Jump to content

Zumaya, Willis on DL to start the season


Linnwood

Recommended Posts

Sunday, March 29, 2009

Tigers' Zumaya, Willis placed on DL

 

Associated Press

 

LAKELAND, Fla. -- The Detroit Tigers placed left-handed pitcher Dontrelle Willis on the 15-day disabled list with an anxiety disorder on Sunday and put oft-injured reliever Joel Zumaya on the list with a sore right shoulder.

But Willis said he has been feeling well on and off the mound.

 

"I have no idea, but [the doctors] didn't like what they saw in the blood," Willis said. "This is not something where I'm too amped up and I don't know where I'm at, and I'm running sprints up and down the parking lot."

General manager Dave Dombrowski said he could not provide details about Willis' medical condition or treatment because of privacy regulations.

 

The team said Zumaya's placement on the 15-day disabled list was retroactive to March 27. The Tigers also returned the contract of left-handed pitcher Kyle Bloom to the Pittsburgh Pirates.

 

Tigers manager Jim Leyland had earlier said Zumaya was unlikely to start the season in Detroit. The right-handed pitcher was considered for the closers job but felt soreness after an appearance on March 2 against Florida Southern College.

"When we get him back, I want him for good," Leyland said. "So we're going to take all the steps to make sure that he's ready to pitch, ready to pitch back to back, and we're in the process of doing that."

 

Zumaya has pitched three innings this spring, including one in a minor league game Friday, without allowing a hit.

"He feels good, but we're also in a position where we do not want to rush him whatsoever," said Dombrowski, who added Zumaya will be limited to minor league appearances for the rest of the spring.

 

In 2007, Zumaya tore a tendon in his right middle finger in April. Later that year, he hurt his right shoulder in an accident at his home and didn't pitch the remainder of the season after undergoing reconstructive surgery.

 

Last year, Zumaya appeared in 21 games and was 0-2 with a 3.47 ERA before sustaining a season-ending fractured shoulder in August.

 

Bloom, a Rule 5 selection, was returned to the Pirates after attempts to trade him failed, Dombrowski said. Following the roster moves, 35 players remain in major league camp with the Tigers.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Mar 30, 2009 -> 12:05 PM)
Maybe I'm ignorant on this subject, but, how would a blood test tell you if you have anxiety disorder? Isn't that a mental illness?

there are some that are chemical or hormonal. Not my area of expertise but i've seen it in patients.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Mar 30, 2009 -> 10:05 AM)
Maybe I'm ignorant on this subject, but, how would a blood test tell you if you have anxiety disorder? Isn't that a mental illness?

There is no blood test for anxiety disorder. From ESPN:

General manager Dave Dombrowski said he could not provide details about Willis' medical condition or treatment because of privacy regulations.

 

However, two doctors in the Detroit area interviewed by the Detroit News said there is no blood test available to diagnose anxiety.

 

"I can't speak of the specific situation, but to the best of my knowledge, you cannot diagnose an anxiety disorder by a blood test," Hiten Patel, a psychiatrist at William Beaumont Hospital, told the newspaper. "Most psychiatric conditions cannot be diagnosed by blood tests, and anxiety disorder cannot be diagnosed in such a way."

 

Taft Parsons, the medical director of the Kingswood Hospital, told the newspaper that anxiety might be a symptom of another medical condition that could be diagnosed with a blood test.

 

"There's no anxiety disorder, no psychiatric disorders, which are diagnosed by blood tests," Parsons told the newspaper. "But [anxiety] would not be the disorder itself. Only a symptom."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

QUOTE (That funky motion @ Mar 30, 2009 -> 07:15 PM)
What does that mean?

It means his mental state is affecting his pitching performance. I don’t think this is exactly like Greinke: Zach was just horribly depressed, and had to change his pitching/life style to cope, Willis has just let his poor performance shake his confidence to the core.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

QUOTE (Thunderbolt @ Mar 30, 2009 -> 06:44 PM)
It means his mental state is affecting his pitching performance. I don’t think this is exactly like Greinke: Zach was just horribly depressed, and had to change his pitching/life style to cope, Willis has just let his poor performance shake his confidence to the core.

 

He just took time away from the game to get his head straight. He was so young when he got to the majors, and it really wore on him to be losing as much as he the royals have lost while he has been there. he didnt change anything about his pitching

Link to comment
Share on other sites

QUOTE (kyyle23 @ Mar 30, 2009 -> 07:58 PM)
He just took time away from the game to get his head straight. He was so young when he got to the majors, and it really wore on him to be losing as much as he the royals have lost while he has been there. he didnt change anything about his pitching

He did abandon his slow curve, he takes medication now, too.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah, one of my buddies did a story on him when he first came up to the bigs and said he was really shy. Medication and simply getting used to his new environment was all Greinke needed. It's nice to see him figure it out because he has the talent and I hate seeing a guy like that have other issues affecting his play.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

QUOTE (Thunderbolt @ Mar 30, 2009 -> 07:17 PM)
He did abandon his slow curve, he takes medication now, too.

 

 

He used that slow curve on the Sox more than a few times last year. Especially those few home starts where he dominated

Link to comment
Share on other sites

QUOTE (kyyle23 @ Apr 1, 2009 -> 11:34 AM)
He used that slow curve on the Sox more than a few times last year. Especially those few home starts where he dominated

 

In somewhat related news:

 

Tigers general manager Dave Dombrowski announced Wednesday morning that Rick Porcello has earned a spot in the starting rotation.

 

Porcello, 20, posted a 2.63 ERA in 12 2/3 innings this spring. He was drafted in 2007 out of high school and hasn't made a pitch above Single-A, but the Tigers apparently think he's ready for a big challenge. He managed a 2.66 ERA and 1.19 WHIP as a 19-year-old with high Single-A Lakeland last season. Porcello is an exciting talent, but fantasy owners might want to play the waiting game.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...