Mulder set-back

by tdawg on May 7, 2008 3:09 PM EDT

from the Strauss chat this afternoon:

Mulder is being shut down for 7-10 days because of what has been diagnosed as a "mild strain" of the rotator cuff. This is the same cuff twice surgically repaired the last two years. The club has recalled Mulder from his rehab assignment and will leave him on the disabled list. The club believes Mulder may return to a fresh rehab within 2-3 weeks, but at this point that may be optimistic. An additional shoulder strain (slight tear) is not for a pitcher who has had portions of the cuff shaved twice. Mulder's earliest ETA in St. Louis now appears to be late June. This can not be considered positive news.

0 recs | Comment 30 comments | Add your comment

Story-email Email | Print |

Comments

Time to pull the plug?

Hate to say it, but at this point I don’t think the Cards should be counting on Mulder to come back at all this season and they should just cut their losses now and maybe look for another alternative if need be. Sadly I am getting the same feeling about Clement as well. I guess they were both worth a gamble at the time, but at least with Mulder, it was a bad one. Time to move on…...

by KYCards on May 7, 2008 3:14 PM EDT reply reply 0 recs

Eh

I wasn’t expecting much when they signed him, and I think he’s pretty close to being done. Even if he does return healthy I can’t see how he’s much better than our 6-7 best starters.

by JI on May 7, 2008 3:30 PM EDT reply reply 0 recs

Patience...

...is a lot easier to come by with the Birds in 1st place, and the current rotation pitching as well as they have. If Mulder or Clement pitch at all in 2008, I’ll be surprised.

Can this rotation sustain its’ performance through an entire season? Nobody knows (except maybe The Shadow), but I think this club will battle their collective behinds off all year long. I think Don Tony likes this group; they play hard, and one can win a bunch of games on that alone!

I’m of the opinion that Carpenter will be the first and maybe only DL starter to appear in a Cards’ boxscore this year. Hope I’m wrong…

"In this game, don't nobody know nuthin' about nuthin'." -- attributed to Lawrence Peter "Yogi" Berra

by The Ol Goaler on May 7, 2008 3:39 PM EDT reply reply 0 recs

I think it's a lot like last year

this rotation is like a handful of marbles placed on a paper towel being held under a dripping faucet. We can only hope for Carp’s speedy (and effective) return.

by JI on May 7, 2008 3:56 PM EDT up reply reply 0 recs

I disagree

Last year we had no Ace until the end of the year. This time Wainwright is solid right out of the gate

Last year Looper and Wellemeyer would consently only give you 5 years and were new to starting. Both have almost a year of starting under thier belt. They are walking less and going a bit deeper into the games. Not much deeper. But even .2 innings help. (Note: the .2 inning not based on fact. Just pulled a number out of the air.)

Last year we had Kip Wells. This year we have Kyle Lohse. Kyle may not be the 0.80 ERA he was flashing at the start of the season. But he is much better than kip wells. Yes we’ll have a few starts like his outing against the Cubs. But I also expect we’ll have a lot more 7-8 inning 2-4 run games.

Last year we had Reyes. This year we have Piniero. If Piniero stays heathy he can be a nice impovement over what Reyes gave us last year

Last year if a starter went down we went diving in the dumpster. This year we have a little bit of protection at Memphis. We can call up Thompson. (once he gets off the DL.) McCellan might be able to make a spot start. We have Parisi(sp?) who might be able to move into a starting roll. As well as a few others down in Memphis who can move up for a game or two. They might not be lights out when they get here. But they should hold up better than another Keisler or Maroth.

I; too; hope that Carp returns effective around the All-Star break. But I do not thing that this Rotation is going to fall into the helpless bunch that can’t get passed the 4th inning for weeks on end.

by Evilfrog on May 7, 2008 6:00 PM EDT up reply reply 0 recs

Last year we had no Ace until the end of the year. This time Wainwright is solid right out of the gate

So? You still have to play 162 games. Looper got off to a solid start and then collapsed, what’s the difference?

Last year Looper and Wellemeyer would consently only give you 5 years and were new to starting. Both have almost a year of starting under thier belt. They are walking less and going a bit deeper into the games.

Looper 2007: 5.83 IP/G
Looper 2008: 5.85 IP/G

Gold star bonus for Wellemeyer, he looks a hell of a lot better than last year, and it doesn’t look all that flukey. The real question will be: how long until he runs out of gas? Or will he run out of gas?

Last year we had Kip Wells. This year we have Kyle Lohse.

Fair enough. Loshe is still probably due to regress if his track record, and horrific strikeout rate mean anything.

Last year we had Reyes. This year we have Piniero.

Anthony Reyes was horrible, Joel Pineiro is horrible. Probably a wash.

Last year if a starter went down we went diving in the dumpster. This year we have a little bit of protection at Memphis. We can call up Thompson.

Ehh, wasn’t htis the case last year? Thompson was the 6th starter?

So, yeah it’s *better than year, but that isn’t saying much is it? There’s still plenty of reason to be worried.

by JI on May 7, 2008 7:04 PM EDT up reply reply 0 recs

Pineiro is horrible?

I don’t believe that at all. He is a guy who can be very effective and I believe he gives the Cardinals a better chance to win than Reyes did last season.
I understand the rotation will not keep up the current pace, but you have to believe that the Cardinals seem to be playing with a different attitude this season. They don’t seem to be laying down after the 7th inning like they did last season. This team has spunk, that’s right, I said SPUNK.

by Jumsy on May 7, 2008 10:15 PM EDT up reply reply 0 recs

Gotta love that last line

“This can not be considered positive news.”

It’s hard to imagine a situation where a rotator cuff strain is considered good news.

I had a mild rotator cuff strain once…I was throwing again in 3 weeks, but it lingered for 5 or 6 months before I really felt like my shoulder was 100% again. Hopefully Mulder will get better medical care than I did.

by mojowo11 on May 7, 2008 3:56 PM EDT reply reply 0 recs

Actually...

... I would say this is exactly the sort of situation where you could consider it good news.

If Mulder was getting knocked around the way he has the last couple of rehab starts and there was no physical reason for it, that would be worse news.

It would also be very bad news if the Cards decided to go forward with his reinstatement to the rotation despite the poor showing in the minors. A mild strain and subsequent shutdown to forestall his return to the majors is definitely good news in my book.

by punditmoi on May 7, 2008 6:54 PM EDT up reply reply 0 recs

+1

"Attaway to stomp 'em. Stomp the piss out of 'em. Stomp 'em when they're down. Kick 'em and stomp 'em. Attaway to go boys. Pound that old Budweiser into you and go get them tomorrow." -- Joe Schultz

by taiko on May 8, 2008 12:39 AM EDT up reply reply 0 recs

In my opinion

No disrespect to Mulder, but the longer he is away from STL the better, thus it is positive news.

jwilson

by taguchi on May 7, 2008 4:01 PM EDT reply reply 0 recs

We Don't Really Need Mulder Now....

....so I say shelve him on the DL until he is fully recovered. Then give him a few ML starts. if he can help us after the All-Star break, that would be very positive news, but I am not cownting on it. I thin the Ol Goaler hit it on the head: Carp is probably the only DL guy who is gonna help us this year, and that won’t be until late July – August is you ask me (you know you want to!).

:=8)

"We're against society, authority, and anything else that ends in y"
- Johnny Rotten

by The MooCow on May 7, 2008 4:41 PM EDT reply reply 0 recs

put a fork in him, he's done

time to move on people. time to move on.

I'm going to go try to find a puppy and kick it. - Brad Thompson AND THAT'S A WINNER!

by gdm426 on May 7, 2008 4:53 PM EDT reply reply 0 recs

In other news...

The Earth continued it’s orbit around the sun today.

by mattisnotfrench on May 7, 2008 5:17 PM EDT reply reply 0 recs

A full year

These pitchers have kept up the current rate for almost a full year now. Why are we waiting for them to fall apart? I read yesterday about the Cards win ratio in games last year in which Loup, Wellemyer, Wainwright, and Pinero started. It looked pretty darn good. And Loshe is definitely an improvment over last year’s Mulder, Reyes, Mather. Please explain why you think they are about to fall apart.

by Remember Kenny B on May 7, 2008 5:28 PM EDT reply reply 0 recs

Mather?

Did Mather get a spot start last year that I’m not aware of?

by punditmoi on May 7, 2008 6:56 PM EDT up reply reply 0 recs

I think he meant

Maroth

by Evilfrog on May 8, 2008 10:16 AM EDT up reply reply 0 recs

Haren

Another setback such as this and it might be time to admit Beane got the better of Jock in the Haren trade.

by templetown on May 7, 2008 6:38 PM EDT reply reply 0 recs

I don't think we have to wait for another setback to admit that.

Much as I loved Walt as GM and as much as the team owes him for his years of superlative effort… this was the worst deal since the sale of Manhattan Island.

by punditmoi on May 7, 2008 6:59 PM EDT up reply reply 0 recs

It wasn't the deal that was bad...

It was re-signing him, despite him being hurt, to a pretty large 2 year deal (what, $12 million for 2 years?). That was just throwing money down a drain.

Mulder was at least effective for one year with the Cardinals, which really might not have been the case if Haren stayed here (he might be another Reyes, for all we know. Probably not, but I don’t think he would have been as good, since he actually strikes people out, not that pitch to contact stuff that Duncan enforces).

Start Ludwick vs righties (maybe this will work)

by DiscoJer on May 8, 2008 5:58 AM EDT up reply reply 0 recs

from the manager

Anybody catch this quote about Mulder from Tony from 2003? “He’s a premier pitcher, one of the premier pitchers in the game.”

Oh, wait. He said that today.

by EasternCardsFan on May 7, 2008 7:49 PM EDT reply reply 0 recs

Could it be ...

that this move is somewhat trumped up? It sure seems fortuitous that the struggling, overpaid, recovering pitcher that is just about to finish his 30-day rehab happened to come down with an injury that would reset his rehab clock? I know that this organization is too forthcoming to ever mislead the fanbase or MLB, but it seems like he needs a great deal of additional rehab time to improve both his velocity and movement.

Think I’m off-base?

by etp_stl on May 7, 2008 9:06 PM EDT reply reply 0 recs

Perhaps a little from column A, and a little from column B

There’s no doubt his shoulder isn’t fully well, so it isn’t stretching the truth much to say that there’s enough wrong to justify a DL stay. I applaud the org for doing what’s necessary to prevent the ticking clock from determining when Mulder should return to our rotation.

"Attaway to stomp 'em. Stomp the piss out of 'em. Stomp 'em when they're down. Kick 'em and stomp 'em. Attaway to go boys. Pound that old Budweiser into you and go get them tomorrow." -- Joe Schultz

by taiko on May 8, 2008 12:48 AM EDT up reply reply 0 recs

I think it is positive news

there’s little question that Mulder, upon returning to the rotation, would have made it distinctly worse. I’m not a big Wellemeyer fan but he’s many times better than Mulder right now. The last thing we need is him taking the ball for 2-3 innings every 5 days. If “late June” allows his injury to be fixed so that he can be a solid contributor for the last 3 months, that’s good. If it just delays his inevitable return to the rotation, that’s also good.

by houstoncardinal on May 8, 2008 8:45 AM EDT reply reply 0 recs

Mark Mulder...

...won 88 games between 2001 – 2005, a 5 years span as good as anyone’s. I don’t think its unreasonable to give the guy every chance at getting healthy and cowtributing to the club. There is something to be said for loyalty, and there is something to be said for taking chances. if there is a chance we can get the old Mark Mulder back, then its worth taking. Granted, that chance gets slimmer and slimmer the moore they push him before being ready. There is no need to panic; our current rotation is doing just fine. Let him rest, let him heal, and let’s see what he can do for us later in the year. We have no reason to hurry the man’s rehabilitation, and there is no reason to dump a guy is still relatively young, who has a proven track record, and who cud potentially give our club a very strong boost – it just won’t happen soon (if at all). He’s one of our Cards; let’s stop pushing him out the door without giving him the full chance he deserves to get over his injury.
>:=8/

"We're against society, authority, and anything else that ends in y"
- Johnny Rotten

by The MooCow on May 8, 2008 9:29 AM EDT reply reply 0 recs

2005

Was such a long time ago. He’s lost a lot of velocity, screwed up his mechanics, had a few surgeries.

I would love to believe that Mulder will be a great pitcher again. But it’s not going to happen. Hell, he might not even pitch effectively again. Either way, the Cards have wasted enough money and time (and games) on this perpetually rehabbing pitcher.

by spants on May 8, 2008 12:58 PM EDT up reply reply 0 recs

For the love of Pete

This shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone.

I have discovered in twenty years of moving around a ball park, that the knowledge of the game is usually in inverse proportion to the price of the seats. ~Bill Veeck

by bukowski on May 8, 2008 10:00 AM EDT reply reply 0 recs

If this was your business

would you want a $6m albatross hanging around your neck?
He was good. He got hurt. He’s not good anymore. Life isn’t some damn fairy tale where you get 4 chances to come back and be stellar. Move on…..

This team exists for two reasons: 1) to make money for it’s owners and 2) provide entertainment. Mulder fits niether requirement. Don’t give me this “For the Love of the Game” crap with dusty sunsets and Vin Scully calling Mulder’s first game back as a perfect game.

I have discovered in twenty years of moving around a ball park, that the knowledge of the game is usually in inverse proportion to the price of the seats. ~Bill Veeck

by bukowski on May 8, 2008 10:06 AM EDT reply reply 0 recs

Yeah, Well That's What...

....Toronto thought about Chris Carpenter. If you make an investment, it only makes sense that we give it time to work out. Since when are we run by George Steinbrenner? It’s too early to start slashing players left and right. Take a chill pill, calm down, and give him some time. A $6m albatross is nothing – cow’d you like to be in ‘Frisco’s shoes?? Do you see them DFA-ing Barry Zito? They’re going to give him every chance to succeed. It’s not the same thing, I know, but the direction is the same: you give the players the chance to succeed or fail. in the end, 6 mil is pretty cheap for a chance. That’s not being naive, that’s just taking a low-risk chance.

:=8/

"We're against society, authority, and anything else that ends in y"
- Johnny Rotten

by The MooCow on May 8, 2008 11:21 AM EDT up reply reply 0 recs

As long as that chance is a minor league rehab

then I am OK with it. I just hope he doesn’t see the big club roster unless he can be effective in his rehab starts. Loyalty is a wonderful thing as long as it is tempered with a large dose of reality.

It isn’t like is he is going to give back any of the money, so let’s let it play out – at the minor league level.

While I am personally pessimistic about Mulder’s chances and feel like he was hiding an injury for quite some time before the first surgery so that he could strike free agent gold, we have to remember that Carp did come back from two shoulder surgeries. It is not out of the realm of the possible that Mulder could do the same.

It isn’t like it is vital to the future of the ballclub that John Wasdin get a regular turn in Memphis

Those Pilgrims ain't lookin' so proud now...

by giveml on May 8, 2008 12:12 PM EDT up reply reply 0 recs