Baseball Guru
03-27-2002, 01:21 AM
By Associated Press
March 26, 2002, 9:21 PM EST
PEORIA, Ariz. -- The San Diego Padres could be without two starters when they face Cy Young winner Randy Johnson and the defending world champion Arizona Diamondbacks on opening day.
Catcher Wiki Gonzalez and right fielder Ryan Klesko both are battling injuries that have left their availability for next week in doubt.
For Klesko, who has a stiff neck and strained ribcage, it probably is a moot point. He is scheduled to start the season serving a five-game suspension for charging the mound when hit by a pitch from Anaheim's Aaron Sele on March 9.
Klesko has appealed the suspension, and his hearing is scheduled for Wednesday.
"I don't know when he'll play, but he's getting better," manager Bruce Bochy said Tuesday.
Klesko hasn't played since March 19. He was hurt trying to make a sliding catch in right field, his new position.
Gonzalez, meanwhile, has been in and out of the lineup because of pain in his throwing elbow. He sustained a strained triceps tendon making a throw March 4, but X-rays showed no damage. After a two-week rest, he returned throwing strongly, but still reported pain.
The team ordered an MRI exam this week, which again showed no structural damage, such as bone chips or a ligament tear.
"We think he's pinching some soft tissue between the bones," trainer Todd Hutcheson said.
Gonzalez hasn't played or thrown in two days and will get Wednesday off. Bochy said he plans to start Gonzalez on Thursday.
"I don't feel any worse; I feel the same," Gonzalez said. "When I throw, I feel the pain. It hasn't gotten better."
Bochy, a former catcher, believes Gonzalez is throwing well. Gonzalez cut down Colorado's speedy leadoff hitter, Juan Pierre, trying to steal second base Sunday.
"I would be stunned if he's not in there on opening day," Bochy said.
If not, there's always insurance. In his first game with the Padres on Monday, catcher Javier Cardona went 3-for-3 with a home run, two runs and four RBIs against Milwaukee. Cardona was acquired from the Tigers in Saturday's four-player trade that sent away Damian Jackson.
March 26, 2002, 9:21 PM EST
PEORIA, Ariz. -- The San Diego Padres could be without two starters when they face Cy Young winner Randy Johnson and the defending world champion Arizona Diamondbacks on opening day.
Catcher Wiki Gonzalez and right fielder Ryan Klesko both are battling injuries that have left their availability for next week in doubt.
For Klesko, who has a stiff neck and strained ribcage, it probably is a moot point. He is scheduled to start the season serving a five-game suspension for charging the mound when hit by a pitch from Anaheim's Aaron Sele on March 9.
Klesko has appealed the suspension, and his hearing is scheduled for Wednesday.
"I don't know when he'll play, but he's getting better," manager Bruce Bochy said Tuesday.
Klesko hasn't played since March 19. He was hurt trying to make a sliding catch in right field, his new position.
Gonzalez, meanwhile, has been in and out of the lineup because of pain in his throwing elbow. He sustained a strained triceps tendon making a throw March 4, but X-rays showed no damage. After a two-week rest, he returned throwing strongly, but still reported pain.
The team ordered an MRI exam this week, which again showed no structural damage, such as bone chips or a ligament tear.
"We think he's pinching some soft tissue between the bones," trainer Todd Hutcheson said.
Gonzalez hasn't played or thrown in two days and will get Wednesday off. Bochy said he plans to start Gonzalez on Thursday.
"I don't feel any worse; I feel the same," Gonzalez said. "When I throw, I feel the pain. It hasn't gotten better."
Bochy, a former catcher, believes Gonzalez is throwing well. Gonzalez cut down Colorado's speedy leadoff hitter, Juan Pierre, trying to steal second base Sunday.
"I would be stunned if he's not in there on opening day," Bochy said.
If not, there's always insurance. In his first game with the Padres on Monday, catcher Javier Cardona went 3-for-3 with a home run, two runs and four RBIs against Milwaukee. Cardona was acquired from the Tigers in Saturday's four-player trade that sent away Damian Jackson.