--3B Ryan Zimmerman had his injured left shoulder examined by Cincinnati orthopedist Tim Kremchek on Thursday and was cleared to ramp up his rehab program. Zimmerman, who has a small tear in his non-throwing shoulder, will begin hitting soft toss on Saturday and could be taking batting practice on the field in a week or so. If he does not experience any pain throughout that process, he'll go on a rehab assignment around the All-Star break and aim to return to the Nationals lineup by the end of the month. If, however, Zimmerman can't get through the program without pain, he'll be shut down and undergo season-ending surgery to ensure that he's 100 percent for the start of 2009.

--RHP Ryan Wagner (right shoulder surgery) will begin a rehab assignment with Class A Potomac (Woodbridge, Va.) on Saturday. Wagner had surgery last June to repair a torn labrum but is now ready to pitch in games again. The reliever will likely use up his full allotment of 30 days on rehab before coming off the disabled list. But even if he comes back to pitch the final two months of the season, GM Jim Bowden said he'll be a welcome addition to a Washington bullpen that has struggled all year. "A healthy Ryan Wagner, back to the form he was in when he was originally drafted, could really help our club," Bowden said. "If he's healthy, he becomes a key guy for you, because his stuff is as good as anybody's in the bullpen."

--RHP Jason Bergmann enjoyed another quality start and yet another loss in spite of it. Bergmann allowed two earned runs over six innings but was victimized again by Washington's anemic offense and suffered a 3-0 loss to the Reds. The right-hander has posted a 2.93 ERA in 10 starts since coming back from Class AAA Columbus (Ohio) but is 1-5 over that span. He hasn't gotten down by it, though. "I think it's just a little more motivation to be a little better next time," Bergmann said. "I'm trying my hardest to give my team a quality start, but I also have to go out there and try to win a game."

--OF Roger Bernadina has struggled in his first week in the big leagues, but the Nationals plan to continue giving him a chance to play. Bernadina, who was promoted from Class AA Harrisburg after starting CF Lastings Milledge went on the DL with a strained groin, is just 2-for-23 as a big-leaguer. Manager Manny Acta gave the 24-year-old Friday's game off but said he'll likely be back in the lineup Saturday. "We're not going to make an assessment in just four or five games," Acta said. "The kid could just as easily go off tomorrow. The fact is, he's a young kid. We want to take a look at him and make a decision after we see him more."

--1B Dmitri Young isn't driving in many runs, but he's reaching base at an impressive clip. Young went 1-for-1 with three walks against the Reds, raising his on-base percentage to .386. That's the highest mark on the club among active players. The veteran first baseman has only nine RBIs, though, in 44 games, despite hitting cleanup most of the time.

BY THE NUMBERS
42 -- Players the Nationals had used in the major leagues this season after RHP Collin Balester's debut July 1.

QUOTE TO NOTE
"I grew up playing every game. That's how my dad raised me. I'm pretty sure that if he was here, he'd probably throw me out there tomorrow if I was in Little League. But it's a business, and we're in the big leagues. We've got to take things one day at a time." -- CF Lastings Milledge, on how he is handling the right groin injury that will sideline him for two-to-four weeks.

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