Archive - Jun 12, 2008

There apparently was a change in the itinerary for the Boise Hawks, as the roster will not be announced until after today's workout, and the team will not leave for Idaho until after tomorrow's work-out.

Therefore (naturally), there was another intrasquad game today.

In addition, Cubs 1B Daryle Ward, who is on the 15-day DL with a back problem, has finally arrived at Fitch Park.

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I believe this is what our ancestors called a pitching duel. They probably called it that in 1948 as well, which is the year they will be honoring with today's "Turn back the clock" event. Both teams will break out the 1948 uniforms in honor of WGN's 60th anniversary. I hope they had a better logo in 1948 then they do now. To keep in the 1948 spirt, the first two innings will be broadcast in black and white with similar camera angles that they used back then and minimal graphics. I believe the plan is to add more graphics and cameras as the game goes on. Len and Bob will be wearing authentic 1948 garb as well.

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Thanks Transmission, you've said almost everything we need to know about Soriano's ouchie tonight (this link includes video of the injury). So I'll keep it to just a few more questions and answers and a picture.

Yes, it's broken...and yes, it's fractured. Yes, there's only minimal displacement (which means the bone doesn't need to be set or reduced by manipulation or surgery).

What can't he do? It's not his (right) throwing hand so it only afftects his glove hand for catching (which isn't his strong suit anyway) and his gripping of the bat (which is his strong suit).

Metacarpal fractures (that don't need surgery to realign the bone) heal by forming callus, which is new bone that the cells create from tissue that lines the normal bone called the periosteum. When a fracture occurs, the cells in the periosteum eventually produce new bone formation surrounding the fracture site that is called fracture callous. The earliest signs of fracture callous show up on an X-Ray at 2-3 weeks but the callous isn't solid until around 4-6 weeks. When the fracture callous is well formed, the bone at the fracture site is usually stable although the bone will continue to remodel for months.

The pain should subside in a week or two but until some callous is seen on his X-Ray and at the same time his docs find no tenderness at the fracture site, I doubt they will let him swing a bat. So 4 weeks to recovery is possible and 6 weeks is generously realistic. Fortunately the 5th week is the All-Star break, so I do believe there is a good chance he's back by July 18th in Houston (right after the ASB), unless he needs a rehab stint. I also wonder if he will have any lingering effects to his power and how long will it take to get the rust off his swing?

So to answer that I found a decent comparison. Chase Utley was hit by a pitch which fractured his right 4th metacarpal (which is his throwing hand) last July 26th. This mlb.com article predicted 4-6 weeks on the DL and even hinted at season ending possibilities. Utley did a 3 day rehab stint in the minors and returned to the Phils lineup on August 27th, virtually a month after his injury. His return included a 3-5 game with a HR and a double.

So are we broken? That's the question for our TCR readers to sort out.

I'll leave everone with a picture and no, it's not Soriano's but it's definitely a broken 4th metacarpal.