MLB Mlb Injuries

UPDATE: It seems that Padilla did not shoot himself, but was in fact shot by a shooting instructor. Full details here.

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Vicente Padilla is back home in his native Nicaragua now his team's season has ended, and while there he's decided to do some hunting. Unfortunately for Vicente it seems his aim with a gun is a lot like his aim with his fastball. Sometimes he loses control of the thing and ends up hitting somebody.

Though this time it was himself.

Padilla was treated in a hospital on Tuesday after suffering what is being called a "minor" gunshot wound to his right leg.

Knuckleballer and longtime Boston Red Sox pitcher Tim Wakefield is set to undergo surgery on his back Wednesday to relieve pressure on the nerves in a herniated disc that is pressing against in his lower back. The disc caused Wakefield to feel weakness in his right leg, and limited him to only four starts following the All-Star break and kept him off the team's ALDS roster.

It could turn out to be an expensive operation for Wakefield, and not because he has a bad health care plan. No, the reason is that if the surgery turns out to be successful, which it's expected to, then the Red Sox have said they plan on picking up his $4 million option to return next season.

NEW YORK -- The surgeon who repaired Alex Rodriguez's right hip in March said A-Rod is now at 95 percent strength, and the Yankees clean-up hitter may not need a follow-up procedure, as originally planned.

Marc J. Philippon of the Steadman Hawkins Clinic in Vail, Colo., was in New York on Friday for a meeting and stopped by Yankee Stadium to examine his famous patient.

"I need a little more tests," Philippon said, "but so far I don't think he will need surgery."

The Rockies announced Tuesday that starter Jorge de la Rosa will miss the NLDS with a sore groin. He suffered the injury on Saturday and manager Jim Tracy said before Colorado's workout day that the training staff informed him that de la Rosa's injury isn't progressing, though his season isn't necessarily over if the Rockies play deeper into October.

"He was scheduled to throw a bullpen today. We're not even going to take that chance. We're not going to have him do that. We're going to continue working with him," Tracy said. "If we're fortunate to advance beyond here, could he end up in the mix and be a guy that could be considered for a League Championship Series if we're fortunate enough to get there? I think that's definitely a viable possibility."

The slumping Los Angeles Dodgers will not have Hiroki Kuroda on their roster when they open the National League Division Series this Wednesday.

Kuroda has been ruled out of the first round by mananger Joe Torre after "a small herniation of the cervical spine" was discovered following an MRI on his ailing neck.

The Dodgers have struggled mightily over the last week, losing five straight entering play Saturday and watching their lead in the NL West dwindle to one game as Colorado matched their skid with a five-game winning streak of its own. In other words, Los Angeles wasn't exactly steamrolling toward the postseason to begin with; now it will be without Kuroda, who probably would have started for Torre in Game 2 or 3.

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According to reports from the Boston area, Josh Beckett will miss his scheduled start Monday night with mild back spasms. Beckett was set to face the Blue Jays, looking to help play the stopper and end the Red Sox' three-game losing streak.

While it would be nice to run Beckett out there and get a win, the game likely bears little consequence for the Red Sox on the whole. The Yankees have already clinched the AL East, and the Red Sox hold a six-game lead over the Texas Rangers in the wild-card race with just seven games to play.

NEW YORK -- The Red Sox seem to have survived a scare Friday when lefty Jon Lester was diagnosed with a bruised quadricep after taking a line drive off his right leg.

With Lester and Josh Beckett, the Sox looked to have the top 1-2 starting punch in the AL playoffs and the deepest starting corps. The Boston Herald reported Friday that Boston had already chosen Lester to start Game 1 of the AL Division Series, so losing him would be a major blow.

Lester was hit by a Melky Cabrera shot, just above the knee. After staying on the ground for a few minutes, Lester was able to hobble off the field and into the clubhouse.

Starting Five is our wrapup of the previous day's baseball action, with a quick nod to what is ahead.

You Oughta Know ...
One team has 100 defeats, two more could follow -- and there could even be a record-tying four 100-loss teams.

The Nationals on Thursday fell to 52-100 with their 7-6 loss to the Dodgers. And the Pirates are 56-95 after a 4-1 defeat at the hands of the Reds.

Anyone want to bet Pittsburgh -- 3-23 since Aug. 28 -- goes better than 6-5 in its final three series against Los Angeles, Chicago and Cincinnati?

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Starting Five is our wrapup of the previous day's baseball action, with a quick nod to what is ahead.

You Oughta Know ...
That Brad Lidge problem is back again.

Lidge on Wednesday blew a save for the 11th time -- most in the NL in 11 years -- as the Phillies lost 7-6 to the Marlins.

He entered for the bottom of the ninth, after Ross Gload's leadoff double, got two outs. But Hanley Ramirez walked, Jorge Cantu singled and Brett Carroll singled to hand Lidge the loss.

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WASHINGTON -- Dodgers left-hander Clayton Kershaw, sidelined since Sept. 4 with a bruised right shoulder, will pitch in relief either Tuesday or Wednesday, manager Joe Torre said before Los Angeles opened its mid-week series against the Nationals.

Kershaw originally injured his non-throwing shoulder when he ran into a fence while shagging flies during batting practice at Dodger Stadium.

Torre indicated that the 21-year-old southpaw was available to him over the weekend when the Dodgers hosted the Giants.