Injuries will happen over the course of a major league baseball season, we all know that. Unfortunately for the Red Sox, there have been an unusual abundance of players going DL-bound in the last few weeks. The lineup, the bullpen, the rotation- they have all been dealing with the losses of key components, but not quite at the point of ?depletion?. How bad are these injuries? How long until we get these players back? Do these losses even matter that much? I?ll examine:
Wily Mo Pena– Thankfully, Coco Crisp returned from his injury just in time, or the Willie Harris Hitting Disaster would be manning centerfield on a daily basis. Luckily, that fear will never have to be faced. Pena will reportedly be out for two months while having surgery on his left wrist, the same wrist that?s been bothering Pena for the last few weeks, keeping him out of the lineup. Some good luck: Pena is right-handed, meaning the rehab on his left wrist will not prevent Wily Mo from throwing and doing baseball-related activities. Some bad luck: This type of injury can keep players from swinging at full strength for the entire season. David Ortiz knows from experience:
“I came back after the All-Star break, but I was weak still. I was a mess because, for the rest of the season, I couldn’t swing hard. Every time I took a big swing it hurt. The following season was when I started feeling powerful.”
Impact? It will mean Trot Nixon will face left-handers. Trot has posted a .222 average this season against lefties, but it seems like he has vastly improved over the last few years facing lefties. Look for Youkilis to bat fifth in the order, Varitek sixth, Lowell seventh and Nixon eighth against lefties.
David Wells– On Monday, Wells announced that he might be able to make his next scheduled start Wednesday against the Blue Jays. Um, no. Still, a funny quote from Tito:
“We weren’t in a rush to disable him, just because he was giving it such a good shot to try and pitch. The more we talked, we kind of laid out some scenarios, and he wasn’t giving me any arguments. I said, ‘It seems to me, if you thought you could pitch, you’d be yelling at me,’ and he said, ‘Yeah.’ It made it painfully obvious to me that this was the move to make.”
Interesting determining factor, wouldn?t you say?
Wells threw 20 pitches off a flat surface, which resulted in too much pain. A 15-day DL stint is now lurking. The injury is bad luck for Wells, who has had so much work on his right knee, getting a batted ball lined on the same spot is doubly painful. In terms of the rotation, David Pauley may have earned himself another start against the Yankees on Tuesday, but I doubt that will happen. Look for Abe Alvarez, Matt Ginter or (cross your fingers) Jon Lester to get the nod. Then again, throwing a rookie out into the battlefield of Yankee Stadium may not be the best decision. But what other options do we have? Lenny DiNardo?
Mike Timlin– Our setup man began experiencing hints of a tired arm during the World Baseball Classic, but toughed it out in April and May for the Sox, compiling 19 innings and a low 1.40 ERA. This loss may be the biggest of them all, so thankfully Timlin may be out the shortest of anyone. During this last series, Jermaine Van Buren and Manny Delcarmen have proved dependable and electric bullpen arms that should be considered over veterans like David Riske, Julian Tavarez and Rudy Seanez. We may go through some tough times in middle relief with Timlin shelved because it appears Francona is not pulling these guys at the first sign of trouble. Bringing Foulke out for the eighth last night instead of Papelbon for two innings on four days rest shows this.
Mark Loretta– Mark was in the lineup tonight, but obviously showed glimpses of pain on his left foot. Ironically, Loretta hit his second homer of the season playing with the sore toe. He should be in the lineup Friday against Detroit, too, so the injury is nothing to worry about.
Matt Clement– Nick Cafardo thinks Clement is injured and won?t tell the medical staff. Terry Francona insists Clement is completely healthy. Tell you the truth, I hope he?s injured. If this is Matt Clement pitching at 100%, I don?t want this guy near any consideration for a playoff rotation. I hate giving up on guys, and I?ve shown confidence and patience in Clement, but this is becoming ridiculous. The Sox should place him on the DL with a bruised right ankle? in any other situation. With the rotation already in shambles at the bottom, Clement will pitch on Sunday against Detroit.
To top it all off, Mike Lowell left tonight?s game with a strained hamstring and is day-to-day. And you think the Yankees are banged up?
