Ah, yes. So that's why Denny Bautista suddenly couldn't get through an outing without walking a batter. His shoulder was giving him problems.
The Detroit Tigers put Bautista on the 15-day disabled list for shoulder tendonitis a day after leaving Friday night's game in the eighth inning, unable to clean up the mess he made. Before he felt pain in the shoulder and was taken out, Bautista had given up three runs on four hits, with one walk.
I realize it was unfair of me to say, but in watching the game on TV at a bar without any sound, it almost appeared as if Bautista had enough of the Twins smacking him around and wanted out. But if his shoulder was barking, maybe that helps explain why he was having so much trouble.
The tendonitis doesn't appear all that serious, as the Tigers' training staff thinks Bautista will recover with medication and rest (though I'm sure they had similar hopes for Fernando Rodney in the spring), but as was the case with Dontrelle Willis' injury, this might give a struggling pitcher an opportunity to refine his technique and regain his control. Jim Leyland sounds like a manager who'd grown tired of watching Bautista trying to figure those things out at the major league level.
"I really like Bautista. I'm not down on Bautista at all, but the fact of the matter is simple. If you're going to throw a bunch of pitches every time you go out there for an outing and then you can't pitch for two or three days, then you're not worth much."
Somewhere in Colorado, maybe Jason Grilli is smiling at the notion that the Tigers have a bullpen spot to fill so soon after trading him. Or maybe he's not smiling, since he already seems to be doing what he does best for his new team, having given up two runs on three hits and a walk in just one inning for the Rockies last night. He's your problem now, Denver.
With Bautista going to the DL, the Tigers called up Freddy Dolsi from Double-A Erie, who'd been rising fast through the organization, jumping from Lakeland to the Seawolves just last week. In 12 games (3/4 of those with the Flying Tigers), Dolsi posted a 4.35 ERA with 12 strikeouts (and four walks) in 10 1/3 innings.