FanHouse Hong ChiKuo

Once his Yankee bullpens moved beyond the push-button nature of the late-90s, Joe Torre always struggled to find the right combination of pitchers to get his team through games. He'd burn out guys he liked while letting others die on the vine from disuse, causing his usual placidity to take on a deer in the headlights look. Last night's 7-5 loss to the Phillies offered evidence that the move to Los Angeles hasn't cleared him of this problem.

I thought he pulled Derek Lowe too soon. 74 pitches, even on short rest, isn't a ton and it's not like the game was being played on June 27. He compounded that error by burning through three pitchers, two of them lefties, to get out of the sixth inning before finally handing the ball to Hong-Chih Kuo for a lights out seventh. Kuo stayed in to start the eighth, begging the question of why Torre didn't go to him in the sixth if he was willing to keep him in the game for more than three outs.

Asking your bullpen to come up with 12 outs is never going to be easy, but Torre didn't put his team in the best position to pull it off. All the mixing and matching left Torre without a lefty to counter the move to Matt Stairs in the eighth and, well, we know how that turned out.

I already told you that Jason Schmidt was going to have shoulder surgery, and that the surgery was putting his career in jeopardy. Now, the team has made it official that Schmidt is out for the season. Apparently there was a lot more going on with Schmidt than what was revealed in his MRI.

The Dodgers had hoped that exploratory arthroscopic surgery Wednesday would reveal only some scarring and inflammation, but Dr. Neal ElAttrache found more extensive damage than anticipated during the procedure at the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic in Los Angeles.

The most startling discoveries were a torn labrum and a frayed biceps tendon, which did not show up on an MRI exam. ElAttrache also found some scarring and inflammation in a bursa, which is a pad inside the shoulder that decreases friction between a tendon and a bone.

The good news is they know what the injury is. The bad news is that it's a torn labrum, which has haunted the Dodgers as Jon Weisman of Dodger Thoughts points out. So with Schmidt out and Randy Johnson hurt, it's the first place Padres who come out looking sweeter than ever. The Dodgers will now sport a rotation of Brad Penny, Derek Lowe, Randy Wolf, Hong-Chi Kuo, and Chad Billingsley. As for Schmidt's recovery, reports suggest he can start throwing a ball in three to four months, and that he can be ready for Spring Training next year. I've already declared Schmidt's contract the worst of the off-season. And with this news, Schmidt now becomes a $23.5 million/year pitcher. Needless to say, he has a lot to live up to.

Previously at FanHouse:
Jason Schmidt Having Shoulder Surgery, Career in Jeopardy
Jason Schmidt's Going Back on the DL, Worst Off-Season Signing
Jason Schmidt News

You've probably heard a lot about the Dodgers connecting for back-to-back-to-back home runs on three consecutive pitches in Tuesday night's 4-1 win over the Mets. First went Wilson Betemit, then came Matt Kemp, and rounding out the hat-trick was the most unlikely of characters, pitcher Hong-Chi Kuo. It was Kuo's first career home run, so you could argue that he didn't know how to react to crushing one. Either that, or the dude knew exactly what he was doing when he got off one of the most gangsta bat flips of all-time. See for yourself:

I don't know if I can give Kuo the benefit of the doubt on this one. I wouldn't be surprised if John Maine doses him the next time they meet up. I hope not; I can't wait to see what Kuo does next -- that was priceless.

(Thanks to Ballhype for the hookup)

On Deck is The Fanhouse's look at the day's most intriguing baseball matchups

MLB Amatuer Draft-ESPN2 2:00PM Est.

The day you've waited your entire life for is here. The MLB Draft is this afternoon, and this time it's televised. That's right, you can now watch it live in your own living room. You'll get the chance to see the names of a bunch of kids you've never heard of called by other people you've never heard of. Of course, if you don't know any of these kids, don't feel bad. I don't either, but thankfully PostmanR is going to be live-bloggin the first-round or so, and he'll be filling you in on everything you need to know.

St. Louis Cardinals (26-30) vs. Cincinnati Reds (22-38)-8:10PM Est.

Don't look now, but the Cardinals might be starting to put things together. They've won their last three games, and six of their last seven. They're playing so well, the league is looking to move them out of the NL Central. Albert Pujols has also come back to life, as he's raised his batting average 43 points in the last three weeks, and hit his third home run in his last three games on Wednesday. Adam Wainwright gets the start for the Cardinals tonight, and will face off against Kyle Lohse and his 2-7 record.

San Diego Padres (35-23) vs. Los Angeles Dodgers (34-25)-10:05PM Est.

The Padres have now won four in a row, and look to complete a sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers tonight. It'll be up to Jake Peavy and his MLB-best 1.68 ERA to get the job done. In Peavy's last nine starts against the Dodgers he's 5-0 with a 1.74 ERA. Hong-Chi Kuo gets the start for the Dodgers, and his numbers are just about the opposite of Peavy. He's 0-1 with a 7.71 ERA, and that's just not going to get it done. It'll also be only Kuo's second career start as a Dodger. All of which means that the Padres will probably finish off that sweep this evening.

He's Brett Tomko, there's not a whole lot he could actually do to win a spot in a rotation, unless of course, he were facing the Dodgers every fifth day, but that's just not in the cards now is it? Think about it -- Brett Tomko -- sole proprietor of a career 4.54 ERA, and a studly 5.14 Spring ERA. Let's just face it; he's ten seasons removed and still trying to live off his promising rookie year with the Reds which later resulted in him being the "centerpiece" of the Ken Griffey Jr. deal (remember that?)!

Making matters uglier, the Dodgers were steadfast upon sending youngster Chad Billingsley to the bullpen, and Tomko's other competition stunk just as badly as he did -- sort of like watching Shaq, Lorenzo Mata, and Ben Wallace compete in a free throw making contest.

Additionally, Hong-Chi Kuo bowed out with a shoulder injury that will sideline him for a month (either that or he's trying to cleanse the "herbal remedies" from his system). And the final competitor, Mark Hendrickson, is disappointed about being resigned to the bullpen now that Brad Penny is 100% recovered from a shoulder injury leaving only one spot available in the rotation. Sorry Mark, but a 5.60 Spring ERA isn't the way to make a rotation, unless of course you're Brett Tomko.

Previously at FanHouse:
Dodgers No. 5 Spot in Rotation Will Make You Sick
Hong-Chi Kuo Won't Be Drinking Herbal Remedies Anymore
Brad Penny Misses Start Becaouse of Shoulder Injury

Yesterday I alerted you that Rafael Furcal was carted off the field in the 1st inning of the Dodgers loss to the Orioles. The preliminary diagnosis was a left ankle sprain, and then the X-rays came back negative. Now Furcal's status for opening day seems questionable at best, producing a gaping hole at shortstop for the Dodgers. Team trainer Stan Conte said

"It will be longer than a week," Conte said. "I will know better in a couple of days ... Right now, this is 100 percent medical. With respect to figuring out when he will be able to play, that is kind of the least of our concerns at this point. It just doesn't help anybody to try to figure out if he'll be ready by Opening Day or not."

Translation: I am trying to spin this in the most positive light possible, but it does not look good, and forget about Opening Day.

Of course if it's up to Furcal, he'll be back out there within a week because he can take some pain

"I'll play when I'm 80 percent, because you have to play hurt sometimes. For me, it's no problem."

As for the Dodgers -- that means Wilson Alvarez Valdez will probably fill in at shortstop, and Juan Pierre will most likely move to the leadoff spot. This is a bad loss for the Dodgers, who are already dealing with shoulder injuries to Brad Penny and now Hong-Chi Kuo, coupled with losing five straight spring training games by a combined score of 41-3. Ouch.

Wait a tick, all these injuries and Nomahh's still healthy?!?!?

(Chest Bump Sons of Steve Garvey)

UPDATE: Furcal will have an MRI on his ankle after swelling subsides
UPDATE: The swelling has subsided, and Furcal could be ready for the opener


Previously at FanHouse:
Rafael Furcal Carted Off Field With Leg Injury
Rafael Furcal's Not Playing Enough Baseball

Yesterday we told you about Dodgers pitcher Hong-Chih Kuo testing positive for stimulants back in December. Today, the LA Times says it's unlikely Kuo will face any disciplinary action. Kuo told reporters he didn't take anything and he's not sure how the whole thing came about. His agent meanwhile says the positive test is the result of an herbal cold remedy containing ginseng. As a result, Dodgers General Manager is unconcerned:

"We are aware that Major League Baseball is looking into the issue," he said. "[But] given Kuo's explanation that this was simply a cold medicine, we consider it a nonissue unless new developments come to light."

But the Times reminds you not to call everything all and well

a baseball source said Monday if MLB's investigation turns up anything suspicious, Kuo could be subject to a "probable-cause test" - which could lead to a suspension.

At this point the positive test seems like much ado about nothing. Also seems like Kuo better switch from "cold remedies" to Sudafed or something less sketchy.