SAN FRANCISCO -- After throwing two simulated innings on Tuesday, Rockies Opening Day starter Aaron Cook said he is healthy, and he expects to be ready to pitch for Colorado in the postseason, if the Rockies get there."It's not an issue," Cook told FanHouse. "I'm healthy. It's just a matter of throwing my pitches and getting back to where I need to be stamina-wise and getting position to where I can go out there. My shoulder feels great. My foot feels great. It's just a matter of where they need me to help the team."
Cook, who is 10-6 with a 4.47 ERA, has been on the disabled list since Aug. 22 with a right shoulder strain. He will throw another simulated game on Saturday. If that goes well, he could pitch in instructional league around Sept. 24 and possibly pitch once or twice for the Rockies before the playoffs.
Manager Jim Tracy, while not wanting to assume that the Rockies are going to the playoffs yet, said he is "very optimistic" about Cook being ready. He said it would be ideal if the team got a big enough lead that Cook could have at least one outing in the regular season before being considered for the playoff rotation.
"I think that's huge, of utmost importance," Tracy said. "Because of the amount of time he's been down, just to grab a hold of him and throw him into a gut-wrenching situation, you are doing a disservice to the player. I wouldn't do that."
Ubaldo Jimenez and Jason Marquis would likely be the Rockies top two starters in the postseason, with Cook, Jorge De La Rosa and Jason Hammel in the mix for the third and fourth slot. If he's healthy, Cook is the best of that group.
Jose Contreras and Jeff Francis also worked in the Tuesday simulated game. Contreras, who is out with a strained right quad, is not as close to a return because the Rockies are concerned about him being able to field his position, Tracy said. Francis, who had shoulder surgery, is simply preparing to pitch in the instructional league in order to get ready for 2010.
