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Nationals notebook Date published: 2/18/2007 By TODD JACOBSON BY TODD JACOBSON VIERA, Fla.--Jon Rauch's preference for working out of the bullpen comes down to one thing: durability. "In the past as I starter I've always seemed to have arm problems, and my first full season, being a reliever, I was able to go out there when they called on me, and that's a definite attribute to help the team," said the 6-foot-11 right-hander. So while the Nationals will look to up to 12 pitchers to fill four spots in the team's rotation, Rauch won't be among them. Coming off a breakout year in the bullpen, he has no plans to risk injury by a move to the starting rotation. Rauch, 28, appeared in a career-high 85 games last season, going 4-5 with a 3.35 ERA. It was his first injury-free big league season, and a move to the bullpen played a large part. Rauch was a starter for much of his career, but couldn't avoid injuries. He had surgery to repair a small tear in the labrum of his right shoulder in 2005, strained an oblique muscle in 2004, missed time in 2003 with shoulder inflammation and missed most of 2001 after having rotator-cuff surgery. "They throw me into a starting role and I am not healthy the whole year, it doesn't do any good for the team," Rauch said. "The general consensus was keep me in a role I am comfortable, keep me in a role where I can go out there and help the team." Escobar eases inOutfielder Alex Escobar isn't concerned about competing for a spot in the Nationals' outfield. For now, all he's worried about is being healthy. "I am not competing with anybody right now," said Escobar, who is recovering from surgery to repair damage from a separated right shoulder. "I am focusing on my shoulder and it's a long year. I want to be cautious about it right now. After this I don't want to miss any more time."
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