April 01, 2007
Athletics a Mess
Injuries are throwing Oakland into a bit of disarray as the season starts. With Dan Johnson out for half a season and Durazo not hitting, the A's are going with Todd Walker as their starting first baseman. Now, Loaiza comes down with a last minute injury:
In a little more than 36 hours, Loaiza went from being the No. 2 starter in the A's rotation to No. 5, and the disabled list is a possibility. The timing couldn't be worse for the A's, who are required to submit their 25-man Opening Day roster to the league by noon today. They open the 2007 season Monday afternoon in Seattle.
"(Loaiza) spoke to me today and said he still feels tightness and that it could potentially get worse (if he pitched)," Geren said prior to Saturday's game at AT&T Park. "My first guess is he may go on the DL. If he couldn't pitch two days ago, and he can't pitch today, I can't see how he would be ready for a major league game five days from now."
Loaiza's injury is being called a strain of his right trapezius muscle, though the pitcher said it's not the same type of problem that sidelined him last season when he went to the disabled list with a left trapezius strain.
"I've had this before and it usually goes away in two to three days with my usual workout," Loaiza said. "This time it's not going away."
Given that the candidates for the fifth slot in the rotation were pretty awful in spring training, this does not bode well for the A's in April.
The A's probably dont care about any injuries in April. They don't start playing baseball until June, anyways. They will be fine. But I dont see them overtaking the Angels for the division title.