Inside pitch
It has been a painful season for the Rockies, and not just because they have fallen to the bottom of the National League West after winning the first NL pennant in franchise history last year.
Wednesday, left-handed starting pitcher Jeff Francis was placed on the disabled list because of left shoulder inflammation. Friday, first baseman Todd Helton went on the disabled list because of lower back inflammation. Earlier this season, second baseman Clint Barmes (sprained right knee), shortstop Troy Tulowitzki (torn tendon, left quad), left fielder Matt Holliday (strained left hamstring) and right fielder Brad Hawpe (sprained right hamstring) were all on the disabled list at the same time. Tulowitzki just returned there.
Helton tried to play through the lower back inflammation for nearly three weeks. Finally, he gave in. Joe Koshansky, who is leading the Triple-A Pacific Coast League with 78 RBI, was called up from Colorado Springs and will combine with Jeff Baker to fill the first base void.
Helton will see if several days of complete rest will calm down the flare-up of problem that he has battled for at least five years. His situation will be re-evaluated next week, but the hope is he can return to the roster at the end of the All-Star break.
Helton has been battling an injury since the Rockies’ trip to Chicago to play the White Sox three weeks ago, but he initially tried to play through it in part because Colorado was facing the loss of catcher Yorvit Torrealba to a two-game suspension and already had Holliday, Tulowitzki and Barmes on the disabled list.
Helton finally had two full days to rest the back--the Rockies were off June 26 and he sat out a game in Detroit the next day--but after a big swing of the bat Wednesday, Helton had to come out of that game early, didn't play Thursday, and according to (Rockies trainer Keith) Dugger when he showed up Friday he “felt a little worse. That made our decision easier.”
Helton suffered through a slump that coincided with the time frame of the injury. Hitting .297 when the Rockies arrived in Chicago on June 13, he had gone 8-for-56 since, and his average fell to .268.
“This (move) gives him a chance to heal rather than try and push his way through it, which I don’t think he was capable of doing,” said manager Clint Hurdle.
Notes and quotes
--Lefty Mark Redman, 34, didn’t balk when the Rockies sent him to Triple-A Colorado Springs earlier this season. He didn’t squawk when Glendon Rusch was called up a month later, nor did he say anything when Jorge De La Rosa got a second chance in the rotation. Redman just kept pitching, working to get better. And he did. The reward came when he was called up this week and pitched six strong innings Thursday.
“He was confident he would be back,” Hurdle said. “I think he cares for the organization, and I think he trusted us when we told him if the opportunity presented itself he could be back here. He stuck with it because he believed in his talent.”
--Florida has shown initial interest in Torrealba and Colorado outfielders Willie Taveras and Scott Podsednik. With the emergence of Chris Iannetta this year, the Rockies would listen to offers for Torrealba, who is signed through next year. With Taveras, Podsednik and Ryan Spilborghs at the big-league level and Cory Sullivan at Colorado Springs, the Rockies have a center field surplus.
--St. Louis, meanwhile, is asking around about righty reliever Matt Herges to provide a veteran influence in the Cardinals bullpen.