CINCINNATI — Dick Pole is not a fan of the World Baseball Classic because he believes it leads to exactly what happened to pitcher Edinson Volquez — elbow injury and Tommy John surgery.
Volquez left the Cincinnati Reds spring training camp after a week of light throwing to pitch for the Dominican Republic in the WBC. And while he only pitched three innings, Pole said those three innings are tough on an arm not ready to compete.
“When they had the first World Baseball Classic, I noticed that a lot of guys who participated in that didn't go to this one,” said Pole. “They saw the effects of that one. That's a very, very early time to get ready. You can say what you want, but when you get in a game that means something, you are going to compete as hard as you can compete and it's tough on the arm.
"I read or heard somebody talking about how many guys the WBC affected, guys who wound up on the DL, and it was a lot," Pole said.
And before the WBC, Volquez and Johnny Cueto pitched winter ball in the Dominican Republic, something the Reds cannot control. They can’t forbid them to pitch in winter ball, only ask, and as Manager Dusty Baker says, “There is a lot of pressure on them, not only to compete in their native countries, but to compete at a high level.”
When Volquez and Johnny Cueto left last fall for the Dominican, Pole set up a program for both as far as pitching in winter ball. “I'm friends with Cueto's coach, so I knew I was OK there,” said Pole. But Volquez was a different story.
“Volquez was supposed to throw only 50 pitches in his first game, but he threw 99,” said Pole. “And the only reason I know that is he pitched against Cueto and the other coach told me.”
Pole shook his head and checked a pitch-counter clicker in his hand and said softly, “Losing Volquez when we lost him (the first of June) just put a big hole in our rotation. Here’s a guy we're counting on, a guy who won 17 last year and we’re counting on him to do it again. He’s gone. It’s tough to replace that.
“I just hope he heals up and is able to pitch next year,” Pole added. “I've seen some guys - Steve Karsay, who I had in Cleveland — when he was with Oakland pitched 91 and 92. After he had the Tommy John he was pitching 98, for crying out loud. It seems invariably that anybody who has that surgery comes back throwing better than they did before.”
Third baseman Scott Rolen did not have a headache when he left the park Sunday after getting conked on the batting helmet with a pitch.
But when he showed up at the park Monday he had a headache and was not in the lineup. A check-up revealed no concussion.
“A very lucky man,” said Baker. “I never saw a ball ricochet off a batting helmet that far. It rolled all the way to third base.”
Alex Gonzalez was not in Monday’s lineup, perhaps a bit of punishment for a couple of lackadaisical plays Sunday that led permitted two runs to score.
“He is frustrated,” said Baker, referring to the .191 batting average. “That game (Sunday) was not like him.”
—Outfielder Chris Dickerson, eligible to come off the disabled list August 11, says he will be ready on that date.
“It was an in-between injury that was no serious but just serious to put me on the DL,” he said. “I took some hitting Sunday and some more Monday and it felt good. I can’t way to be back in the lineup.”
—Pitcher Micah Owings, also eligible to come off the DL August 11 (shoulder inflammation), threw his second bullpen session Monday, “Fifty pitches and mixed in everything. I’m fighting not to get too anxious and I’ll do another bullpen Wednesday.”
“I’m working tonight and I’m the pick to click, check me out.” — Paul Janish, when he saw his name in the lineup to play shortstop.
“I’m not sleeping. I went to bed at 9 o’clock Sunday night — ain’t that pathetic? — and woke up thinking it must be 9 a.m., but it was only 1:30.” — Manager
Keep up with high school sports news and get breaking news alerts with our e-mail newsletter.
See Sample | Privacy Policy
2009-08-04 17:10:07.617
2009-08-04 15:01:46.638
Put Karsay's name as probable on the list of 104. Good luck ****, won't be so easy to come back without the pharmacy.
2009-08-04 12:23:28.956