Back injuries are tricky. It’s quite possible that Johnny Estrada is done for the season. It’s been more than a month since the collision and his back is only getting worse. Rest, therapy, and analgesics are pretty much all you can do; for now, Brian McCann is the starter, and the odds are that if the Braves make the playoffs he’ll catch not only the opener (with Smoltz on the mound) but all the games.
As you probably know, Brayan Pena was called up to back up McCann. Pena’s defensive problems were pretty evident, but I think he’ll eventually hit.
Estrada has Eddie George disease. He is affriad to take a hit, thus he is done.
According to AJC, Estrada got a cortisone injection and it didn’t do a thing. Isn’t the first shot usually supposed to be effective for over a month? If it’s not working at all, this must be pretty serious. I don’t know how much of a loss he really is to the team, except in terms of rapidly dying trade value, since McCann seems adequate and can do at least as well, but Estrada should get an MRI (or another one, as the case may be). That was an ugly hit and he could have something really wrong with his back.
I’m not excited about Brayan Pena. I’ll just hope McCann doesn’t get hurt.
I wonder if Estrada has some sort of hernia.
Is that the “turn your head and cough” disease? Ick.
Wondered why Pena was in the dugout…
A little off topic but was anybody else surprised that Ramirez was sent to the pen rather than Sosa?
Mac, Will Carrol wrote something in today’s UTK about Johnny.
Also, I thought Eddie George’s disease was to run for three yards and fall down.
Also, I thought Eddie George’s disease was to run for three yards and fall down.
That’s hilarious and I think you’re right, btw.
Eddie George’s disease is to carry the football 340 times a year until your legs are shot, then 400 times in your fifth year, then try to keep going. Jeez, you do that and see what shape you’re in at 30.
No, no, no! Eddie George disease is when you take a violent shot (like Eddie did from Ray Lewis) and are never the same again. After Eddie took that wicked shot in the playoffs against the Ravens, he was never the same. Lewis would call Eddie out about it too after that hit. Eddie became soft and would fall down after first contact from that point on. The Titans would play the Ravens and Eddie would get super soft. I remember seeing Eddie carry the ball, see Ray Lewis and all of the sudden “trip.”
If we played the Angels again and Erstad came up to bat, Estrada would run to the mound to talk to the pitcher and some how trip going back to the plate and hurt his knee.
Off-topic: Why wasn’t Reitsma ever made a starter. Colon started, Sosa is starting, they called up Davies, but Reitsma was never moved to the rotation. He used to be a starter. What happened?
Rob,
That is a very easy question. Reitsma prefers to blow games when they count in the ninth rather than the first. Makes for better dramatics. Stu where you at??
I don’t know the specifics that went into it, but I think that they decided Reitsma was never going to be a starter back when they traded for him… sorta like with Remlinger, who hung in the bullpen despite holes in the rotation here and there. I suspect that they always really thought of Sosa as a starter (or, well, a prospective starter)… at least that’s the only way I can figure the earlier usage patterns. This seems to be the thing with Cox – you’re a start and you start, or you’re a reliever and you relieve. The only guy in recent memory that he seemed content to do either/or is Terry Mullholand (although I’m sure I’ve demostrated more than once that my memory isn’t very reliable). Obviously, circumstances sometimes change (see: Ramirez, Horacio) but it seems to be this way more often than not.