Some pitchers already being thrown for loss
TEMPE, ARIZ. — Two days into spring training, and the injuries, though minor, are beginning to mount.
Pitcher Kelvim Escobar was held out of fielding drills Thursday because of patella tendinitis in his left knee, a condition that hampered the right-hander throughout 2006 and showed no signs of subsiding this winter. And closer Francisco Rodriguez did not participate in fielding drills because of a tight hamstring.
Of bigger concern is the tightness in Jered Weaver’s throwing shoulder, which the right-hander said will prevent him from throwing from a mound for “a couple of weeks,” and could pose problems for the rest of his career.
“The way I throw, it’s going to be an issue -- I’ve had it since high school,” Weaver, 24, said of the biceps tendinitis that forced him to skip a start last July. “It sticks around for a long time, and it’s a matter of knocking it out. With my long mechanics and different arm slot, I put a little more stress on my shoulder.”
An increase in workload from 76 innings in 2005 to 200 innings in 2006 forced Weaver to cut back on his winter throwing program, which has set him back this spring. An MRI test in January revealed nothing more than tendinitis.
At this point in his career, it would be almost impossible to overhaul Weaver’s mechanics, “but we can make some subtle changes,” Manager Mike Scioscia said. “He has a pronounced turn toward the plate, and the deception in his delivery could put a strain on his shoulder or elbow.
“It’s something he’s lived with for a long time, and something he’ll have to battle to keep his strength where it needs to be so he can pitch with those mechanics.”
Weaver, who went 11-2 with a 2.56 earned-run average as a rookie last season, is long-tossing at 120 feet and will need to be stretched out to 160 to 180 feet before throwing from a mound. He won’t be ready to pitch when the exhibition season begins March 1 but should be ready for the regular season.
“If it takes two weeks [to get on a mound] it takes two weeks,” Scioscia said. “I don’t think it’s to a point where he will miss any appreciable amount of time.”
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Escobar’s condition is more a nuisance than a concern. Though the knee on his landing leg bothered him all last season, it forced him out of only one start early, a Sept. 14 game at Texas in which he left after giving up one run in four innings.
“I took a long break after the season, but for some reason it doesn’t go away,” said Escobar, who went 11-14 with a 3.61 ERA in 30 starts in 2006. “I get treatment, I do exercises to try to make it better, but it’s always there.”
Escobar, who will be examined by team physician Lewis Yocum in the next few days, has all but eliminated running from his conditioning regimen, replacing it with swimming and exercise-bike work.
He has to cut back drastically on his fielding practice, a potential problem because he is not a Gold Glove candidate to begin with.
“The good thing is I can throw -- the only time it bothers me is when I’m running,” said Escobar, who threw from a mound Wednesday. “If it was something that could be cleaned up with surgery, I’d do it, because I love to run, and it takes away a lot of things I like to do in spring training. I hope it gets better. I don’t want to be dealing with this all year. It’s a pain.”
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