BASEBALL INJURY REPORT TODAY
INJURY NEWS
Philies Demote Myers
In a somewhat shocking move today the Phillies demoted Brett Myers to the minors. Last season, he was the Philadelphia closer and he moved back into the rotation this spring. He was on pace to allow 47 homers, post a 5.84 ERA and 1.56 WHIP before being sent down. What is the cause of his 2008 collapse? His K/9 rate is down to 7.79 this season but that can be explained in part because starters usually have a slightly lower K/9 rate than relievers who can throw at maximum effort while they are in the game. Starters usually have to pace themselves more. In his first 15 pitches of the game, opposing batters are hitting an astounding .420 against him. This includes nine homers and 15 RBI is 50 at-bats. In his first inning of work, Myers is allowing an OPS of 1.255 thus he is burying himself from the start. He does show some improvement as the game moves along but clearly, he is struggling in the first frame. Is it because he cannot get lose? Is he pacing himself to work deep into the game? Lots of questions but no answers at the moment. The fact he has been a starter before in his career his first inning struggles are baffling. After talking to several veteran Phillie observers and researching his recent history looking for any hint of an injury, we came up empty. There were reports in the spring training that Myers velocity was down which could be attributed to less than 100% shoulder strength. Up until now, he has not reported a dead arm or anything that would explain the drop in velocity. This may mean his issues are mechanical in nature. Hopefully, he can get his 2008 season turned around but the odds are against him.
Benoit Ailing, But How Much?
Starting in spring training, Benoit developed arm fatigue that the Rangers
stated was normal. In most cases, it is. But he has developed some inflammation in his pitching shoulder this month and was held out of Wednesday's game due to the shoulder. Though the Rangers let it be known just recently that his shoulder was acting up, Benoit's pitching numbers indicate he has struggled all season long. The shoulder problem would help explain it. How is the shoulder fatigue and current inflammation related? It sounds like he had some strength issues in the spring, which were backed up by a lower than expected velocity on his pitches. It carried over into the regular season. The next downward step for a pitcher who has weakness is to develop inflammation or tendinitis, which is what we believe has happened to Benoit. Benoit was the sleeper closer pick on many fantasy owners draft lists this spring. So far he has disappointed, but he has a legitimate excuse. The Rangers would be wise to place him on the disabled list to clear up the inflammation and avoid a much more serious injury. (JUne 26)
Is Pedro Martinez Pitching Hurt?
Martinez has made four starts since returning from a left hamstring injury. In those post injury starts, Martinez has recorded a 6.20 K/9 rate. That is the lowest of his career and points to a pitcher who is not getting his normal share of swing and misses at his pitches. Last season, Pedro posted a 10.29 K/9 in the five starts he made. So what gives with the huge drop in his strikeout rate? The hamstring and his left leg may not be 100% yet causing him to shorten or compensate for his left leg. The other issue may be his surgically repaired pitching shoulder. He missed a considerable amount of time due to the hammy and Martinez may not have regained all of the strength back that he can after four post DL outings. Lastly, we can not ignore the fact that Martinez may be declining at a faster rate than we expected regarding his shoulder. He has already hinted that 2008 may be his last season. That talk may be due to Martinez growing weary of all the rehab work and thinking it is time to call it a career come this fall. In summary, Martinez may not be pitching hurt but he clearly has lost noticeable amount off his pitches and he is not likely to regain anything close to his prior form. (June 23)
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