Estes On DL, Medders Recalled

[KingLouieLouie]

http://arizona.diamondbacks.mlb.com...t_id=1119913&vkey=news_ari&fext=.jsp&c_id=ari

Notes: Estes heads to disabled list
Club recalls Medders from Tucson to fill roster spot
By Steve Gilbert and Daniel Blank / MLB.com

PHOENIX -- Shawn Estes went hitless in his first 23 at-bats of 2005. He wishes he had pushed that string to 24.

Estes tripled in the third inning on Tuesday against St. Louis. While running the bases, the left-hander aggravated an injury in the naivicular bone of his left foot. A CT scan was taken on Wednesday to determine whether there is a stress fracture or a stress reaction in the bone.

Estes, who is 6-7 with a 4.56 ERA this season, was placed on the disabled list on Thursday, and will miss two to six weeks based on the results of the scan.

"I was pretty fired up getting a hit, in hindsight I wish I didn't get it, it might've made it a lot worse," said Estes, who gave up three runs to the Cardinals an inning after the triple. "What can you do? It's very disappointing. Like I said, it's a helpless feeling, it's one of those things where you have to wait it out. You can't really accelerate it at all, you can't accelerate the process."

Estes will miss more time, and might require surgery, if the tests reveal a fracture. Either way, the only way to rehab will be to rest and walk around in a protective boot.

Estes said his foot felt sore before his June 30 outing against San Francisco but he didn't think there were any major problems. He only knew something more serious was developing after he was unable to perform his normal running routine before the St. Louis start.

"I could tell the other night, before I went out to pitch that I could pitch, I just couldn't run," Estes said. "And then when I was forced to run and adrenaline kicked in, I was able to get to third. I got to third and then, all of a sudden, it was pretty apparent that something was wrong. I tried to pitch the rest of the game with it, felt OK pitch to pitch, but then there were a couple pitches where it really grabbed me. I actually buckled a couple times. I was just trying to get through it the other night because I knew something was going to happen afterward. I knew something negative was going to happen after the game. This wasn't something that was going to heal over night."

Lefty Michael Gosling will take Estes' place in the rotation on Sunday against Cincinnati. Gosling will be just the seventh starter Arizona has used this year. Claudio Vargas is filling in for Russ Ortiz, who is out with a stress fracture in his right rib cage.

"Everybody goes through injuries. We just have to get through it," manager Bob Melvin said.

Melvin would not commit to keeping Gosling in the rotation after Sunday, saying the club would evaluate the situation after that.

Right back: Reliever Brandon Medders was recalled from Triple-A Tucson to take Estes' place on the roster.

Medders spent two weeks with the Diamondbacks, recalled from Tucson on June 18 when Ortiz was placed on the DL. The right-hander pitched well during the stint, but with the bullpen depleted, Melvin felt the club needed more of a long reliever so Gosling was called up.

"He's got good stuff, and now he has gotten his feet wet," Melvin said of Medders. "It was a move that we had to make because we needed innings at the time. It's nothing he really did to get demoted."

"He made it clear that he was happy about how I pitched up here," Medders said of Melvin.

It's unfortunate that Estes' injury detracts away from any potential redeemable trade value that he might have had (if a contending team was in a dire need of veteran savvy starter.. that is if the Dbacks obviously were in the selling-mode themselves).....

I'm glad Gosling will get an extensive look in the rotation..Just hope he can capitalize and finally prove his worth.....

Also.. this makes Melvin and co's decision a lot easier regarding Vargas keeping his spot in the rotation whenever Ortiz is reactivated.....

 

[AZZenny]

LOL- the loss of trade value was one of my first thoughts, too - along with - 'Well now at least we won't imagine ourselves to be buyers!'

I am, btw, consciously and deliberately NOT reversing my previous exceedingly negative comments about Vargas, and I will also not reverse my naysaying about Gosling, who I really doubt will prove me wrong....

 

[Lefty]

LOL- the loss of trade value was one of my first thoughts, too - along with - 'Well now at least we won't imagine ourselves to be buyers!'

I am, btw, consciously and deliberately NOT reversing my previous exceedingly negative comments about Vargas, and I will also not reverse my naysaying about Gosling, who I really doubt will prove me wrong....

Who don't you talk negative about?

 

[AZZenny]

LOL - perhaps it's a matter of degree. Most guys I am critical of some aspects of play or criticize during certain disappointing spells, because I think they can do better, but overall like quite a bit - Counsell, Tracy, Glaus, Snyder, Webb, Valverde, Cormier, Vazquez, Gonzo, Clark, Lyons.

Some I admit - I just trash, usually because they seem to represent an especially stupid FO decision, or because they have some particular bad habits that drive me nuts.

Of course when I defend guys I like but who are struggling, you come down on me for favoritism (Koppy, Snyder, Glaus) - so whatever.

Any relief pitcher is automatically suspect, of course. Vargas may be a perfect example of the common error we see - putting a starter into a reliever's slot. For some guys that's just not an adjustment they can make. Maybe Gosling will be another example. That'd be really nice. I have nothing at all against him except he is consistently inconsistent at every level so far. He needs either a bit more control, or a bit more power.

 

[BC867]

Vargas may be a perfect example of the common error we see - putting a starter into a reliever's slot. For some guys that's just not an adjustment they can make.

Yes, yes, yes. Ya' bring home a cat, don't expect him to be a dog.

Ya' train a pitcher to be a starter, then promote him, don't judge his performance as a reliever.

The Major League level is not the place to test a transition. Rehab assignments are from the Majors to the Minors to reestablish skills, strengths, timing, etc. Not vice versa.

I am amazed at how many Major League managers disregard that obvious concept.