Tom Gorzelanny threw 60-65 pitches over four innings in a simulated game Monday.

Gorzelanny is all set for his season debut Saturday against the Mets. The Nationals had two scheduled off-days in the first five days of the season, so they haven't needed a fifth starter until now. The southpaw could be a useful option in NL-only leagues.

Tom Gorzelanny could be used in relief Saturday if needed.

With a couple early off days, the Nats' No. 5 starter won't make his first start until April 9. If Gorzelanny is not used Saturday, he's not expected to pitch for the next week.

Tom Gorzelanny will make his first start of the season on March 9 against the Mets.

The Nationals have two scheduled off-days in the first week and a half of the season, so they won't need a fifth starter until then. We could see Gorzelanny in relief at some point soon.

Tom Gorzelanny went six solid innings Friday, limiting the Cardinals to two runs on four hits and a walk.

Gorzelanny struck out five, with the lone blemish being a two-run bomb served up to David Freese. The southpaw, who will serve as the Nationals' No. 5 starter, lowered his spring ERA to 3.63.

Tom Gorzelanny yielded two runs and four hits in five innings Sunday against the Tigers.

Gorzelanny's rotation spot should be safe with the left-hander boasting a solid 3.97 ERA through three starts. He'll probably be worth using in NL-only leagues while healthy.

Tom Gorzelanny allowed one run on two hits over four innings against the Mets on Tuesday night.

It was his second start of the spring. The only run scored on an RBI single by Ike Davis in his final inning of work. Gorzelanny threw 39 out of 65 pitches for strikes while striking out four and walking three. Tonight's results aren't all that far off from what you can expect from the 28-year-old left-hander during the regular season. Unless something changes between now and Opening Day, look for him to be the Nationals' No. 5 starter.

Nationals manager Jim Riggleman said Thursday that Tom Gorzelanny is the favorite for the fifth starter job.

"We got him over here to start," said Riggleman. "We're going into this thing thinking he's one of our starters. We anticipate him getting stretched out in plenty of time to start whatever slot he takes in the rotation. That's where we are with it right now. There is competition in the camp, but we brought him in here to be a starter, and that's what we anticipate." That's what we figured. Ross Detwiler or Yunesky Maya could make things interesting, but we'd be surprised if Gorzelanny didn't start the year in the rotation. He's slated to make his first Grapefruit League start Thursday night against the Astros.

Tom Gorzelanny (flu) is scheduled to make his Grapefruit League debut Thursday against the Mets.

He's expected to throw three innings. While Gorzelanny fell behind most of the other pitchers in camp because of the flu, he was able to toss two scoreless innings in an intersquad game on Friday. He should be considered the favorite for the final spot in the Nationals' starting rotation.

Tom Gorzelanny may have moved a step closer to the No. 5 job in the rotation with a strong showing in an intrasquad game Friday.

The left-hander tossed two scoreless innings, but it might have been more what Chien-Ming Wang didn't do Friday than what Gorzelanny did do, as Wang had to stop his simulated game short after experiencing some tightness in his surgically-repaired shoulder. The Nats aren't ready to hand him the job, but Gorzelanny is the odds-on favorite to win the final spot in the rotation.

Tom Gorzelanny is scheduled to pitch Friday during a minor league intrasquad game.

According to Nationals manager Jim Riggleman, Gorzelanny is still "a day or two behind" after battling a sinus infection and walking pneumonia prior to arriving to spring training. The left-hander is competing with Yunesky Maya, J.D. Martin, Ross Detwiler and Craig Stammen for the fifth spot in the starting rotation, though he is considered to be the favorite.

Tom Gorzelanny suffered from a sinus infection and walking pneumonia the two weeks prior to spring training.

"Seriously bad timing," Gorzelanny said. The Nationals are closely monitoring the lefty, who is hoping to win a rotation spot. "I was down for the count for a while," Gorzelanny said. "Conditioning-wise, it was tough to get back into. Arm-wise, it was fine. I was still throwing." Nationals pitching coach Steve McCatty said earlier this month that Livan Hernandez, John Lannan, Jason Marquis and Jordan Zimmermann are virtual locks for the starting rotation, meaning Gorzelanny is competing with Yunesky Maya, J.D. Martin, Ross Detwiler and Craig Stammen for the fifth spot. Detwiler has been particularly impressive in camp, so Gorzelanny is no lock. If he can't secure a rotation spot, he'll be a swing man out of the bullpen. Gorzo posted a quality 4.09 ERA and 119/68 K/BB ratio over 136 1/3 innings last season for the Cubs.

Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post suspects that Tom Gorzelanny will win the Nationals' final rotation spot.

Nationals pitching coach Steve McCatty said Thursday that Livan Hernandez, John Lannan, Jason Marquis and Jordan Zimmermann are virtual locks for the starting rotation. Beyond that, it will either be Gorzelanny, Yunesky Maya, J.D. Martin, Ross Detwiler, Craig Stammen or Luis Atilano rounding out the fifth spot. Maya is an intriguing option, but Gorzo has a leg up because of the quality 4.09 ERA and 119/68 K/BB ratio that he posted over 136 1/3 innings last season for the Cubs.

Nationals acquired LHP Tom Gorzelanny from the Cubs for OF Michael Burgress, LHP Graham Hicks and RHP A.J. Morris.

Gorzelanny is projected to join a starting rotation which includes Livan Hernandez, Jordan Zimmermann, Jason Marquis and John Lannan. The 28-year-old southpaw went 7-9 with a 4.09 ERA and 119/68 K/BB ratio over 136 1/3 innings with the Cubs last season. His shaky command is a weakness, but he should prove to be an upgrade for the Nationals and an asset in NL-only leagues.

Cubs and LHP Tom Gorzelanny avoided arbitration Tuesday by agreeing to a one-year, $2.1 million contract.

The Cubs are in the process of trading Gorzelanny to the Nationals but they had to reach a pre-arbitration contract with him on Tuesday. The Nats will simply assume that contract once the trade is completed. Gorzelanny, 28, posted a decent 4.09 ERA in 136 1/3 innings last season.

Bruce Levine of ESPN Chicago reports that the Nationals have acquired left-hander Tom Gorzelanny from the Cubs for three prospects.

Once Gorzelanny takes a physical Tuesday, the deal will be finalized. The Mets looked into trading for him last month, but that never panned out and the busy Nationals pounced after the New Year. It's not yet known what Washington gave up, but we're thinking at least one decent prospect is headed to Chicago. Gorzelanny, 28, posted a 4.09 ERA and racked up 119 strikeouts in 136 1/3 innings last season. He is a nice mid-rotation starter.

According to Mike Puma of the New York Post, the Mets are looking to acquire Cubs left-hander Tom Gorzelanny.

The Cubs put Gorzelanny on the block before this month's Winter Meetings and are hoping to get a little younger by moving him. He posted a solid 4.09 ERA and 119 strikeouts in 136 1/3 innings this past year. As an arbitration-eligible player, his salary is likely to be $2 million in 2011.

According to Steve Kornacki of MLive.com, the Tigers have contacted the Cubs about the availability of Tom Gorzelanny.

Talks are said to be in the "early stages," according to Kornacki. Gorzelanny, 28, went 7-9 with a 4.09 ERA and 119 strikeouts over 136 1/3 innings this past season. He's relatively cheap a the moment, so the Cubs likely wouldn't give him away without getting some of value in return.

Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that the Cubs are "aggressively shopping" left-hander Tom Gorzelanny.

It seems like the Cubs need Gorzelanny in order to fill out their starting rotation for next season, but perhaps they're hoping to cash in on a market that is thin on quality pitchers. The 28-year-old southpaw posted a 4.09 ERA and 1.50 WHIP over 29 appearances in 2010 with 119 strikeouts in 136 1/3 innings. He's owed a significant raise from the $3.16 million that he earned this past season via arbitration. He could touch $5 million.

Tom Gorzelanny pitched six shutout innings in Thursday's 1-0 win over the Padres.

The left-hander allowed three hits, walked four -- one intentional -- and struck out three. It's a nice bounce-back start for Gorzelanny, who gave up seven runs against the Cardinals in his last outing. He's struggled in the second half, and although that 4.09 ERA on the year is better than what the Cubs surely expected, the southpaw's 1.50 WHIP suggests it should be higher. He'll likely have to compete for a rotation spot next spring.

Tom Gorzelanny will start Thursday against the Padres, the Cubs announced.

He was tagged for seven runs in 3 1/3 innings by the Cardinals in his return to the rotation Friday after suffering a hairline fracture on his left pinkie finger on Sept. 1. Ryan Dempster, he of the 14-11 record and 3.87 ERA, will start Tuesday and in the season finale on Sunday.