Patton to have season-ending surgery

The final tests have been read and the uncertain nature of Troy Patton's shoulder injury has been settled. The southpaw was examined earlier in the week by team orthopedist John Wilckens, and the Orioles have decided that Patton will be best served by a corrective surgery designed to repair a small tear in his left labrum.

Andy MacPhail, Baltimore's president of baseball operations, described his conversation with Wilckens on Friday.

"He's given me the old good news/bad news scenario," he said. "The bad news is he thinks he has to have the shoulder taken care of. The good news is he liked what he saw when he went in there, by and large, and he's very optimistic that he can have a full recovery and be ready by '09. Looking at the whole picture, that's what I anticipated.

"If we can get him back to full strength by '09, that's fine by what I was hoping to accomplish."

Patton, who was acquired from Houston as one of the main pieces in the Miguel Tejada trade, has been limited for the early portion of Spring Training. He went four months without throwing the ball this winter in an attempt to rehabilitate the injury but wasn't able to get loose or shake the pain during his first few bullpen sessions this spring.

The former ninth-round pick knew he had a serious injury, but never really gave up hope that he'd pitch this year.