WASHINGTON, May 27 (UPI) -- After a three-game sweep by Cincinnati this week, the Washington Nationals have made nine roster moves.
They signed left-hander C.J. Nitkowski, designated right-hander Claudio Vargas for assignment, sent right-hander Zach Day to Triple-A New Orleans, and promoted right-hander Sun-woo Kim, outfielder Tyrell Godwin and right-hander T.J. Tucker. The latter three also had been at New Orleans.
Also, they placed right-handers Jon Rauch and John Patterson on the 15-day disabled list and transferred outfielder Terrmel Sledge from the 15-day disabled list to the 60-day DL.
Much of Washington's recent struggles has been due to injuries and ineffective pitching. The Nationals head into St. Louis for a holiday weekend series against the Cardinals having lost five of their last six to fall to just one game over .500 at 24-23.
"I don't like to lose," said General Manager Jim Bowden. "We need to fix the parts that are broken."
The roster moves were made Thursday.
