WASHINGTON, April 27 (UPI) -- Washington Nationals right-hander John Patterson will miss at least two starts because of a strained muscle in his right forearm.
The hard-throwing, 6-foot-5 inch Patterson had been scheduled for two starts this week, including one Wednesday against the Cincinnati Reds. He has been hampered by the injury since spring training.
On its Web site, the team said Patterson's forearm started to tighten up in the eighth inning of his last outing, against Atlanta last Friday.
"I want to get rid of this," he said. "This is something I've battled for three weeks or more. It's really not gone away."
The ailment prevents Patterson from throwing breaking balls. In a 2-1 win over Florida on April 15, he used mostly fast balls when he struck out a career-high 13 batters in eight innings.
