Nationals outright four to New Orleans

WASHINGTON -- The Nationals outrighted reliever Roy Corcoran, outfielder George Lombard and infielders Melvin Dorta and Henry Mateo to Triple-A New Orleans on Friday.

None of the players figure to be in the long-term plans of the Nationals.

The club also reinstated outfielder Alex Escobar and pitchers Micah Bowie, Shawn Hill and John Patterson from the 15-day disabled list.

Corcoran appeared in six games for Washington, going 0-1 with an 11.12 ERA. Lombard appeared in 20 games as a September call-up, batting .143 (3-for-21) with a home run. Dorta was 4-for-19 (.211) in 15 games in a pair of stints with Washington, while Mateo played in 22 games as a September call-up, batting .154 (4-for-26) with a homer and three RBIs.

Escobar missed the final 34 games with a separated right shoulder. He sustained the injury on Aug. 25 in Atlanta while diving back to first base on Brian Schneider's ninth-inning lineout to right field. Escobar underwent successful surgery that repaired a torn labrum in the shoulder on Sept. 7.

Bowie missed the final last 49 games with a left latissimus dorsi (upper back muscle) strain. He posted a 1.37 ERA in 15 appearances for Washington, making his final appearance on Aug. 9 vs. Florida.

Hill was placed on the 15-day DL on July 1 (retroactive to June 29) with right elbow soreness and missed the final 83 games of the 2006 campaign. He went 1-3 with a 4.66 ERA in six starts with the Nationals this season.

Patterson, the ace of the staff, was on the 15-day DL for the last 72 games of the year with a right forearm injury, undergoing surgery on July 20. He also missed 58 games while on the DL with the same injury from April 22-June 22. He was limited to just eight starts in 2006, going 1-2 with a 4.43 ERA.