Al Alburquerque placed on DL with concussion, Ryan Perry recalled by Detroit

by Kurt Mensching on Aug 12, 2011 11:42 PM EDT in Detroit Tigers News

DETROIT - JUNE 26: Al Alburquerque #62 of the Detroit Tigers pitches in the eight inning during the game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Comerica Park on June 26, 2011 in Detroit, Michigan. The Tigers defeated the Diamondbacks 8-3. (Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images)

Warming up in left field before the game while the Baltimore Orioles took batting practice, Tigers reliever Al Alburquerque received a concussion after being hit by a line drive off the bat of Orioles second baseman Robert Andino. Alburquerque was already ducking to get out of the way, but he fell to the ground immediately after the ball appeared to hit the side of his head. He could be seen rolling around in pain afterward.

Here's the video.

Tigers manager Jim Leyland told the media:

"He was in agony. It was scary. It was big-time scary."

Alburquerque was taken to a local hospital, where was was diagnosed with a concussion and some internal bleeding. He'll be kept under observation overnight. Under the MLB's new rules, he was placed on the 7-day disabled list due to the concussion. Ryan Perry was recalled from Triple-A Toledo.

Leyland said:

"You don't want to scare people, because we think he's going to be fine. But it's nothing to screw around with either."

So we'll have to wait to see how Alburquerque is. Each head injury is unique, so it wouldn't be wise to try to project anything based on other experiences. Hopefully Alburquerque recovers fast.

Since being demoted July 16, Perry has settled in a bit. In his last 10 games, he has pitched 16 2/3 innings and walked six batters. He struck out 14, and has an ERA of 4.32 during that span.

The Toledo Blade's John Wagner did a short piece on Perry at his coop scoop blog yesterday. He noted:

His fastball ranged between 93-97 mph (three at 97, two at 96, five at 95, two at 94 and two at 93). His slider ranged between 84-87 mph (one at 84, four at 86, three at 87).

The slider was the key pitch for Perry against Louisville. He threw a really good one to strike out Kristopher Negron to end the ninth; his strikeout of Hermida came on a 97 mph fastball. But there were some sliders that weren't as good, and many of them were up too high in the strike zone, a problem he has had while with Detroit.

Tweet Comment 19 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

I am not a doctor

But I do know a decent amount about traumatic brain injuries. I would be very surprised if AlAl’s back after only seven days. Internal bleeding changes the equation.

by johnmoz on Aug 12, 2011 11:56 PM EDT reply actions

If he has some intracranial hemorrhaging

He’s lucky to be symptom free, to be honest.

Detroit4Lyfe

by Rob Rogacki on Aug 13, 2011 11:30 AM EDT up reply actions

@#&%

It’s the Zumaya curse.

But seriously, head trauma can take months, if not years to recover from. This really sucks.sucks.sucks.

by H2OPoloPunk on Aug 13, 2011 12:12 AM EDT reply actions

Perry

Just checking his Milb stats for the last ten games.

Nine appearances since being sent down in July.
Two bad appearances, where he allowed 3 runs on 3 hits and 4 runs on two hits and two BB.
Six BB’s in 16 innings of work is very iffy, but he has also thrown 7-2/3 scoreless innings this month, and allowed no runs in seven of his last nine appearances.

Second half Perry in 2010 was dominant. 34 innings with a 1.00 WHIP and some very effective work. Would be nice if that guy showed up.

Hope Al Al is okay. He’s the one relief prospect we have that actually stepped up and did a good job for the Tigers consistently this season. Other than Valverde and Benoit, all the others have been very inconsistent. Well, I suppose the converted lefty starters have done well in long relief, but lots of shaky performances.

I don't care what the Chinese say, 2011 is the Year of the Tiger!

by Tigerdog1 on Aug 13, 2011 12:23 AM EDT reply actions

How come Perry doesn't use his cutter?

This is a great pitch. I saw a few and they come in at 94 m.p.h with great movement. He said, “He use to throw it in College”. Oliver has a great cutter but he too has abandon it. Why? These pitches have great potential with these two.

by Barry2 on Aug 13, 2011 8:20 AM EDT up reply actions

Wishing him the best and looking for the positive

If he DOES manage to return after 7 days, the rest on his arm might be nice as well.

The other sports are just sports. Baseball is a love. ~Bryant Gumbel, 1981

by momotigers on Aug 13, 2011 12:58 AM EDT reply actions

Hope that Al Al will be OK

Accidents like this should never happen. Sometimes I just don’t understand why baseball players only wear head protection when they bat. It seems like the risk of getting hit on the head with a ball or bat is always there. During batting practice, there is so much going on, that I’m surprised that this doesn’t happen more often.

by Keith-Allen on Aug 13, 2011 2:14 AM EDT reply actions

Something I can't understand

is why Andino was taking full swings in the cage while we were throwing down the left field line. I’m not placing the blame on him, but I just don’t understand; in my personal experiences, teams usually don’t hit while guys are throwing down the line.

I, too, will be VERY surprised and skeptical if Al^2 is back in 7 days. I’ve done some work with concussions prevention and education programs through a job at Bronson, and concussions should not be taken lightly. They can really cause some serious brain damage if you don’t treat them seriously. Hell, look at Justin Morneau: granted, he’s had more than a few in his day so his symptoms are more severe, but these things can lay you up for months.

Chicks dig me, because I rarely wear underwear and when I do it's usually something unusual

by BrianCMU. on Aug 13, 2011 11:01 AM EDT reply actions

We did look like sitting ducks down the line.

by Tim 34 on Aug 13, 2011 3:44 PM EDT up reply actions

Al Al is out of hospital

and being driven back to Detroit, because he can’t fly just yet.

I don't care what the Chinese say, 2011 is the Year of the Tiger!

by Tigerdog1 on Aug 13, 2011 4:07 PM EDT reply actions

I'm surprised this kind of thing doesn't happen more during batting practice.

Fan of the Detroit Tigers, Lions and Red Wings.

by Elfuego51 on Aug 13, 2011 5:32 PM EDT reply actions

i'm surprised they didn't have a player or kid watching batting practice with a glove

like when the bullpen is on the playing field

Bless You Boys.com

by Kurt Mensching on Aug 13, 2011 5:49 PM EDT up reply actions

Exactly

Nobody even shouted “heads up” or “duck”?
Seems weird to have on team batting and the other throwing on the field at the same time anyway. Was there a weather delay in getting BP started or something? Just unusual.

I don't care what the Chinese say, 2011 is the Year of the Tiger!

by Tigerdog1 on Aug 13, 2011 6:21 PM EDT up reply actions

why perry and not a backup catcher

I wish we would have used the roster spot to bring up a backup catcher for a couple of days, like Santos, St Pierre or Inge, just to give Avila break.

Great well soon, AlAl

by nica4ever on Aug 13, 2011 6:05 PM EDT reply actions

Good question, but Omir Santos is the only other catcher on the 40 man roster

and he’s on a rehab assignment with the GCL Tigers. I think that means they can’t call him up and can’t DFA him while he is on the DL. There’s an off day Thursday, so if V Mart can catch a game or if Avila can make it that far, he’ll get a day off.

I don't care what the Chinese say, 2011 is the Year of the Tiger!

by Tigerdog1 on Aug 13, 2011 6:23 PM EDT up reply actions