Yeah, so Putz is injured
DMZ · June 13, 2008 at 2:22 pm · Filed Under Mariners
“hyperextended elbow”…. yup. He’s on the 15-day DL. Corcoran’s up. He’s been getting smacked around in Tacoma since being sent down, annnnnd here he is, back up.
Clearly, something was wrong with Putz before the incident that got him on the DL. Here’s hoping the two weeks helps them figure out what’s up, as well as heal this particular injury.
Hyperextended Elbow? Was someone doing some self defense lessons or something?
Guess that may kill his trade value.
Oh, goodie. It’s been a few days since we’ve had any devastatingly bad news. What’s next, Ichiro retires to become a professional bass fisherman? Felix abducted by aliens? Beltre arrested for taking photographs inside the airport?
What are the prospects of sending Batista in as the “closer” — assuming there’s actually a save situation in the Mariners’ near future? He can’t be much worse than he was in the rotation. And if he shows any spark, perhaps he can ignite some tiny trade interest in his 578-year-old arm?
“It was diagnosed that Putz hyperextended his right elbow, resulting in triceps tendon inflammation and an irritated ulnar nerve. The exam showed no damage to the ulnar collateral ligament or the flexor bundle in his right elbow.”
#3: I don’t consider his un-availability for 15 days as bad news given his performance of late.
Miguel Batista should have been permanently converted to a relief pitcher after being the closer for Toronto a few years back. I’m glad the FO is finally, possibly, maybe, getting the picture. In addition, Morrow should be in the starting rotation. Batista sucks, Morrow does not.
I think this season has been the most emotionally draining experience I’ve ever had as a longtime fan. Can we please get a break? Stop the season right now. Just stop. Every other team can go on but someone, please, tell the M’s to quite… immediately! Let’s get the overhaul started here, in a hurry.
You know, the last time he pasted a rookie with one of his signature shaving cream pies to the face, his delivery looked a little suspect. Wasn’t really pushing off his legs, it was all arm…
Given that Batista can probably go two innings every time he goes out (he can hardly claim he’s not “stretched out”), I would have preferred them calling up another position player, particularly given that they will be going on the road to NL parks soon. I hear they have a catcher/first baseman in Tacoma who’s good. Rhymes with Cement.
horatiosanzserif
I think any trade interest in Batista is probably already stifled by his weighty contract.
Maybe we should Package Putz and Jones for Manny?
Oh wait …
Isn’t that what Bone did? 😉
You never like to see a guy get hurt…well most of the time…but honestly when they announced JJ’s injury it was kind of a “meh” reaction. Not only do the Mariners have much more glaring problems than the lack of a dominant closer, but this year JJ had been anything but dominant anyway. Just didn’t look like the same guy.
I agree that there was clearly something wrong before the incident that put him on the DL. I just wonder if maybe they’d have been better off recognizing that and not running him out there until something worse happened.
I don’t wish injury on anybody, but given the age of the squad, how has Vidro, Cairo, Sexson, Ibanez and everyone else been able to avoid the DL? Sometimes this is the stuff of chance, but how does a team with this many poor players, keep as healthy as it has?
How is this team at recognizing and handling injuries? The case with Ibanez is not encouraging, but that’s one data point. Do they have a (perhaps unspoken) policy of expecting their veterans to play through pain? Or expect them to self-diagnose when they aren’t capable because of that injury?
Just shut him down for the year.
I know I’m not the only one who thinks JJ has been hurt all year. So if that and some of last year’s incidents are enough of a sample size I would say that they are TERRIBLE at recognizing injuries. They do seem to have a good training staff once they finally get someone to admit they’re hurt.
I posted in an earlier thread that while JJ had very good numbers in prior years, I’ve never had the feeling that he was a “dominant” closer. It always seemed like while in years past he got the save, he threw more pitches to get that done than some other closers. Anyone happen to know of any stats like that? Did JJ throw X more pitches per appearance than other closers? And could that have contributed to this injury and whatever is wrong with him this year?
Last year Putz threw 1,034 pitches in 71.2 innings, for an average of about 14 pitches per inning. I don’t know how that compares to the average closer, but 14 an inning seems pretty damn good to me considering the number of strikeouts he had.
This year he has thrown 400 pitches in 19 innings, or about 21 pitches per inning.
PADJ – I don’t know how or why anyone would get the feeling he wasn’t a dominant closer the last couple years.
I don’t know how many pitches he threw, but I know how many hits and walks he gave up.
149.3 innings pitched – 96 hits, 26 walks.
That seems pretty dang dominant. And if people aren’t hitting him or getting walks, I’m not sure I care how many pitches he’s throwing.
Put another way…
Putz last year had a WHIP of .70 and a BAA of .153.
Mariano Rivera’s best WHIP was .88 and his best BAA was .176
(No, I’m not saying Putz is better than Rivera. I’m just saying I have no idea why that wouldn’t feel “dominant.”
It was nearly impossible that he could be traded before 2008, given the team’s hope to contend, but it sure would have been nice to get something of value. That hope is gone now.
Ok, ok…JJ is a deity…apologies for the blasphemy…
But the point of #19 was to ask if in order to achieve his numbers he’s put unusual miles on his arm.
I wonder if maybe when a pitcher’s mechanics are off, and he’s otherwise been feeling fine, if injuries like hyperextensions aren’t more common as they try different things to get out of a funk. With the kinds of forces a body endures while throwing a ball around a hundred miles per hour, it seems like even minor changes to a delivery could easily strain the hell out of a ligament or other small but critical body part. Clearly I am not a doctor. Seems intuitive enough though.
The next big Mariners news…
M’s to become ‘road warriors’
SEATTLE (AP) — The Seattle Mariners baseball team will become “road warriors” for the second time in team history after tiles from the Safeco Field roof crashed into stadium seats shortly before Friday’s game.
In 1994, the Mariners were forced to play the final 15 games of that strike-shortened season on the road after similar incident at the Kingdome, the team’s former home field.
Why do I get the feeling that Putz has hit the wall? That he’s gonna be a can of worms from now on? Is it just my Mariner cynicism?
26- Huh? I didn’t think we had a roof with tiles. Or did I just get whooshed?
[ot]
Whatever. Putz has been injured since the rib thing he pulled and didn’t say anything about during Game 2. As was discussed then, it hurts like a b****. Really hurts. It took me months to get over it and I wasn’t throwing baseballs for a living and was 18 years old. I say godspeed to him for next season.
#25, I don’t think its mechanics. You could see it in his face. He used to have a steely stare in to get the sign.
Several here have remarked that he looked scared. Flushed face.
If his mechanics are off its a symptom, not a cause. They are off because something hurts, like #30 said. He’s been trying to tough it out and he’s not been terribly successful at it. He has some saves, but most of those are shaky affairs.
Nope, I’m not a doc either.
Re: # 13, # 19, and others):
It always seemed like while in years past he [PUTZ] got the save, he threw more pitches to get that done than some other closers.
Small Sample Theater:
For the last 25 Saves, Closers have thrown an average of 19.05 pitches.
BTW, who is more dominant? The pitcher that uses 9 pitches to strike out the side, or the pitcher that uses only 3 pitches, to induce 3 long drives that are caught at the wall?