6-4-2 — an Angels/Dodgers double play blog: UTK Stuff

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Tuesday, May 24, 2005

UTK Stuff

May 23: Vladimir Guerrero slid while scoring and dislocated his shoulder partially, hurting the Angels' chances of fending off their AL West competition. Guerrero's injury is more like that of Derek Jeter a few years ago than that of Ken Griffey Jr.. The biggest negative so far is all the swelling. Thus far, the Angels have been unable to do an MRI to see how much damage happened internally. Until we have those images, we're just guessing as to his return. With Garret Anderson also hurting, some have speculated about a Darin Erstad return to center field. The shift makes sense, and rumors that Erstad's back would not hold up in center might be given more credence if there were no consideration being given to this move at all.
Today: The Angels backtracked quickly in regards to Francisco Rodriguez and his availability, moving him from "ready to pitch" to "on the DL" in very short order. What happened? According to reports, Rodriguez threw a "full bore" bullpen session on Sunday, and his reaction to that session had to have told the Angels something. One unconfirmed report said that Rodriguez was unable to throw his slider without pain. At one point, according to this same source, Rodriguez flinched after throwing a "Frisbee slider" and had to shake his arm out before making the next pitch. The move made was retro, meaning that the Angels could have Rodriguez back early next week. Scot Shields is doing so well in the closer role that the Angels aren't going to rush.
The Angels might not rush Kelvim Escobar back either, given the performance of Ervin Santana. Escobar is expected back soon, though a five-hit shutout against Jon Garland and the White Sox might keep "the other Santana" around a while. The Angels' pitching depth is disguising their offensive problems.
When I hear the words "Angels" and "pitching depth" in the same sentence, and without detectable sarcasm, it means either (a) the Angels pitching staff is finally earning its keep, or (b) the sarcasm center of my brain isn't functioning properly.
Oddly, there's no definitive word on Vladimir Guerrero today, other than some quotes from him. Yes, Guerrero did come back from a similar injury quickly, but self-reduction isn't exactly advisable. The All-Star outfielder was refusing a sling despite significant swelling that delayed the MRI another day.
Octavio Dotel's elbow has "calcifications", and "yes, this type of situation is often a precursor to Tommy John surgery." Dotel's in wait-and-see mode until the swelling goes down.
Mark Loretta's ligament problem apparently has been made worse by a prior surgery; the screw already in place made the injury difficult to diagnose. The Pads, disappointed in Nevin's jump to the surgeon's table, are looking around for help, and supposedly dangle disappointing 1B Phil Nevin and his $17M contract in front of the Rangers and Angels.
Regarding Cubs starter Carlos Zambrano's funky elbow, Carroll says carpal tunnel, not tennis elbow, is the result of too much typing. "Even the worst-case scenarios, given the known facts, aren't that bad for Zambrano himself."
"The Cubs are also likely to put Mike Remlinger on the DL to bring up Sergio Mitre for an emergency start."
"It's impossible at this stage to put Bonds on a normal scoped-knee timeline, so look for milestone activities like running and swinging the bat."