Church headed back to minors

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Outfielder Ryan Church, mired in a 3-for-21 slump in the last six games, says he's not himself at the plate. The Washington Nationals agree.

Following last night's 5-1 loss to the Baltimore Orioles, the Nationals optioned Church to Class AA Harrisburg and purchased the contract of outfielder Alex Escobar from Harrisburg. To make room for Escobar on their 40-man roster, the Nationals transferred injured right-hander Pedro Astacio from the 15-day to the 60-day disabled list.

"It's been an on-going thing all year," Church said of his hitting woes. "It's been a tough one. It's a matter of battling through it and coming out on top. All you can do is just go down and play."

In spring training, Brandon Watson beat out Church as the starting center fielder. Church opened the season at Class AAA New Orleans. The Nationals optioned Church to Harrisburg because the Senators roster needs a replacement for Escobar and because Harrisburg is closer than New Orleans.

Church "is a little confused right now," Nationals manager Frank Robinson said. "He's swinging at the pitcher's pitch, taking his pitch, not really focused on what he wants to do at the plate. We want him to get back in a good groove. Harrisburg is a little closer. The environment is a little better down there. It doesn't really matter whether its Double-A or Triple-A as far as him getting back here."

Escobar, 26, is a former prospect with the New York Mets, but injuries have hurt his progress the past couple of seasons.

In 28 games with the Senators, Escobar was hitting .298 with eight doubles, four home runs, and 19 RBI. He is expected to report today to the Nationals. Meanwhile, with his 0-for-4 performance last night, Church's batting average dropped to .215 in 23 games with the Nationals.

Guillen gets a rest

The Nationals will wait before putting outfielder Jose Guillen on the disabled list.

Guillen, who is hitting just .218 this season, will get five more days to allow his right hamstring to improve before the club makes a decision about his immediate future.