The Disabled List Informer

Having already missed one start, Roy Oswalt is having his next start pushed back so that he can be examined in Houston by Dr. Mike McCann. He will likely have an MRI to determine the severity of the strain, but the fact that he had pain playing catch on flat ground is not a good indication, so a DL possibility is certainly there. He also received a pain-killing injection on Saturday , so it is obviously hurting him a fair amount.

This is presenting like a strain of the Gluteus Medius (hip abductor). He felt the pain originally during his start on June 30, while throwing a pitch. The Gluteus Medius abducts the thigh (pushes the thigh outward against the rubber on the stance leg), and also stabilizes the pelvis - preventing it from dropping down on the contralateral (opposite) side, on the glove side (left side for Oswalt).

He has not been terribly effective this season, yielding a whopping HR/FB percentage of 16.4% (career average of 9%), and an increased line drive percentage of 22%, which is up from the past two seasons (16% and 19.9%). Contrary to the popular belief that his velocity has been down, his average fastball this season is 92.5 mph, which is consistent with past seasons (92.7 in ‘07, 92.7 in ‘06, 93.1 in ‘05). One trend I have noticed is that he is using his fastball less and less since 2005, relying more and more on his slider and curveball - especially this year, perhaps due to this nagging hip injury. Thank you to Fangraphs for the data.

Should Oswalt need a DL stint, a couple of widely-available comparable pitchers (based on K/9, ERA, WHIP) include Jason Bergmann , Oliver Perez (not so much for WHIP), Jo-Jo Reyes , and Scott Baker .

In an expected occurrence, Alfonso Soriano took batting practice today with the aide of a padded batting glove, in order to protect his left hand from the vibratory forces from making contact with the ball. He said after BP that his hand felt weak , which is normal at this juncture in his recovery.

Soriano has been quoted as saying that he wants to participate in the All-Star game, but you have to feel that the Cubs should practice patience with him. Without facing live pitching, or going on a rehab assignment (which would have to be this week) before the All-Star game, he should not be allowed to play - regardless of how his hand feels. After all, nothing challenges your hands more than trying to get around on a major league, inside fastball or slider. Check the news diligently this week. If he goes on a rehab assignment by the end of the week and has no setbacks (like soreness or pain in the hand), he should be able to play with the Cubs next week - at home against the Giants. If not, the Cubs will play it safe and hold him out of the midsummer classic. Either way, he will definitely be back after the break.

Here we go - more hints of injuries to Erik Bedard. Manager Jim Riggleman stated that Bedard does not seem to be pitching fully healthy, and it is a distinct possibility that he is correct. From an early season hip injury that is likely still nagging, to a low back spasm and soreness that may or may not be directly related to his hip pain - he has clearly been struggling with his effectiveness on a consistent basis. He now has left shoulder tightness following his most recent start, and I can only figure that this is a secondary issue stemming from his lower body ailments. It seems feasible that he is overthrowing with his shoulder and not getting proper drive from his legs and torso due to the hip and back issues. A stint on the DL through the All-Star break sounds like the proper plan of action.

Troy Tulowitzki has put his already-forgettable 2008 season on hold (once again) with a foolish injury that he created himself. On Friday night, he cut his right palm open (and required 16 stitches to close) when he slammed his bat into the ground with frustration about being replaced by teammate Omar Quintanilla. Troy seems to realize that this was a stupid injury , stating, "The other injury (Quadriceps) was baseball-related. You’re out there on the field, going all out. And this one’s kind of a stupid injury that I could have prevented." The only good news out of this was that he did not sever any nerves, tendons, or muscles. He will probably need just over the minimum 15 days in order to return.