Clubs improve to 4-0 in arbitration

Tuesday, February 13th 2007, 2:29 pm

By: News On 6

PHOENIX (AP) _ Baseball teams improved to 4-0 in salary arbitration Tuesday when the Washington Nationals beat pitcher John Patterson and the Florida Marlins defeated reliever Kevin Gregg.

Patterson was awarded $850,000 by arbitrators Elliott Shriftman, Dan Brent and Stephen Goldberg, who heard the case Monday, less than half the $1.85 million he asked for. Patterson was 1-2 with a 4.43 ERA in eight starts last year before season-ending surgery on his pitching arm. He made $450,000.

Gregg, acquired in November from the Los Angeles Angels, will get the Marlins' offer of $575,000 instead of his request for $700,000, arbitrators Jack Clarke, Goldberg and Elizabeth Neumeier decided. Gregg went 3-4 with a 4.14 ERA in three starts and 29 relief appearances last year and made $575,000.

Both pitchers were eligible for arbitration for the first time.

Los Angeles Dodgers reliever Joe Beimel and Tampa Bay backup catcher Josh Paul were the first two players who went to arbitration this year and lost their cases Saturday. Beimel will get $912,500 and Paul $625,000.

Eight players remain scheduled for hearings, which run through Feb. 20.