Postgame: Slowey’s wrist acts up unexpectedly
Posted on July 4th, 2009 – 1:24 AMBy La Velle
Last September, Juan Uribe’s line drive struck Twins righthander Kevin Slowey in the right wrist, knocking him out of Game No. 163.
On Friday, Slowey began feeling pain in the same area during his outing against Detroit.
“It’s something the I noticed. I told the trainers and, immediately, they said, `listen,we’re going to get this checked out.’ ” Slowey said. “The plan is to get it checked out on Monday and make a decision.
“It’s the same area as last year, obviously from blunt force trauma. I think they’ll look into where it’s related.’
“More than anything it’s concerning because it’s in my right wrist which is a significant area.”
Slowey said it affected how he gripped the ball and the pain when from dull to sharp.
So the Twins have placed Slowey on the 15-day DL and will call up righthander Anthony Swarzak, who will help out in the bullpen for a couple days before taking Slowey’s spot in the rotation.
BULLPEN WATCH
The Twins will stay with 11 pitchers for now. Columnist Patrick Reusse called up MLB rosters and noted that the Twins are the only team to have an 11-man staff.
Brian Duensing threw 39 pitches on Friday but is probably a no-go for tomorrow since he’s not used to that life.
Bobby Keppel (14 pitches), Matt Guerrier (18 pitches) and Joe Nathan (21) should be good to go.
I would doubt that Jose Mijares (32) would be used. R.A. Dickey? Who knows? He threw 42 pitches but is supposed to be durable.
Detroit had Armando Galarraga warming in the pen at the end of the game. But relievers Freddy Dolsi (64) and Joel Zumaya (53) can’t be expected to be available on Saturday.
SPAN THE MAN
Twins manager Ron Gardenhire has made dizzy jokes to Denard Span ever since he came off the disabled list. Span said he would have occasional dizzy moments as he worked his way back from a vestibular neuritis of the right ear.
But he said Friday was the first day he felt totally fine. It showed has he had his first five-hit game of his career.
“This is the best I felt in a month,” Span said. “Someone predicted that I would hit a home run today (me). I didn’t do that but I had a lot energy and I haven’t had that in over a month, It’s good to come here today and feel like myself.”
Span raised his averaged from .282 to .292 on Friday.
MAUER WATCH
Joe Mauer had eight plate appearnces on Friday, bringing him within four plate appearances of qualifying for the league leaders.
He’ll be seven behind when play starts tomorrow. He’ll need 254.2 plate appearances to qualify and he’ll be at 248. He’ll probably be the designated hitter tomorrow after catching all 16 innings on Friday. That will lead to an interesting decsion by Ron Gardenhire because Delmon Young was 3 for 6 with a homer and double but Jason Kubel should get a shot at Edwin Jackson.
FINALLY
The Twins had allowed more than five runs only three times in the their previous 34 games before Friday.
62 Responses to "Postgame: Slowey’s wrist acts up unexpectedly"
Good Stuff, LEN, hope Slowey is ok, he’ll be a key element going into the second half, especially if the Twins try to move a starter for MI help.
Just one thing, Slowey didn’t pitch in 163, Blackburn, Mijares and Nathan did. (Curse you for making me look at that box score again!)
Dwade, I think LaVelle was just pointing out that Slowey would have started game 163 if that play hadn’t knocked him out.
He hasn’t looked right ever since he hurt himself in the Houston start. While that seems unrelated to this wrist injury, hopefully the DL stint will get him fully healthy and back on track. In the meantime Swarzak can build his trade value and/or keep the pressure on Liriano/Perkins to keep throwing well.
wow i must be getting old; i remember blackburn pitching game 163 last year
RA (Really Awful) Dickey is a bumb…
Send him out of here.
with Mauer needing 4 at bats more than the usual 3 he should qualify after tommorrow am i right in that
“RA (Really Awful) Dickey is a bumb…
Send him out of here.”
One bad night after many good performances.
He had a 2.36 ERA going into last night’s nightmare.
Wait about six hours, and then you can bitch about today’s “bumb…”
@JC Smith, RA Dickey has been one of the most consistent bullpen pitchers we have had. Have you been watching games? Just because he gave up s few hits (his pitch count was near half a game numbers) you can’t blame this game on him.
@travistalks, Mauer needs to make up 4 in addition to having his required 3 AB’s. It’ll be next week I’m guessing (unless he sits a game) until he is there.
sane, good reply to JC Smith’s stupid comment. I have said it before, I will say is again: The only thing more stupid than some of the stupid comments on these blogs are the stupid commentors who make those stupid comments.
I am shocked that the Twins did not make another roster move to add a 12th pitcher to this staff.
with Mauer needing 4 at bats more than the usual 3 he should qualify after tommorrow am i right in that
He needs 4 after last night, but once today’s game starts he’ll need 7. Four left over from yesterday, and 3 for today’s team game.
So then you subtract however many PAs he gets today from 7, and then add 3 when tomorrow’s game starts.
I think that’s right.
I am shocked that the Twins did not make another roster move to add a 12th pitcher to this staff.
Slowey on the DL, Swarzak up. Swarzak is a fresh arm, so if he’s at the Dome today he’ll be available.
Solves the Slowey as an All Star condundrum
If I am not mistaken, yesterday should have been Perkins bullpen session between starts, couple that with Mondays’s day off and I think he should have been good for a couple of innings. Plus wasn’t Baker warmed up and ready to go? Either one would have helped the BP by going into the game after the 3rd and working into the 6th or 7th. Not managing, just saying…
It’s clear Dickey was out of gas before he pitched the last inning. Where is Mr. Gardenhire… we had the heart of the order coming up ready to take the game..but no..Gardy leaves in a worthless reliever who somehow got out of jams the previous two innings.. Put in Baker and we would be 2 out.. I wonder if he would have done the same thing in Sept..one game…that’s all we needed last year and ended playing in Chi….
mdadd: Fair point, only a hindsight point of view as you don’t manage thinking 16 inning game.
Terry: I think that even without the injury, Slowey took himself out of the All Star running with his last two starts.
He had an ERA of around 4.00 at one point, and if he had had a couple of good starts, his ERA would have dropped and made him a good candidate. But I don’t think a guy who now has a 4.87 ERA is ever worth of being an All Star, no matter how many wins he has.
“I am shocked that the Twins did not make another roster move to add a 12th pitcher to this staff.”
That might happen. Isn’t Redmond hurt again? If he gets DLed, they would probably bring up another arm.
Good point about the tough lineup decision that Gardy has today. All of the OF’s with the exception of Gomez swung the bat well yesterday. Even he hit a couple balls hard.
With Mauer likely to DH, you have to sit Gomez today for sure. However, who is the other OF to sit? Kubel rakes RHP, Span was brilliant yesterday, Cuddy swung the bat well, and Delmon had his best game all year at the plate.
Yikes, glad I am not Gardy. If I am Gardy I would put Young in the lineup today to reinforce his efforts from yesterday. He could use some confidence from the staff. Since we are facing a RHP, I guess that would mean Cuddy gets a day off?
I dunno though, not an easy decision.
Aaron: It is one of those situations where Gardy’s in a no-win of sorts.
I would suggest Young/Span/Kubel. Young and Span had big nights, Cuddyer struggled late in the game….
So
Span CF
Harris SS
Mauer DH
Morneau 1B
Kubel RF
Crede 3B
Young LF
Morales C
Punto/Tolbert 2B
I dunno T. I could easily see Mauer getting the day off after those 16 innings behind the plate. Plus, if Morales is to catch, who is the emergency catcher? If this is the case, Kubel at DH, Cuddy in RF, Gomez still on the bench. That’s my guess.
don’t bet on Crede nor Mauer playing today after playing all of last night. Here is my prediction, not wish list:
Span CF
Harris SS
Morneau 1B
Cuddy RF
Kubel DH
Young LF
Morales C
Butcher 3B
The Puntz 2B
Not the best, but we need to consider the big picture after last night’s long game.
who is the emergency catcher?
Redmond. Who would’ve had two full days off by now. Unless he heads to the DL prior to the game.
The Twins need some patient hitters in today’s lineup, which is why I would not go with Gomez AND Young this afternoon. The goal needs to be working counts. Because this game will be lost by who has to go to the pen first.
I suppose Redmond at EC may be feasible. Definitely give Morales a game behind the plate though. I’d also like to save Butch for tomorrow when Mauer is back, if possible.
Like putting Slowey on the DL for 2 weeks is going to fix a problem that started last Sept. with a 5 month offseason to heal??
Prediction: Twins homestand record 3-6 or 4-5. 6 games out when done, behind 1)Tigers and 2)Sox. Final season record: 82-80, 8 games out.
I see you took last night to heart 27. Calm down buddy.
I’m out of town for two weeks, and nothing has changed. They are still a .500 team, Punto still dives into first, they continue to play with “never was” players in the pen, instead of calling up their own young guys…..I just don’t think this team/administration is going anywhere.
they continue to play with “never was” players in the pen, instead of calling up their own young guys…..
So Duensing and Swarzak aren’t their own young guys?
Wow. This is a record. Vultures descending BEFORE the game this time.
T….thank you. OB….thank you. You guys covered for me. 
Yeah………it’s true this isn’t the awesome team we had hoped for.
But coming back from the 7-1 deficit is really something. And there may be some other surprising performances ahead just like Young’s going for HR’s last night.
And the top of the lineup produced.
So all your bitching really is kinda stupid.
T: I was talking about Koeppel (sp?) and his MLB career and minor league numbers, and how they’ve dragged their feet with Slama and Delaney. Clearly I should have been more clear. I can’t figure out how I feel about Duensing, frankly. Swarzak I like (and was ripped for liking him last year).
Not the vulture crap again.
People have opinions. Is it really necessary to call them names for having them?
Sheesh, it’s like the hall monitor in junior high school.
T and OB….As I said earlier on this blog…..”"”I have said it before, I will say is again: The only thing more stupid than some of the stupid comments on these blogs are the stupid commentors who make those stupid comments.”"”
And T, thank you for again bringing up my original description….Vultures.
posted on mlb.com
span
harris
mauer dh
morneau
kubal lf
cuddy
buscher 3b
morales c
punto
I wasn’t aware that saying nothing much had changed was “bitching”. They are what I thought they’d be at the beginning of the year - about a .500 team, that would entertain us with 4-6 really good to great players and a bunch of guys they needed to find out about out. I still think that is what they are. I’m not sure we’ve really found out as much, one way or the other, about Gomez, Span, Casilla, and Young as I’d hoped (as it still isn’t clear to me how good/bad these guys are), but hopefully by the end of the year, they’ll more clearly understand their strengths and weaknesses (and then do something about them).
I listened to that whole game last night on the way home from vacation, I was entertained all the way.
Well Chief, can we call them one-sided bitchers?
The term “vultures” is a symbol of what they are. It’s a convenient short-had term.
Go ahead, Gardy, let’s try it:
CF, Denard Span
SS, Brendan Harris
DH, Joe Mauer
1B, Justin Morneau
2B, Michael Cuddyer
RF, Jason Kubel
3B, Joe Crede
LF, Delmon Young
C, Jose Morales
Assuming ggg’s lineup, I’d prefer Tolbert at 3B and Young instead of Cuddy.
Now, there’s an opinion. But I’m not bitching………or concluding that the Twins are a hopeless mediocre team.
It is too bad that Delmon can’t play back to back games today after his great performance last night. However, Gardy was in a no win situation with the OF situation today.
romer,
Careful, if you state an opinion that differs from the Twins brass you are a hater.
Close Joe, move Kubel in front of Cuddy in order and Buscher at 3B.
Playing for keeps in HS baseball:
ah, nm, misread, ggg already posted.
LINEUPS FROM THE STRIB:
http://64.246.64.33/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=StarTribune&page=mlb/scores/live/lineup.aspx?gameid=25005
Good forecast Doc. The problem with a young team is the year-to-year production will vary in unknowable ways. For instance, there is no way anyone could know (although one could suspect) Casilla would perform this poorly. Things need to shake out with a young squad and if the team is in position once they do, than a move can be made. The Twins are at this point so hopefully they go for the jugular. Lets even up the series lads and force the FO to bring in Sanchez!
Maybe Buscher will be today’s surprise.
Butcher being a surprise will in and of itself be a surprise, romer.
“I’m not sure we’ve really found out as much, one way or the other, about Gomez, Span, Casilla, and Young as I’d hoped (as it still isn’t clear to me how good/bad these guys are)”
hope i don’t regret saying it, but seems like span has earned his way off this list.
Today is the day that the young, upstart Twins will declare independence from the Tigers.
When in the course of human events it becomes necessary for the Tigers to receive a massive beating, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that Francisco “F-Bomb” Liriano take the hill and strike the Tigers’ lineup out.
We hold these truths self evident, that the all teams are created equal, except that the Twins are superior to the hated Tigers, and that the Twins are endowed with certain unalienable rights, that among these are the right for Justin “Bunker Hill” Morneau to hit a towering home run and for Denard “Uncle Sam” Span to continue his barrage of hits, thus improving Twins fans life, liberty and pursuit of happiness.
We, therefore, representatives of Twins Nation of America, do solemnly publish and declare that the Twins are, and of right ought to be, the 2009 AL Central Division champions. And for support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence and the overpowering awesomeness of Joe Nathan, we mutually pledge to watch the Twins destroy the hapless Tigers this afternoon.
I swear I am not on drugs.
Span is doing his share, mm. Gomez and Young getting closer, Casilla is the main head of the list…. Potential??? Yes. Kinetic??? No.
I still think Buscher, Young, and Gomez need playing time to get going.
Buscher’s D keeps that from being a realistic expectation. And likewise Cuddy and Span are too valuable to be removed from the lineup, so Young and Go-Go get platooned.
Maybe that latter problem is solved as they both are hitting better. Maybe it was just a process that took some time.
So, maybe the winged gloomsters are wrong.
I hope………
Great one Icon, on this marvelous Holiday. Thanks for the insight, and the thought that you provoked within us fantastic Twins Nation Citizens.
Nice, Morales is in today! Guess La Velle isn’t doing lineups today.
Thanks. Anytime I can combine sports and American history, two of my greatest interests, I am a happy man.
LEN needs a day off once in awhile too, Phx….. the lineups are posted for both teams on an earlier post from me at 2:31 p.m.
Icon, remember moderation 10,11,12….
Mauer’s not playing the day after he caught 16 innings?
What a wimp!
Hey I agree, LEN has been great
LEN, new post with lineups….and a story.
Mauer is playing, Icon… DH, and we need his AB’s.
Thanks for your sacred strategic statement, Iconoclast!
Get Kubel’s bat in the game as the right fielder, Span in center, Young in left. What’s the problem?
