"Starter Chris Young had idled for 15 days. A stomach illness lingered in his system. His shoulder was still recovering from biceps tendinitis that prevented him from staying loose

All things considered, he explained after last night's 6-4 victory, his 4? innings of work could have been worse. It could have been better, but he was content with the result as he returned from the disabled list.

"My shoulder felt good," Young said. "It felt really good. I felt like the ball had pretty good life. Just my command wasn't as sharp as I'd like."

Young indicated he experienced no pain in his arm. He had no trouble warming up in between innings, which had been a problem earlier this season. His only problem was rust.

That led to a trio of solo homers by the Nationals, moonshots blasted on mid-80s fastballs. Young indicated that all three pitches missed their intended location.

His 6-10 frame leads him to naturally collect fly-ball outs. So when he makes mistakes,

Young's pitches often land in the seats.

"It's been a while," catcher Josh Thole said. "So when you try to get back into the speed of things, you're not going to have what he had for his first couple starts."

•?Backup catcher Ronny Paulino will rejoin the team for Friday night's game in Philadelphia. He is in the final stages of returning from a blood disorder that derailed his spring training.

Paulino will start as a designated hitter in Buffalo today, then start at catcher tomorrow before finally meeting up with the major-league club."