Putz on the 15-day DL
DMZ · April 2, 2008 at 5:06 pm · Filed Under Mariners
“Right rib inflammation” the team says. Or, rather
The right-hander had a precautionary MRI exam done Wednesday, and it revealed mild costochondritis on his right side, a Mariners release said. Costochondritis is inflammation where cartilage attaches to a rib.
Yow.
Ouch. Granted, it’s much better than an elbow or shoulder issue, but I still hate to see this.
At least we got a nice opening day.
not good at all.
closer by committee in the meantime?
I wonder how this shakes out the bullpen then…who’s closing?
You think they’d be crazy enough to bring up Morrow so soon? I guess it depends how bad the injury really is.
Oh geez. Rib cartilage =’s “nagging injury”. As in annoyingly longer and sharper than expected pain.
Lowe? Morrow?
Austin Bibens-Dirkx
Shit on a stick.
I’ve had rib cartilage problems before. That crap takes forever to heal.
Geoff Baker said, “It will be interesting to see who will be named the fill-in closer. Could be George Sherrill, could be Rafael Soriano. Oh, wait. Never mind.”
That is funny stuff.
Wikipedia is not giving me the warm fuzzies regarding this particular ailment. Especially the ’12-week recovery period’ part and the ‘patient must not move or exert during pain’ part. That doesn’t make me feel good.
If it’s rib cartiledge, it shouldn’t be a problem unless JJ breathes or uses his arms. Otherwise, his recovery will be slowed substantially. It’s a good thing we have Soriano to close games. Oh, wait…..Lowe maybe? We do still have him, don’t we?
OK, so this about evens out the five-six starts Lackey’s going to miss, no?
They better re-schedule J.J. Putz Soul Patch Night!
I know they have to play the games.
But do they have to play the games?
It explains why he was sitting 89-92mph last night on his fastball. I know SafeCo’s gun is wonky, but it’s not THAT wonky.
Too many innings last season?
Lowe has the makeup and the stuff, but can he keep himself together physically?
It would sure be nice to have Sherrill and/or Soriano. Oops.
This is bad, bad, bad. Really bad.
This is also why you don’t build a team around a pitching staff.
Would also be nice to see the offense pick it up so we don’t need a closer as often.
Alternatively, if the offense slowed down even more, we wouldn’t need a closer as often either.
Yikes. Looks like I am going to win my ‘Mariners will finish under .500’ bet unless JJ heals quickly, Richie finds the Fountain of Youth, and about 10 other things swing the right direction.
although listed as ‘mild’, JJ did describe the initial pain as though someone had stuck an icepick in his side.
much discussion earlier on the radio about them doing the (extremely young) closer by committee thing, and the notion was raised of having Batista move into the slot (as the only pitcher with closing experience) and moving Baek into the rotation.
Nellie is now reminicing about the awkwardness of doing the closing by match-up, a la himself and Arthur (or Author, as it is Jeff talking).
Lowe should close, no question.
Damn…would be nice to have GS-52 around as an insurance policy right about now! 🙁
I’m not totally against the idea of moving Batista to the ‘pen for a while and using Baek in the rotation, but the main key for being a successful closer isn’t experience or veteranness or any crap like that – it’s being able to get both LH and RH hitters out. Miguel Batista struggles against lefties, and that’s an issue that doesn’t go away just because he’s pitching in the 9th inning. If you’re up 4-3 in the 9th with three lefties coming up, bringing Batista in isn’t a very good idea.
Nelson opined that by the time Putz was back, Batista would have sat enough to need time to build his arm back up to starter level.
hacking my way through the jungle of cliches surrounding every answer, Mac says the bullpen will close according to match-ups, and they will have to step-up.
fwiw:
“And the other good news, Griffin said, was that it was on the de-celerating side (that’s a word, right?) of his ribcage, rather than the accelerating side.”
The best way to deal with the lack of JJ is to score runs. Oh, that’s right, we didn’t build for that, because we have two great starting pitchers and a great closer. I second Dave’s building a team around pitchers remark.
Can’t remember who it was that said it, but I’m thinking of the clown car analogy somebody brought up, and now the FO is worried about a closer. I’m assuming they’re not worried yet about offense.
27: Which was basically the strategy during the Ayala/Mesa years aw well.
28: Aw crap…I meant “as” well!
It’s a bad idea having Lowe close right now. If it has to be one closer I’d go with Green. However McLaren has it exactly right, going with the match-ups makes the most sense right now. If Rhodes or Morrow gets right then that gives us a few more options, for matchups that is, I don’t like the idea of either closing every day.
Hey guys, here is a post I am putting up on the KJR House Doc page tomorrow about JJ’s injury. It could bug him for a long time… hopefully not.
Injury Report: J.J. Putz and his chest
JJ Putz has been diagnosed with costochondritis after feeling a sharp pain in the right side of his chest during a pitch on April 1st. It sounds as though an MRI revealed that his 10th rib was involved, and that his oblique and rib muscles are OK.
Costochondritis is kind of a generic term for inflammation at the joint where the bony rib meets cartilage. It can be caused by viruses, trauma, or other irritation. It can also be caused by a rib that temporarily separates and then sets back into place and causes an injury or irritation to the rib-cartilage joint. I would be concerned that this is what caused JJ’s injury by his description and the circumstances. The 10th rib can have more tearing of the connective tissues around the joint causing more pain and time needed for healing, and this would certainly be a concern in JJ’s case.
The other concern is that the all-important oblique muscles attach to the 10th rib. However, on the right side, the obliques are less important for JJ’s throwing motion since he is right-handed. Eric Bedard had an oblique injury on his right side last year, but since he throws left-handed, he relies on those muscles to rotate and flex to supply power as he whips his left arm around. While his right obliques are important for throwing, JJ would be in more dire circumstances if it was his left side.
Rest and anti-inflammatories (like ibuprofen, naproxen, or even prednisone in severe cases) can help him heal. Symptoms can last days to weeks and sometimes a few months or more in severe cases. Hopefully he can get back on the field soon and the injury won’t be a nagging one for him.
P.S. This is why you never draft a closer high in fantasy baseball…
22: Agreed.
Prednisone?
I believe that is a steroid, is it allowed?
I don’t have a copy of the MLB banned substances list, but no, I can pretty much guarantee it’s not banned. The term “steroid” is a term used to describe a large class of organic molecules that have a variety of different purposes. Prednisone is, primarily, an anti-inflammatory drug. Anabolic steroids are somewhat similar to testosterone in structure, and increase protein production, helping build up muscle mass. Prednisone does not do this.
I had this same injury in high school, playing lacrosse. It really does feel like you just got stabbed with a knife. Hurts like a serious b****. If he only misses two weeks, JJ, the M’s and we here in Mariner fandomland are really lucky.
Here’s to a speedy one, JJ.