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June 17, 2008
By STEVEN KRASNER
Journal Sports Writer
PHILADELPHIA -- Bartolo Colon, who had to leave his start Monday night because of a lower back strain, has been placed on the disabled list.
He's being replaced on the roster by Chris Smith, a right-hander called up from Pawtucket. Smith will provide manager Terry Francona with another arm out of the bullpen for three games. It is expected that Smith will be returned to Pawtucket on Saturday, when Daisuke Matsuzaka will be activated from the DL for a start that day at home against St. Louis.
Colon suffered the injury during one of his overly aggressive swings, the force of one of which caused his helmet to fall off. Colon whiffed both times, swinging and missing six pitches, his second at-bat coming with runners at second and third with two outs in the fourth.
The corpulent right-hander pitched the fourth, but Francona said he and pitching coach John Farrell saw a change in his arm angle and didn't want him to risk further injury by going back out for the fifth.
Colon spent time on the DL in 2006 because of rotator cuff issues, and time last year because of elbow woes. He already had been shut down once this year because of an oblique muscle strain.
But the veteran has gone 4-2 for the Sox. So the feeling of Francona and the organization is a better-safe-than-sorry philosophy.
"We're being somewhat cautious not only with him, but all of our pitchers," said Francona. "We want them to be healthy and productive and we think that goes hand in hand. We want to have him all year. We kind of like the way he has been throwing."
Colon's injury, plus the serious foot injury suffered by the Yanks' Chien-Ming Wang, has caused more debate about the fears American League managers have when they participate in interleague play in National League parks where the designated hitter is not used.
"I know anyone can run the bases. (Wang) was just bad luck. You're asking people to do stuff (hitting, running the bases) they're not used to doing. That's difficult," said Francona.
Posted by Steven Krasner 
at 4:39 PM | Permalink
