Tagged: Frank Francisco

June 18, 2009

Injury bug bites Ibanez

Ibanez_injured

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Raul Ibanez‘s improbable career year hit a snag Thursday
morning, when the Phillies slugger landed on the 15-day DL with a strained left
groin.

The ball dropped one day after Ibanez seemed to have
trouble running the bases. It was unclear initially whether the groin strain was
something new or related to the sore left Achilles’ that nagged him for a week
or so, but general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. cleared up the confusion shortly
after Thursday’s move, saying the two injuries were not related.

Amaro was also quick to point out that the groin injury
has bothered Ibanez for a while. “It’s affected his play,” Amaro said.
“When he got back on the field yesterday and played, it got to the point
where the discomfort was enough for us to shut him down.” That may explain
why Ibanez is hitting just .194 (6-for-31) in the past seven games, although he’s
gone for three home runs in that span.

After missing Sunday’s game, Ibanez blamed his shoes for
the absence and insisted that the sore Achilles’ was nothing to worry
about. You can hardly blame the guy for dismissing any form of physical
limitation. We’re talking about a 37-year-old having an MVP-caliber career
year, not to mention a model of men’s health who takes better care of his body
than William Sadler did in “Die Hard 2: Die Harder” as John McClane’s
karate-kicking nemesis, Col. Stuart.

That said, you have to figure the groin strain caused
enough concern for the first-place Phillies to put him on the shelf. It’s also
a huge loss for fantasy teams who’ve come to rely on the unlikely superstar
enjoying a Luis Gonzalezian campaign. An MRI will be taken Thursday for Ibanez,
who heads to the DL ranked second in the NL with 22 long balls and 59 RBIs.

“We’ll monitor him every day and see how he feels,
and hopefully he’ll heal properly and be ready in 15 days,” Amaro said.
“That’s the plan. That would be great. But I don’t know if that’s going to
happen.”

John Mayberry Jr. was recalled to take his place, but
probably doesn’t deserve much attention beyond deep NL-only play. Known more
for his father’s skills than his own, Mayberry Jr. was hitting just .257 at Las
Vegas with a .470 slugging percentage.

Unfortunately, Ibanez, Roy Halladay and Scott Downs aren’t
the only prominent players to be bitten by the injury bug. A growing number of ailments
have left fantasy owners scrambling for replacements. Let’s walk through the week’s
biggest boo-boos and identify a few stopgap solutions:

Derek Jeter

Condition: Pulled from Monday night’s game with ankle
stiffness, Jeter was out of the lineup Wednesday. He’s not expected to go on
the DL.

Shortstop stopgaps

Maicer Iztirus: With Howard Kendrick out of the picture
as the Angels second baseman, Cesar’s half-brother has stepped in to go 8-for-14
with six runs scored, a homer and six RBIs over his last five games. Even if
Jeter makes a swift return, having an all-purpose infielder like Izturis to
plug in here and there isn’t the worst thing in the world. Worse players have
risen from utility status to full-time contributor.

Alternatives: Alberto Callaspo, Brendan Harris

Raul Ibanez

Condition: Landed on DL Thursday after weeks of being
hampered by a strained groin, no timetable for return.

Denard Span

Condition: Landed on the 15-day DL Tuesday after being
sidelined since June 9 due to an inner-ear infection.

Outfield stopgaps

Juan Rivera: A lengthy injury history limited Rivera’s
value heading into ’09, but he has no business being on the waiver wire with
the way he’s swung the bat in recent weeks. Since May 23, the guy sports a .395
average, six homers and 20 RBIs, including three homers in the last three days.
In other words, he’s worth owning regardless of when your regular starting
outfielder is ready to return.

Cody Ross: Riding the hot hand could reap short-term
rewards with Ross, who is hitting .407 (11-for-27) with four doubles, two
homers and six RBIs. The power is real, but don’t expect an average north of
.300 the rest of the way with all the strikeouts he racks up.

Alternatives: Tony Gwynn Jr., Jeremy Hermida, Chris Coghlan, Chris B.
Young

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Ervin Santana, Angels

Condition: Scratched from his last outing with right
forearm tightness, Santana has until June 23, his next scheduled turn in the
Angels rotation, to show he’s healthy. Otherwise, he faces the prospect of
another DL stint, damaging his short-term value.

Erik Bedard, Mariners

Condition: Bedard was placed on the DL on Wednesday
night, retroactive to June 8, when the shoulder inflammation he first
experienced after his June 7 start didn’t adequately subside.

Chris R. Young, Padres

Condition: Landing on the DL because of an inflamed right
shoulder might be a blessing in disguise for Young. The hope is that time away
will put him back on track, or at least bring down his unusually ineffective
5.21 ERA.

John Maine, Mets

Condition: On the DL since June 12 with shoulder
weakness, Maine is expected to rejoin the Mets rotation next week.

Starter stopgaps

Ricky Romero: I mentioned Romero as an attractive pickup
before Tuesday’s impressive outing in which he fanned nine Phillies in seven
innings of three-run ball. Now, you’ll have to pounce before someone realizes
the last-place Nationals are his next opponent this weekend.

Joe Blanton: Also among this week’s spot-starters,
Blanton heads into Thursday’s scheduled start against the Blue Jays sporting a
3-0 record, a 3.09 ERA and a 32/7 K/BB ratio in his last five starts.
Don’t be scared off by his season totals.

Jeff Niemann: The stuff has always been there, and we’ve
seen glimmers of dominance over the past few weeks, including a complete-game
shutout of the Royals.

Jose Contreras: Why not gamble? His fastball velocity is
reportedly back where it was a few years ago, and the fact that he’s coming off
back-to-back eight-inning gems offers hope that this isn’t the same guy who
rang up an 8.19 ERA through his first five starts in ’09. Stranger things have
happened.

Brad Bergeson: Granted, he’ll leave you yearning for more
strikeouts, and the wrong matchup could send his ERA soaring, but Bergeson’s
sinker is effective enough to provide value in deep mixed-league play. The
unheralded Oriole has induced more than twice as many grounders as flies,
bringing to mind an American League version of Aaron Cook.

Alternatives: Dallas Braden, Randy Wells,
Trevor Cahill, Luke Hochevar, Nick Blackburn

Brad Lidge

Condition: On the 15-day DL with a knee injury, he’s already
pitching bullpen sessions and might begin a rehab assignment this weekend (June
20-21).

Frank Francisco

Condition: Sidelined since June 4, Francisco pitched a
bullpen session Tuesday and expects to return from the 15-day DL in the next
two weeks.

Reliever stopgaps

J.P. Howell, Rays: If you missed out on dash to grab Ryan
Madson, Jason Frasor or C.J. Wilson, take a flier on Howell. Like Downs or Brian Fuentes,
this is a left-hander who has shown the ability to shut down right-handed
batters. And with no set timetable for Troy Percival‘s return, maybe the Rays
will go ahead and hand the closer reins over to their best reliever.

Alternatives: Mike MacDougal, Joe Beimel

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— Alex Cushing, MLB.com

June 14, 2009

On second thought …

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The Angels optioned Howard Kendrick
to Triple-A on Saturday, one day after Maicer Izturis went 4-for-4 starting at
second base in his place. The real story had less to do with Kendrick’s falling
star than the guy who was summoned from Triple-A Salt Lake in his place: Sean
Rodriguez, who batted .273 and led the Pacific Coast League with 21 homers and
60 RBIs, major power production from a thin position. Izturis will likely see
the majority of starts at second base for now, but a few big games from
Rodriguez could force manager Mike Scioscia to reconsider, which could leave
owners ruing the day they didn’t scoop up the 24-year-old when the opportunity
first presented itself.

And hey, if Rodriguez doesn’t work
out, there’s always Brandon Wood, who has nothing left to prove at Salt Lake,
having hit .294 with 14 homers, 35 RBIs and a .600 slugging percentage in 170
at-bats.

Trainer’s
room

The good news is that no structural
damage was found in Roy Halladay‘s groin Saturday. The bad news is he’ll miss
at least one start after leaving Friday’s outing after just three innings.

No good news to report for Jake
Peavy, except maybe that he won’t have to worry about getting traded until
winter, unless he rushes back from his strained ankle just to prove he’s
healthy before the July 31 Trade Deadline.

Grady Sizemore finds out Monday whether
his elbow needs surgery or more treatment, the difference between two months or
another two weeks.

Jose Valverde returned to action on
Saturday, retiring one Diamondbacks hitter before giving way to LaTroy Hawkins
for his ninth save.

Also returning to the mound Saturday
was Rich Harden, who was sharp against the Twins, fanning nine and yielding two
runs in six frames.

Frank Francisco, out of commission
since June 3, will test his sore shoulder on Sunday before determining whether
another trip to the DL is due.

Upswing

Jose Contreras made his second start
Saturday since being recalled from Triple-A Charlotte, and it looked just like
the first — only instead of pitching eight scoreless innings of one-hit,
three-strikeout ball, he hurled eight scoreless innings of two-hit, eight
strikeout ball in Milwaukee. With his fastball velocity reportedly back where
it was two years ago, he might be worth a second look in deeper leagues.

Another right-hander lasting longer
into starts is Ubaldo Jimenez, who threw his first complete game of the season
Friday against Seattle, on the heels of an eight-inning, nine-strikeout showing
in St. Louis.

Even the erratic Luke Hochevar
joined the party, tossing his first career complete game against the Reds on
Friday, which should buy him several more chances to stick in the Royals
rotation.

Hochevar’s teammate, Alberto
Callaspo, is growing more and more secure as the club’s second baseman, ringing
up a .462 average during his seven-game hit streak, including two homers in his
last four games. There are worse ways to fill your middle-infield spot.

The Royals’ longest active hit
streak belongs to Billy Butler, who’s on an 11-game ride with a .359 clip over
that span. Slowly but surely, the former top prospect is coming into his own.

It’s safe to say Jason Kubel has
come into his own, with homers in four of his last five games as the Twins
cleanup hitter.

Downswing

You have to feel for Twins rookie
Anthony Swarzak, who was optioned to Triple-A Rochester after shutting down the
Cubs for seven innings at Wrigley Field on Saturday.

Saturday was the last straw for
Manny Parra, whose demotion to Triple-A Nashville came after the lefty was
hammered for six runs in 1 2/3 against the White Sox as his ERA ballooned to
7.52.

Reds fans can’t help but see a
little Corey Patterson in Willy Taveras, who’s hitless in his last 32 at-bats.

-Alex
Cushing,MLB.com