Balester to make Major League debut

WASHINGTON -- The Nationals have decided that right-hander Collin Balester will skip his scheduled start at Triple-A on Sunday and make his Major League debut against the Marlins on Tuesday.

Balester, who will replace Shawn Hill in the rotation, received the news about making his Major League debut on Saturday afternoon. He's been highly touted since being drafted by the Expos in the fourth round of the 2004 First-Year Player Draft.

This year, Balester proved he deserved the promotion by going 9-3 with a 4.00 ERA. He struck out 64 batters in 78 2/3 innings while walking just 23 batters.