The saga continues... Wu Tang, Wu Tang...
Injury concerns aside, Justin Duchscherer is a rock. Satisfactory (read: less than overpowering) speed, pinpoint control and good, solid judgment; a decent #1 for a rotation full of youngsters. Injuries, however, are par for the course in his career, and 2009 is no exception. As the A's rumble into week 2 of preseason, Duchscherer is complaining about nagging elbow pain when he throws, and there is a big fat question mark hovering above the head of our anointed ace.
Obviously, management (and fans) would like to know the extent of the injury, and the potential damage it could cause to our momentum-rich Spring. Surgery would mean certain death for Duchscherer's season, if only for the time he would miss. Playing hurt could cut short his career, period. For this reason' I'd like to examine the history and context of Justin Duchscherer's elbow injury, and perhaps offer an amateur blogger's diagnosis.
In his own words, Justin injured the right elbow in his youth, in a car accident. "Maybe chipped a bone". The elbow is not part of the string of injuries that have kept him benched the last few seasons (hip, bicep inflammation) but has definitely surfaced before. The dull pain and "tightness" he is experiencing are are typical for pitchers at this point in the preseason, but for a guy who has felt it the last 4 seasons, this is not a good sign. He's played through it in the past, but this time it seems to be more troubling.
"I was trying to throw through it, trying to pop something loose if there was something in there," Duchscherer said Wednesday. "I don't know what's wrong, I just know my elbow doesn't feel right. The timing stinks, but at least we know there's nothing structural wrong - my ulnar collateral ligament, all that, is all fine."
Pardon me for not feeling reassured. There was obviously enough concern on his end to get a second opinion from Angels team Dr. Lewis Yocum on the MRI he had done Tuesday. Initial physician advise is rest, rest and more rest. That does not bode well for those who would like to see the bugs worked out pre-opening day (those being: me, most A's fans, Billy Beane, Bob Geren, the rest of the A's roster...) But, what can you do?
My advise is to let him have his rest... and once he's rested up, ship him to the bull pen. Beane has spent the last few seasons building out the minor league roster in one main area: pitching. We have 21 year old arms for days, and should not overwork what has proven to be a very fragile pitcher in Justin Duchsherer. He was an all-star out of the bull pen in 2005, and could be quite valuable to Oakland in that role once again. It does seem counterproductive to crowd an already full bullpen with a guy who has proven he can pitch as a starter--especially when we have a shortage of starters. But, consider this: he provides NO value at all on the Injured Reserve list. And he's been on that list every year for the last 4 years.
If it's tendinitis... he can fight through it, pitch reasonably well and not risk grievous permanent damage. If it's a tear (and it's safe to assume it isn't, based on the MRI) he should have the surgery now and try to be back for the second half. If it's nerve damage, this season may be a wrap already--and the A's have wasted $4MM on him for 2009. So, again my assessment: give him his rest. Let him heal, and once he does, ship him to the bull pen and restrict his innings on the mound.
My thought is that he is dealing with scar tissue from an old injury. That could mean a couple things: best case, he plays through the pain and posts numbers similar to last year's first half. Worst case, it's permanent (or near-permanent) damage that will require surgery and limit his productivity to nothing in 2009. All the A's can do is give him sufficient time to heal, and reevaluate once the time comes.
Duchsherer throws 5 pitches: a cutter in the mid-80s (his best pitch), 4-seam fastball at (87-89 mph), 12-6 curve, 2-seam fastball, and a changeup. He owns a 31-24 major league record and has another year on his contract with Oakland.
Friday, March 6, 2009
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