03/25/2005 8:11 PM ET
Notes: Tsao's shoulder not a concern
Wait-and-see approach used for new closer
TUCSON, Ariz. -- Are the Colorado Rockies concerned about new closer Chin-hui Tsao's sore right shoulder?
Manager Clint Hurdle: "Concerns? I don't have any because it's out of my control."
General manager Dan O'Dowd: "If you're going to ask me if I have concerns about things, there are a lot of things I have concerns about. But I'm not going to worry about them. We'll just have to deal with them when and if they happen."
So, there are two answers:
A) It depends on what you mean by concerns.
B) No one really knows.
Neither response is desirable, considering that the season starts on April 4 at Coors Field against San Diego.
The closest thing to a concrete answer came from head trainer Keith Dugger, who said that if he feels good on Saturday, the Rockies could start Tsao off playing catch and work from there. Apparently, there is no timetable for getting Tsao throwing off a mound.
Tsao complained of tightness after his last outing on Wednesday, a blown save against the San Francisco Giants at Scottsdale, Ariz. At the time, Tsao, a starter until making a few bullpen appearances late last season, said he had to learn how to prepare for the frequent work a reliever gets.
What isn't clear is whether that learning experience damaged his shoulder, which was beset by labrum problems last season. He also had Tommy John elbow ligament transfer surgery in 2001, and health concerns were one reason Tsao and the Rockies agreed to a move to the bullpen.
He received ice and heat treatment on Thursday -- the second game of his back-to-back was canceled -- and did light strengthening exercises on Friday.
For his part, Tsao, 23, said Friday that he felt "better." But he'll have to learn his own arm so that he'll be loose when he enters a game, and he'll be able to bounce back the next day. Generally, Hurdle will use a reliever up to three days in a row.
"Every day is different," he said.
Of course, this could be a to-do about a simple "dead arm," a weakness that many pitchers go through periodically.
"I'm hoping that it's a Spring Training thing as far as that area of the shoulder, the back of the shoulder, that slows the arm down," Rockies pitching coach Bob Apodaca said. "That's the area that has to be strongest."
Unlike last year, when the Rockies converted starter Shawn Chacon to closer and stuck with him no matter how much he struggled, there is a contingency plan. Left-hander Brian Fuentes and right-handers Scott Dohmann and Ryan Speier have been used late in games this spring, and are being counted on if Tsao is injured or struggles.
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