Mets lose Putz to elbow injury
New York Mets reliever J.J. Putz will have surgery to remove a bone spur and pieces of bone from the back of his right elbow and is expected to miss 10 to 12 weeks.
New York Mets reliever J.J. Putz will have surgery to remove a bone spur and pieces of bone from the back of his right elbow and is expected to miss 10 to 12 weeks.
Putz was put on the 15-day disabled list yesterday. Surgery on his pitching elbow is scheduled for Tuesday.
Picked up in the offseason to lock down the eighth inning ahead of new closer Francisco Rodriguez, Putz is just 1-4 with a 5.22 ERA and two saves for the Mets. He has allowed eight runs and nine hits in 1 1/3 innings in his most recent outings. He complained of pain after Thursday's game in Pittsburgh.
General manager Omar Minaya said Putz wouldn't begin throwing for at least 6 weeks, and estimated his return in "anywhere between 10 and 12 weeks."
New York purchased the contract of righthander Fernando Nieve from Triple A Buffalo and claimed lefthander Pat Misch off waivers from San Francisco and optioned him to Buffalo.
Meanwhile, shortstop Jose Reyes, who's been on the 15-day DL for right calf tendinitis since May 21, will rest for 2 days after suffering a tear in his right hamstring during an extended spring game on Wednesday in Port St. Lucie, Fla.
Noteworthy
* Cardinals manager Tony La Russa and Twitter reached a settlement in his lawsuit against the social-networking site. La Russa said Twitter agreed to pay legal fees and make a donation to his Animal Rescue Foundation. La Russa claimed in a suit filed last month that an unauthorized page that used his name caused emotional distress by making light of the manager's DUI charge and two Cardinals pitchers who died in recent seasons.
In another matter, Cardinals righthander Kyle Lohse was placed on the 15-day disabled list for the first time in his career with a forearm injury.
* The Florida Marlins put righthander Anibal Sanchez (shoulder) on the 15-day DL.
In games last night:
* At Washington, David Wright's two-run double in the 10th inning lifted the New York Mets over the Nationals, 3-1.
* At Miami, Pablo Sandoval hit a two-run homer as the San Francisco Giants beat the Florida Marlins, 2-1.
* At St. Louis, Jorge De La Rosa (1-6) had his first RBI on a bases-loaded walk in a nine-run seventh inning in the Colorado Rockies' 11-4 win over the Cardinals.
* At Houston, Carlos Lee hit a grand slam as the Astros beat the the Pittsburgh Pirates, 9-1.
* At Atlanta, Yovani Gallardo (6-2) and Carlos Villanueva combined for a two-hitter as Milwaukee beat the Braves, 4-0.
* At Cincinnati, Carlos Zambrano (4-2) homered and pitched into the seventh inning to earn his 100th career victory as the Chicago Cubs beat the Reds, 2-1. *