"I know I could have been playing a lot better than I was," Patterson said Tuesday. "The Cubs did what they had to do.

"I could not keep going at the pace I was," he said. "I wasn't getting the results."

Last Thursday, the Cubs decided to send Patterson and another outfielder, Jason Dubois, to their Triple-A Iowa team, and called up Matt Murton and Adam Greenberg from Double-A West Tenn. Dubois is a rookie and was batting .239 in 52 games, while this was Patterson's fourth consecutive season on the big-league Opening Day roster.

Patterson, 25, was batting .232 in 83 games with 11 homers, 24 RBIs and 12 stolen bases. He has the look and the tools of a leadoff batter, but struggled in the top spot in the order, hitting .218 with a .268 on-base percentage.

The Cubs made the roster move after Thursday's day-night doubleheader in Atlanta, and Patterson went home for a few days before reporting to the team's facility in Mesa, Ariz. He will join the Iowa Cubs on Thursday in Des Moines. Will he lead off? He didn't know.

"I wasn't OK with it," Patterson said in a conference call with Cubs beat writers about the move. "I don't think anyone is OK with being sent down to the Minors."

There is no timeframe as to how long Patterson will stay with the Minor League team. This will be the first time he'll play in the Minors since 2001. The center fielder rocketed to the big leagues. He batted .320 at Class A Lansing in 1999 and in 2000, hit .261 at Double-A West Tenn before being called up in September. He split 2001 between Iowa and the Major Leagues.

Patterson doesn't expect this stint to be an extended stay.

"It won't take me long," he said. "I'll know when I'm ready."

He's been able to narrow down what he needs to do to simplify his approach. No. 1 is to shorten his swing.

"I think if I do that, it'll help other things as well," he said.

Like cut down on the strikeouts. Patterson has fanned 83 times, tied for fourth-highest in the National League with St. Louis' Jim Edmonds and Washington's Junior Spivey. Cincinnati's Adam Dunn leads the league with 94 Ks.

Cubs manager Dusty Baker has talked about how Patterson isn't centering the ball, and being a few inches off has hurt him.

"It's a hard game," Patterson said, "but it's really simple."

His teammates' advice after he got the news? That you have to "know yourself," Patterson said.

"You have to find what works for you," he said.

He came up through the Cubs system batting third in the Minors, and not leading off, and it's been an adjustment. He shined in the No. 1 spot in August 2004, batting .336. He's looked at video, and has decided to move on, get a fresh start. And he's not blaming anyone for his struggles.

"It's not anyone's fault," Patterson said. "It's not [hitting coach Gene Clines'] fault."

Most important, he hasn't lost confidence.

"If I wasn't confident, I wouldn't be playing," he said. "I didn't lose confidence. It was frustration more than anything. It's like, man, you're not getting enough out of your abilities."

The Cubs hope he can get back on track, beginning Thursday with the Iowa Cubs.

Carrie Muskat is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.