Weird Injuries

Did you know sneezing is dangerous? Just ask Matt Latos. Earlier this week while trying to hold in a sneeze, Latos strained his rib cage, and will be placed on the 15 day DL. The Padres talented 22 year old is 10-4 with a 2.45 ERA. That leads the San Diego starting rotation. Of course even more bizarre than his injury, is the situation the Padres find themsleves in. At 52-37, they have the 2nd best record in the NL (Braves are 53-37) and have a 3 game lead on the Rockies. Latos could probably use some rest, since its become the trend in baseball now to limit young pitchers pitch counts, better now than in September. Right?

As if losing LeBron and Big Z to Miami wasn't enough, the closest thing to a sports icon Cleveland has is out with a blister on his right index finger. Pitching from the bullpen this season Kerry Wood is 1-4 with a 6.30 ERA.It may seem like a soft injury, but it is hard to pitch effectively when you have a blister on your pitching hand. Unlike the above mentioned Latos, Wood is a player who was probably overworked as a young pitcher for Chicago in the late 90's and his career as of late reflects that. I'm not a sports scientist, so I can't say how effective keeping a player's pitch count down is, but it seems to be catching on now, and a lot of clubs are doing it these days.

-SB