Xavier Nady felt pain in his right medial elbow while making a throw from the outfield yesterday, and it seems likely that the Platelet Rich Plasma long shot treatment did not work to heal his torn UCL. Keep watch for any news on Nady, and don’t expect it to be good news.
Chris Young should be returning to the Diamondbacks lineup tonight after missing a few games with a strained groin. He seemed to be coming around offensively before his injury, so now might be the time to snag him off the free agent list if he’s available.
Brandon Webb should just have shoulder surgery already. He had pain last week simply throwing light toss on the side, so it isn’t like he’s close to being fully healthy. What is the point in seeing three more Doctors who are all going to tell you the same thing? Here’s hoping that the labrum is the only thing involved, and nothing more.
The Diamondbacks continue to get blasted with injuries, as Eric Byrnes is out for the next one to two months after having his left hand fractured by a pitch from Scott Feldman. The fracture was to the 5th metacarpal bone, and had surgery today, using a plate and a screw for fixation. The fact that he needed surgery means that the fracture caused malrotation in the shaft of the bone, hence the need to realign it for proper healing.
Roy Halladay is ready to pitch on Monday, following a successful 50-pitch, full-effort bullpen session today. Said Halladay, "I feel good. I feel it’s completely gone, so we’ll carry on with the plan, and I think pitch Monday is what we’re going to do from here. I felt good. I was encouraged. It was a full bullpen — full effort — and I didn’t feel anything." Sounds good to me.
John Smoltz threw a ton of offspeed pitches in his Red Sox debut last night against the Nationals. He was hitting 89-93 mph with his fastball, but didn’t seem to use it as much as he typically does to get ahead of hitters - almost like he didn’t trust it. After giving up 4 runs in the first inning, he settled down and looked like a pitcher who can contribute for the Red Sox in the second half.
Matt Lindstrom is out for the next 4 to 6 weeks with a right elbow sprain, and has been ordered to not throw during this time period. He had dealt earlier this season with a rotator cuff strain following his time in the WBC. With Lindstrom out, expect Leo Nunez and Dan Meyer to take over the closing duties. Both have pitched very well in 2009 and are solid additions to any roster.
Aramis Ramirez is still planning to take batting practice this weekend, though his recent comments are definitely erring on the side of caution in regards to his ability to play through the shoulder condition. Ramirez told the Sun-Times, "It’s sore still, but it’s going to be there for a while. I don’t know. I’ve never played like that before. When I got hurt in 2000 [dislocating the same shoulder on Aug. 28], I didn’t play the rest of the year, so I don’t know how I’m going to react. Once I start playing, then I’ll know." He went on to say, "We’ll see how it goes. It depends. Hopefully, I don’t have to take a lot of time off. I’ve already taken enough time.”
If it sounds like he’s concerned that his shoulder won’t hold up, that’s because he should be. He probably needs surgery to tighten up his shoulder joint in the off season, and since he has already dislocated it twice (that we know of), he is already more predisposed to another injury of this sort. All we can hope for is that he comes back, contributes offensively, and doesn’t have to make too many diving plays.
Joey Votto seems like he’s back following last night’s 4-for-5 game that included a home run, a double, and 3 RBI. He had been on the DL due to stress-related anxiety.
