A sore elbow has landed Ronald Belisario on the 15-day DL. The good news is that doctors have found no structural damage, so it looks like it'll be rest and relaxation for him.
Belisario was among the league's leaders in appearances at 43. He's literally been one of the biggest surprises this season for the Dodgers, as he's pretty much come out of nowhere to be a leader in the bullpen. He had previously missed both the 2005 and 2006 seasons with Tommy John surgery.
So I think this will lead to a simple questions - Has Joe Torre overused him? If you've followed Torre his whole career, you'll know that he has a hard time trusting certain relievers in big spots. Hence, he tends to rely too much on the same guys.
It's obvious that when it comes to bridging the gap to Jonathan Broxton, Torre only trusts Belisario and Ramon Troncoso, who's at 39 appearances himself. With an elbow injury, the overuse question is a valid one.
I think only time will tell if Belisario has been called upon too much. If he comes back and has lost velocity on his nasty fastball, then it would appear he had too much, too soon.
Hopefully, with the emergence of Guillermo Mota, plus Cory Wade and James McDonald being recalled, Belisario won't be used as much in the second half.
No comments:
Post a Comment