Chipper Likely to DL

June 30, 2008 – 7:57 am

Chipper’s not getting better fast enough.  Bobby said yesterday “I don’t think Chipper’s close to playing.”

So he’s likely headed to the DL, at the very least when they bring Kotsay back tomorrow as he completes his rehab assignment.  That lingering quad injury will keep Chipper out of the crucial series this week against the Phillies.  If it continues to bother him, you can be sure he won’t risk hurting it in the All-Star game.

Chipper said in the AJC today “Make no bones about it, I would love to play in [the All-Star game], but if my body doesn’t allow me, that’s just a tough break.”

Chipper also admitted that he should likely have been on the DL before now.  “We probably should have DL’d me right when it happened. I knew it was worse than the previous time it happened. But the competitive side of me wanted to keep playing. I’ve always been a quick healer, and I thought I’d be able to play in five or six days.”

When you can’t run it doesn’t matter how well you can hit.  We’ll pray Chipper heals quickly and that Tex can carry the team while he’s out.  Get well soon, Chip.

Tags: Chipper Jones, Disabled List, Injuries
Posted in Injuries | 2 Comments »

Chipper To Miss A Few Games

June 8, 2008 – 12:39 pm

Chipper Jones will miss at least his next three starts with a slight tear in his right quadriceps muscle.  The strain occurred in the 7th inning while Chipper was trying to beat out a ground ball to first base.  He bent over in pain after the run, but decided to stay in the game.

This is a little worrisome to me to say the least.  Our team doesn’t do well without Chipper in the lineup this season and our struggles to produce runs lately cause even more concern.  We’ll see how the team can compete today, but the real key is to get Chipper healthy as quickly as possible.  I guarantee we will really be missing him in the lineup for the next few days.

Tags: Chipper Jones, Injuries
Posted in Injuries | 6 Comments »

Chipper Strains Quad, Leaves Game

April 20, 2008 – 9:57 pm

I knew it as soon as I saw Chipper slide into second.  He slid awkwardly and then was slow getting up.  And on Kotsay’s foul ball down the line, he was barely 10 feet in front of Teixeira, who had run around second and third by the time Chipper got from second past third.

Then, when Martin Prado came in to play third defensively in the top of the next inning, we all knew.  Chipper apparently tweaked his quad and decided to play if safe and sit it out the rest of the game.  He’s day-to-day.

I’m a little worried, to be honest.  Chipper has had a history of doing random weird things like this that bother him for far too long.  Or he could just bounce back.  No way to tell.   What do you think, will this be a quick trip to the bench, or will he randomly end up on the DL?  The Braves sure need his hot bat.

Tags: Chipper Jones, Injuries
Posted in Injuries | 7 Comments »

Soriano’s Elbow Sends Him to DL

April 9, 2008 – 10:52 pm

Rafael Soriano went to the 15-day disabled list with elbow tendonitis today, clearing room for Chuck James to come off the DL and promptly give up six runs in three innings tonight against the Rockies.

Soriano has had issues with his elbow on and off all spring.  He didn’t pitch for the first few games of spring training because his arm was bothering him.  And his elbow troubles aren’t new - he missed most of 2004 and 2005 with Seattle after Tommy John surgery.  Bobby has used him in a limited number of games (only pitched in 4 innings), but he’s still having issues with the arm.

It’s better to get him on the DL now than it is to let him languish on later in the season.  We need him healthy during the heart of the season, and if that means missing him for 15 games now, we’ll take it.

In the meantime, I think we’ll see Manny Acosta as the temporary closer.  He’s been good in spots this spring - a couple bad outings (like the home opener), but all spring has looked pretty good out of the bullpen.

Tags: Disabled List, Injuries, Manny Acosta, Rafael Soriano
Posted in Injuries | 1 Comment »

Phillies’ Closer Lidge Reinjures Knee

February 24, 2008 – 9:48 am

This may change things.  Brad Lidge reinjured his knee yesterday on his first pitch off a mound.  He remains optimistic that it’s just some scar tissue that came loose, but the full extent of the injury should be known today.

Lidge, the Phillies’ scheduled closer, had surgery on the same knee in October, when doctors removed scar tissue.  He was the Phillies’ biggest off-season acquisition, supposedly allowing Brett Myers to return to the starting rotation.

More as we hear it - but this could shake things up.  Without a legitimate closer (other than pulling Brett Myers from the rotation), the Phillies have even more pitching issues than they’d like to admit.  They may need every run that high-flying offense produces, because without Myers in the rotation, their starting pitching is mighty thin after Cole Hamels.

Tags: Brad Lidge, Injuries, Philadelphia Phillies, Pitching
Posted in League Analysis | 2 Comments »