Kerry's Frayed Labrum

[Knightlife_in_Lubbock]

Oh, yeah. And anyone who thinks arthroscopic surgery is painless is crazy.

 

I had arthroscopic surgery and I thought it was pretty painless. I only took pain meds for 2 days. Not that I'd want to have surgery again, but I didn't think it was painful. The worst part was waking up from the anesthesia and having dry mouth.

 

Disclaimer: My surgery was not on my shoulder...that could be totally different than my knee surgery pain-wise.

 

No, just say it: JC is a wimp! :wink:

[Knightlife_in_Lubbock]

wood should be shut down and undergo surgery immediately. this will increase his chances of being in tip-top shape next year. we've come this far without a major contribution from him so let's give hill the ball and see what happens.

 

I agree. We've thrown all that money at him. Let's get him ready to earn it next year.

[ZZ Thorn]

Seems like we're all avoiding the big question:

 

Can we do win it all this year without Kerry?

 

Can we make it to the playoffs without him?

[LoneStarCubFan]

Seems like we're all avoiding the big question:

 

Can we do win it all this year without Kerry?

 

Can we make it to the playoffs without him?

 

They've stayed in the hunt without him.

 

Mitre, Rusch and Hill can fill in well enough.

[Peoriaman]

wood should be shut down and undergo surgery immediately. this will increase his chances of being in tip-top shape next year. we've come this far without a major contribution from him so let's give hill the ball and see what happens.

 

 

Thanks doctor

[UK1679666180]

Kerry is going to be back and forth as far as injuries, start once after a cortisone shot, throw as hard as he has in several years, next start suffer from inflammation, repeat process. If there's structual damage (fraying), why not let a pitcher get in the mode of being the #5 starter on the team.

 

I'd opt for surgery as well, if it was my choice.

[Rusch33]

According to Rotoworld:

 

According to ESPNews, Kerry Wood (shoulder) has been placed on the 15-day disabled list by the Cubs.

Wood was scheduled to throw this afternoon. His session must not have went as well as hoped. Jul. 25 - 5:52 pm et

[seattlecub]

per ap, when wood returns from the dl, he will be in the bullpen to reduce the wear on his shoulder, both in a rehab assignment in the minors and with the cubs.

 

sc

[hawkeyecub]

I wonder if they plan to use him as a set-up man or if they will pressured to have him close becuase of his contract and comparisons to Smoltz.

 

If you add Wood and Williamson to our pen as set-up men, suddenly it could become a strength.

[Proven Veteran]

Will Carroll commented on wood today:

 

"... we now know that Kerry Wood is dealing with more than a simple muscle strain or even a more serious tear. The dreaded word has been spoken: "labrum." It appears that Wood has a frayed labrum, the least serious of all labrum injuries. It's unclear whether Wood will need off-season surgery, but even that would be more along the lines of what Matt Morris went through than something like Chris Carpenter....Once again, Wood will need to focus on mechanics or the Cubs will have to take the idea of Wood as closer a bit more seriously. In the short term, the cortisone injection is working its way through the joint space and the results thus far have been neutral. Wood will miss his next start, replaced by curveballer Rich Hill in a showcase outing, and a DL decision will be made later this week..."

[Cubzfan64]

It remains to be seen how Kerry's arm will react both to the 15 days of rest as well as to pitching in relief (short stints but more often than every 5 days).

 

I look for him to have surgery for sure in the offseason and I hope he does it after the last game - whether that be regular season or a WS win :-) (or in his case perhaps a save :-P).

 

Because of his mechanics and past wear on his shoulder maybe it isn't such a stupid idea to get him into the mindset of becoming a closer - I have no idea how hard it is physically as compared with starting every 5th day, but it might be worth considering.

 

I wish him the best - I hate seeing that potential damaged though :-(

[E.J.]

I wonder if they plan to use him as a set-up man or if they will pressured to have him close becuase of his contract and comparisons to Smoltz.

 

If you add Wood and Williamson to our pen as set-up men, suddenly it could become a strength.

 

If he can pitch anywhere near his normal our bullpen could be really good. Could you imagine a bullpen that has Woody, Williamson, and Dempster in the 7th, 8th, and 9th. Who would be the closer in that bunch? Tough call.

[ZZ Thorn]

I think you gotta stick with Demp. He's been lights out, and Wood doesn't have the 'bounce-back' mentality like Demp does. Getting the ball to Demp with the lead is just as important as closing it out in the final analysis.

 

I hope people who call Wood "soft" will notice that he's gonna pitch thru pain for the remainder of the season, is moving to the pen to help the team, and isn't taking the surgery option.

[Wheelimus]

Dempster would be closer, a closer needs to be able to go back to back days easily, and I hope we can all agree Wood should NOT be doing that.

 

Dempster closer, let Williamson and Wood alternate setting the table for him. Minimal work (and risk for more injury) to both oft-injured players.

[barryfoote]

I think shutting him down for the year is the way to go. One question is whether a hurt Kerry Wood would be more effective than a healthy Hill, Mitre or Rusch. I'm not sure that he would be that much more effective that it is worth taking the risk of further damage.

 

I also think that whether a starter or a reliever, Kerry will still need to work on his mechanics to relieve further stress on the arm and perhaps get a little more control over the location of his pitches. The earlier he has surgery the more time he will have to work through those adjustments.

 

I wouldn't want to give up on him being a starter just yet. I do have concerns about his control in bullpen situations. Of course, I had the same concerns about Dempster so take it for what it is worth.

[ZZ Thorn]

But the pain for Kerry seems to come after 60-70 pitches - he won't get half that in a relief appearance.

[minnesotacubsfan]

all I can say is Chad Fox.

 

If Wood is in the pen, and is having shoulder problems, I dont care what the doctors say, the last person I would trust his shoulder and career to would be Dusty.

 

shut him down and get him scoped.

[UK1679666180]

all I can say is Chad Fox.

 

If Wood is in the pen, and is having shoulder problems, I dont care what the doctors say, the last person I would trust his shoulder and career to would be Dusty.

 

shut him down and get him scoped.

 

Plus, there is structural damage, it isn't going to improve no matter how well they monitor his usage in the pen. The goal should be to improve an injury and not try to sneak by without further damage.

[Brendan]

i'm so sick of waiting 'till next year.

[CubfaninCA]

Shut him down. He's unreliable and a distraction. Maybe he'll be ready to go by opening day next year. Quite frankly I could care less at this point, as I continue to read that his mechanics are part of the cause for continual injuries. He may never get it. What a waste of talent.

[CubfaninCA]

Shut him down. He's unreliable and a distraction. Maybe he'll be ready to go by opening day next year. Quite frankly I could care less at this point, as I continue to read that his mechanics are part of the cause for continual injuries. He may never get it. What a waste of talent.

[MPrior]

Couple things:

 

I HATE the idea of Wood in the bullpen. Here's why: it seems like every single game he pitches, he sucks terribly in the first inning, and then settles down and shuts down the opposition. I'm not sure where to get stats about inning-per-inning ERA or anything (if anyone does know, I'd like to see 'em), but I'm sure it's pretty compelling. And in the bullpen, you really only get one inning.

 

Secondly: let's say that it's not Wood's mechanics that are necessarily the problem. He didn't have huge injury problems until last year. It's totally possible that he's had this frayed labrum the whole time, and it's just taken a while to spot it - all the articles, even the most recent ones, say that MRIs reported no structural damage. It seems like it would be pretty easy to miss. So if he's going out there and pitching through pain every time, of course his shoulder's gonna hurt every few starts. I really like his chances of coming back after surgery and returning to old form.

[EricG]

Couple things:

 

I'm not sure where to get stats about inning-per-inning ERA or anything (if anyone does know, I'd like to see 'em), but I'm sure it's pretty compelling. And in the bullpen, you really only get one inning.

1st inning splits

[DivineBovine]

Couple things:

 

I HATE the idea of Wood in the bullpen. Here's why: it seems like every single game he pitches, he sucks terribly in the first inning, and then settles down and shuts down the opposition. I'm not sure where to get stats about inning-per-inning ERA or anything (if anyone does know, I'd like to see 'em), but I'm sure it's pretty compelling. And in the bullpen, you really only get one inning.

 

Secondly: let's say that it's not Wood's mechanics that are necessarily the problem. He didn't have huge injury problems until last year. It's totally possible that he's had this frayed labrum the whole time, and it's just taken a while to spot it - all the articles, even the most recent ones, say that MRIs reported no structural damage. It seems like it would be pretty easy to miss. So if he's going out there and pitching through pain every time, of course his shoulder's gonna hurt every few starts. I really like his chances of coming back after surgery and returning to old form.

 

 

I don't buy the argument that KW needs time to settle down. I'm not sure if the numbers bear it out, but it seems as if he is pretty good in the first inning. However, I don't think its an indication of how he'll pitch as a reliever. Plenty of guys with plenty more faults than KW as starters have become great relievers.

 

KW has lights out closer stuff. He can dominate hitters, blow them away. If he were able to do it in short burst rather than have to do it the whole game, it would only help him. He'd save a ton of innings and wear on his arm this year.

 

That said, I hate the idea of putting him in as a reliever permanently. He's too expensive, and is too good a starter. Just get him surgery in the offseason, let him sit out part of the next season if needed, and let him start again.

[Outshined_One]

Anyone else think this might be posturing by JH so that teams don't try to ream him in attempting to acquire a SP or a reliever?