn't get on the flight to San Franciso  with the rest of the team. MASN's Ben Goessling says  Pudge is "not expected" to make the 10-game roadtrip  at all.

So what time today should we expect to read the press release announcing that Pudge has been placed on the15-day DL, and a corresponding roster move has been made to make room for another catcher to the 25-man roster? The thought of Wil Nieves starting for 10 games straight is scary enough: but backed up by Michael "Don't Call Me Mike" Morse for an entire West Coast swing? God help us.

Paging Carlos Maldonado? Devin Ivany? God help us. Is Wiki Gonzalez still alive?

Meanwhile...

• Hard to argue with FJB's take that the Roy Oswalt rumors are intriguing. Of course, Rizzo's not saying much, but, come on: Oswalt wants a shot at a World Series ring -- not a shot at playing for a .500 team who will be hanging around on the finges of the Wild Card race all summer. No way he waives his no-trade to come to Washington.

• DC Sports Bog breaks down the Julio Lugo dirt-kicking "incident" after Hammer's walk-off. See, this is exactly what this "rivalry" needs -- someone needs to drill Lugo the next time the teams meet at the end of June.

• Nats helped heat up the Dave Trembley Axe Watch by taking 2-of-3.

• MASN's got Baseball Jesus's latest and greatest AAA start in Syracuse vs. Toledo, live at 7PM tonight.

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Comments

[Mike LG]

The Orioles. A once great baseball franchise for a 10 year span in the mid-1960's to early 1970's and then some other decent moments in the 80's and then disaster when PETER the A$$elo$t bought the team.

The Nationals probably got a few more fans over the weekend. I saw some O's fans wearing Nats caps by the time they left Nats Park on Sunday.

Lugo deserves spikes up on the next meeting!