Lackey to miss at least a month

[nash312 (北緯25度以南的夏天)]

03/15/2008 3:16 PM ET
Lackey to miss at least a month
Strained triceps forces ace to join Escobar on sidelines
By Lyle Spencer / MLB.com

TEMPE, Ariz. -- Angels ace John Lackey is expected to be sidelined at least a
month after he was diagnosed with a strained right triceps after an
examination on Friday by Lewis Yocum, the team's orthopedist.
A magnetic resonance imaging confirmed the clinical diagnosis.

Lackey, who hasn't missed a start because of injury since breaking into the
rotation in 2002, will be shut down without baseball activities for three to
four weeks, at which time he'll be reevaluated. His earliest return, giving
him several weeks or rehab, would most likely be in late April or early May.

The Angels, as a result, will open their American League West title defense
without their twin aces.

Kelvim Escobar, recovering from shoulder inflammation, is making strides
toward regaining enough strength to begin throwing and is expected to start
the process sometime this week, manager Mike Scioscia said.

Lackey and Kelvim Escobar combined for 37 wins last year -- 19 by Lackey, a
first-time American League All-Star and ERA champion in 2007.

"I'm going to do everything I can to get back as soon as I can," said Lackey,
the club's Opening Day starter in 2007. "I'll be a little bit cautious.
They'll be pulling me back a little slower than I want to go.

"They've been here before. I haven't."

General manager Tony Reagins said the club was "concerned" but also "somewhat
optimistic in that [Lackey's absence] won't be too long."

Lackey, 29, said Yocum informed him that a triceps strain is similar to a
hamstring strain. This ailment, behind the elbow, is in a different location
than the forearm discomfort that had caused Lackey to get a late start in his
spring workouts.

"You've got to let it heal on its own and be patient," Lackey said. "If I go
out too early, I can end up setting myself back.

"It's no fun. It's definitely not where I wanted to be. I'll have to work
hard, get the rest of my body stronger. It might be a little blessing if I'm
a little stronger at the end of the season."

Scioscia, thinking long-term, made it clear the club would be pushing no
panic buttons and making rash decisions. The Angels, leading the AL West
every day of the 2007 season after April 24, won the division for the third
time in four years, comfortably besting Seattle by six games .

The Mariners have beefed up their rotation with the additions of Erik Bedard
and Carlos Silva, but Scioscia is confident he has the depth to withstand any
division challenges.

"Right now, we're being tested," Scioscia said. "I don't think anyone could
have said definitively where we'd be without John Lackey and Kelvim Escobar
... We're going to be fine.

"Even without [Lackey and Escobar], we have a rotation that can go out and
win on a nightly basis and a bullpen that can hold leads, and an improved
offense. We can win ballgames, and we're going to go out and do that."

The club currently plans to replace Lackey from inside the organization.

First call goes to middle reliever Dustin Moseley, who made eight starts last
season, including a pair of impressive ones to open the season with Jered
Weaver and Bartolo Colon sidelined. Moseley had surgery after last season on
his ulnar nerve and has pitched three innings this spring, giving up two
runs.

Also in the mix, Reagins said, are right-handers Nick Adenhart, Nick Green
and Kasey Olenberger.

The most experienced of the three is Olenberger, a 29-year-old right-hander
who has gone a combined 17-12 the past two seasons at Triple-A Salt Lake.

Green, 23, is 30-22 with a 3.92 ERA in 99 Minor League games, 74 as a
starter. Adenhart, 21, is 28-15 in 64 Minor League starts with a 3.11 ERA.
Both have pitched no higher than Double-A Arkansas and were expected to start
the season in Salt Lake's rotation.

"Right now, we think we have the candidates internally," Regains said. "We
think we've built some depth in the organization and have some young kids who
are exciting.

"We think the timetable for Escobar and Lackey ... they're going to miss part
of the season, but we don't think it will be long-term."

As for looking into free agency for a starter, Scioscia indicated that would
be a backup option because "you have to understand, if there's one commodity
every team in baseball is looking for, it's pitching."

Weaver, Jon Garland, Joe Saunders and Ervin Santana form four-fifths of the
rotation. Garland's acquisition from the White Sox in November at the cost of
shortstop Orlando Cabrera looks even better now.

Adenhart assumed Lackey's starting assignment on Saturday at Tempe Diablo
Stadium, facing the Diamondbacks' Randy Johnson.

Adenhart, a 6-foot-3 athlete with a dominant fastball and big curveball, has
been impressive in Cactus League play, yielding three runs in 8 2/3 innings.

In his most recent outing, Adenhart went four scoreless innings behind Lackey
on Monday, gaining the win against the A's by allowing one hit and striking
out three with no walks.

Lackey pitched 1 2/3 innings in his spring debut, reporting no pain in the
elbow afterward. But there was soreness the following day, and the pain
became more intense following a side workout on Wednesday.

"I felt good during that game," Lackey said. "It took me a little longer to
come back. I was pretty sore, and after my last bullpen session, it didn't go
away.

"It's the first time I've missed a start since I got drafted [in 1999]. It's
definitely disappointing, but I guess it could have been worse."


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推 RollingWave:...no Lackey ..no Escobar for a month?!?!?
推 Phater:這下rotation會變成什麼樣子
推 pasti:織織--Saunders--Garland--Santana--??
推 eetolo:有機會提前看到 Adenhart ?
推 kenny781558:應該是MOSELEY先頂替吧
→ tunababy:如果我排的話,會是織織-Garland-Saunders-Santana-mosely
→ tunababy:今年開季看來很難看了.
推 Anero:我記得之前我們投手排聯盟第一就是因為深度夠、素質佳
→ Anero:現在開季馬上就要驗證了 真酷...
推 RollingWave:06炸掉也是因為開季鳥蛋....(不過是因為打擊就是了)
推 raki:SANTANA !!! 如果把自己家的比賽都贏下來 就算多賺的
推 tunababy:06最大的問題除了打擊,大概就是Jeff Weaver了...
推 RollingWave:XDDDD已經忘了這個人的存在了
推 cherubim:今年要從下半季出發嗎?  XD
推 francviking:找紡織哥阿 只是可能會被敲一筆
推 tunababy:找紡織哥我們不如把adenhart抓上來試一試...
推 cherubim:盾以前是不是當過先發?
推 wjkuo:他就是先發不怎麼樣才去當牛的。春訓目前為止出場兩次都很爛
→ wjkuo:要他先發還不如Adenhart或是Moseley
推 cherubim:先發病號 中繼很濫 closer演劇場 能期待打擊嗎?
推 cherubim:Adenhart現在上會不會早?
→ cherubim:sorry 有關Adenhart下下篇有大大提到