News
Outman shelved for undetermined period
Gonzalez hoping to earn spot in rotation through callup
By Adam Loberstein / MLB.com
06/24/09 9:32 PM ET
OAKLAND -- After left-hander Josh Outman was put on the 15-day disabled list with a sprained left elbow Wednesday, A's manager Bob Geren said it would be impossible to determine how long his 24-year-old starter would be out because a doctor had yet to review the contrast MRI performed earlier in the day.Outman, however, is staying optimistic. He wouldn't say how long he expects to be on the DL, but he insisted he isn't in pain.
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"My elbow actually feels good," he said before the rubber match of a three-game Interleague series against the visiting Giants. "It doesn't hurt with my normal daily routine at all."
Outman was removed from his last start after pitching 1 2/3 innings in San Diego on Friday, and he hasn't thrown a baseball since. He had an initial MRI taken Monday, but an unclear picture caused doctors to perform the second test.
"We're taking a 'nothing's wrong' approach," said Outman, who was wearing a heat wrap around his elbow in the clubhouse, "but we don't want to not do anything just in case."
Outman doesn't have much of an injury history. He said he sprained his ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in high school, and that was the last time he had any arm trouble.
Lefty Gio Gonzalez was recalled to start in Outman's place Wednesday. Geren said that Gonzalez, 23, would have an opportunity to earn a spot in the rotation if he pitches well tonight.
"I'd like him to be a starter," Geren said. "I'd like to see him pitch well, and then pitch again five days from now."
Gonzalez returned to the A's for the third time this year after posting a 7.27 ERA in two relief appearances. He's 4-1 with a 2.51 ERA in 12 starts with Triple-A Sacramento, ranking second in the Pacific Coast League with 71 strikeouts in 61 innings. He hasn't allowed a run in the past 19 1/3 innings.
"He was pitching the best of the guys down there, so he'll get the first opportunity," Geren said. "He showed improvement both times we had him up here, and that's what you want to see."
Outman, meanwhile, is 4-1 with a 3.48 ERA in 14 games (12 starts) with Oakland. He's held opponents to a .212 batting average and ranks second among American League rookies with 53 strikeouts in 67 1/3 innings.
Adam Loberstein is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
