The good news is that all those nagging injuries that Moises Alou has been getting in his never ending minor league rehab stints have come to an end. The bad news is that's because his latest injury has turned out to be pretty significant.
Omar Minaya announced after today's game that Alou's hamstring, which Josh told you was giving him problems during a rehab game in Binghamton last night, is torn ... and surgery has been recommended. If Alou does opt for surgery, he's most likely out for the season.
Certainly, most people out in the crowd would advise Moises to hang it up, that it's not worth being away from his family to go on these endless minor league assignments to go back to the major leagues even though he's done almost everything you can do in the game. Certainly a stark contrast to a guy like Brett Favre who, as far as we know, is perfectly healthy yet has an entire city's psyche under siege with his sudden indecisiveness. And this is not to get on Favre, but to give Alou a lot of credit for continuing the work and going through the setbacks because he's 100% sure that he wants to play major league baseball. There's something noble and tragic about it at the same time. But if Alou wants to continue at it next season, even though the final result might not be what he would want, then more power to him.
I know I've made my share of Mark Prior jokes this spring, but this is just getting sad.
Mark Prior's first extended spring outing ended badly on Thursday when the injury-plagued right-hander was forced to leave his start with shoulder problems.
Cubs general manager Jim Hendry confirmed Prior was removed from the game against minor league hitters, but declined to comment on the injury without having all of the details.
The Cubs announced Thursday afternoon that Prior would be examined by Dr. Lewis Yocum, an orthopedic specialist, within the next few days.
Prior experienced discomfort in his right shoulder in the second inning. He left after completing the inning.
David Pinto at Baseball Musings (where this link came from, by the way) wonders if Prior will ever pitch again. You hate to even let a thought like that enter your head, but man, this is getting bad. I'm not even a Cubs fan and this sucks to watch, just because as few as three years ago, Prior really seemed like one of those once in a generation talents and now it seems like if he ends up with a career like Paul Wilson, he's going to be lucky. Nothing is certain until the results come back, but it seems pretty clear that the Cubs' plan to have him make three AAA starts and bring him back up is probably scrapped now. I guess we'll all have to wait and see.
Everyone kind of had a feeling this was coming after today's earlier announcement, but after visiting the doctor today, it's official: Chris Carpenter is going on the 15-day DL with arthritis and an elbow "impingement." I don't know what that is, but this is what the wire report says:
Carpenter, limited to one start this season, will rest for the next 10 days to two weeks and will be re-examined after that. The condition sometimes requires surgery but also can be cured by rest and treatment.
According to a statement issued by the team, there was no evidence of an acute ligament injury -- a problem that would have required surgery and likely would have finished Carpenter's season.
An impingement occurs when a thin layer of membrane that lines the elbow becomes caught in the elbow joint. The problem is relatively common among athletes who have a repetitive elbow motion, such as throwing a pitch or swinging a golf club. Arthroscopic surgery can repair the usually painful injury if initial treatment is not successful.
All in all, it sounds like things could be a lot worse for Carp. If arthroscopic surgery is the worse thing on the menu ahead, he probably won't miss a whole ton of time this year. Then again, things that go like this never seem to end well. "He's going to miss one start. No, wait two. No, wait, he's on the DL but it's not serious. Oh, wait, see you in '08." Or maybe that's just what I'm used to because I'm a Pirate fan. But hey, the Cards still have Braden Looper, right? No, seriously.
Let's say you're Chris Denorfia. You've probably already had a pretty bad spring. Despite the fact that you've hit well at just about every level of the minors and that you're 26 years old and not getting younger, it was already kind of looking like you'd begin the season back in AAA or at best on the bench behind a psychopath that runs into walls and can do little more than get on base (something that you're actually quite good at). So you probably feel like things aren't going so well. To make things worse, you strain your forearm. You have to get an MRI because the team says so. Then the MRI results come back.
Outfielder Chris Denorfia was diagnosed with a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. Denorfia, 26, will have Tommy John elbow ligament transplant surgery, general manager Wayne Krivsky revealed.
...
"Our worst fears were realized," Krivsky said. "His pain went more from the forearm to closer to the elbow. [The MRI] was a very smart thing for us to do so we could find out what it is. Unfortunately for everybody, it's a serious injury."
Denorfia will go on the disabled list and will be out for at least six months. Kremchek is expected to perform the operation Tuesday in Cincinnati.
That is one bad spring, my friends. It's hard not to feel pretty awful for Chris Denorfia at this point. Of course while Denorfia is the big loser in this whole scenario, the Reds fans are not winners in the whole thing. The final bench spot is now assured to go to Chad Moeller or Norris Hopper.
It's the Friday before the season starts and frankly, I can't really wait. In fact, I'm practically giddy at this point. Every major newspaper is printing season previews and the like. The only real storylines left are the last few roster cuts and whether or not the walking wounded that the four week exhibition schedule creates will be ready to play for the opener. And so we revisit Freddy Sanchez, National League Batting Champion and resident "Bright Spot" in Pittsburgh, who's been nursing a sprained knee since early March:
Still, Freddy Sanchez began to show the Pirates he could be ready for opening day -- even if only as a pinch-hitter -- by going 3 for 8 yesterday in a Class AAA game at the Cincinnati Reds' complex.
"I'm slowly getting into the mix," Sanchez said. "Obviously, I'm nowhere close to being where I want to be hitting-wise. But I was making some contact and, more important, seeing some pitches."
Effects from his sprained right knee were difficult to detect, as he was limited to running from home to first. But the bat looked fine, considering he was seeing live pitching for the second time since the injury March 6. The other occasion was an intrasquad scrimmage March 20.
If he's still not ready to run beyond first base, it's hard to believe he'll be ready for full-time duty when the season starts on Monday. If that's the case, it means a couple things, namely that the much maligned (at least much maligned in Pittsburgh, I doubt he gets much thought elsewhere) Jose Castillo will get one last shot to prove himself at second base and that the Pirates will somehow have to find a way to score besides the Adam LaRoche or Jason Bay solo homer with their only reliable table setter starting the season on pinch-hitting duties.
Persistent soreness in his left hand that he broke in December while wrestling with his children has set Griffey back for most of camp. As the days turned into weeks without him playing, Narron started putting the ball in Griffey's court when it came to his playing status each game and said it would be up to the player.
Saturday was no different. This time, however, the answer was.
"I asked him if he was ready," Narron said. "He said he was ready."
Even after a week of listening to people wonder how he'd take a switch to right field and wondering if he could still hack it, Griffey responded today by doing what he's always done (well, as long as he's healthy): hit the ball. He was 2-for-4 with a double today and played seven innings, which would seem to be a pretty good sign that despite missing so much time he'll be ready for the opener.
After much speculation, rumors that he'd miss the start of the season, and lots of other fun stuff like that, Jim Edmonds will make his spring debut this afternoon against the Orioles.
Cardinals center fielder Jim Edmonds expects to make his Grapefruit League debut Sunday afternoon against the Baltimore Orioles, giving the four-time All-Star a week of game competition to prepare for the team's season opener April 1 against the New York Mets.
Calling it a "crossroads," Edmonds said his surgically repaired right shoulder and second left toe have improved as camp has progressed, leading to Sunday's expected appearance.
"It's time to get ready for the season," Edmonds said Friday morning after hitting against guest instructor Larry Walker. "I don't think the soreness will ever go away completely, but it's something I'm going to have to deal with, I guess."
That last quote has got to kind of be a scary one for Cardinal fans. Edmonds sounds like a broken down guy resigned to playing out the season because he feels he owes it to the team and the fans after winning the Series last year. Or I'm reading way too far into things. It'll be interested to see if Edmonds can get right back into the swing of things after taking it easy at the end of last season and missing so much camp, though.
What is keeping Sanchez out of the Pittsburgh Pirates' lineup as spring training winds down is a troublesome strained right knee ligament that is preventing him from running at full speed. The injury was supposed to be a minor one when he was hurt turning a double play on March 6 -- a day-to-day proposition -- but it's been 2 1/2 weeks and he's not yet ready.
"It's frustrating. It's very disappointing, and I'd be lying if I said it wasn't," Sanchez said Friday.
The Pirates aren't ready to say the injury may jeopardize Sanchez's status for opening day April 2 in Houston. Even if he returns the middle of next week, Sanchez would have three or four days of exhibition game at-bats to get readjusted to game-speed pitching.
I groaned today when I read the headline "Bautista beats out Castillo to be Pirates' thirdbaseman" because it reminded me that either Jose Castillo or Jose Bautista would be in the Pirates' opening day lineup. Now it seems possible that both Joses will take the field against the Astros on April 2nd. Ugh. If Sanchez misses the opener, it seems entirely possible that 2007 will kick off with both batting champs from 2006 sidelined.
After a shaky start, Prior threw well in a rain-shortened 1-0 loss to San Diego. He allowed one run on four hits and two walks over four innings. Prior threw 59 pitches, 35 for strikes, and averaged 86 to 87 m.p.h., topping out at 89.
"He got his breaking ball over, looked a lot more comfortable on the mound, and he popped a few good fastballs," Piniella said. "It's an improvement, no question."
So, somehow one decent spring start and being Mark Prior cancels out the prior fiascoes that were loosely characterized as "spring training outings." I love watching a good pitcher as much as anyone and because of that, I miss the old Prior a bit, but he's certainly going to be best served by starting this season in AAA, trying to find a groove, and building some arm strength up. Starting the season in the rotation? I dunno, when I read that I suddenly hear John Lennon in my head, You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one...
Dr. George Paletta said Edmonds' progress may make him available for his first Grapefruit League appearance this weekend and that a "better than even chance" exists for the Gold Glove defender to play April 1 against the New York Mets.
"I believe it is more likely than not that Jim will be ready to play based on how his shoulder and toe have responded," Paletta said before the Cardinals' exhibition against the Baltimore Orioles.
This is certainly good news for the Cards; replacing one starting outfielder for a short period of time is an entirely different story than trying to plug two holes simultaneously. Of course, no one really knows how Edmonds will play coming off of these surgeries since he hasn't played in a game since the World Series, but the Cards will probably take their chances.
I know I've made my share of Mark Prior jokes this spring, but 
Everyone kind of had a feeling this was coming after 
Let's say you're Chris Denorfia. You've probably already had a pretty bad spring. Despite the fact that you've hit well at just about 
It's the Friday before the season starts and frankly, I can't really wait. In fact, I'm practically giddy at this point. Every major newspaper is printing season previews and the like. The only real storylines left are the last few roster cuts and whether or not the walking wounded that the four week exhibition schedule creates will be ready to play for the opener. And so 
In what was kind of a surprise move, Ken Griffey Jr. made his spring debut in right field today. 
After much speculation, rumors that he'd miss the start of the season, and lots of other fun stuff like that, 
I suppose it's good to set high goals, but Mark Prior is a bit delusional at the moment. He's actually confident that even after his disastrous spring, he's going to open the season up in the Cubs rotation. 
