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Crew to start season Yovani-less
Gallardo goes under the knife, but Ben is OK
By Mike McMillan
The Brewers organization has had plenty of experience with big time pitchers going down with injuries. This season it’s a little different, it’s not ace Ben Sheets.
Young right-hander Yovani Gallardo will have surgery to repair torn cartilage in his left knee. The injury should keep him out four weeks.
For the last few seasons, Sheets has been plagued with a few nagging injuries. From his back, shoulder and finger, to his hamstring, Sheets has faced it all.
Gallardo’s knee injury is something for the Brewers and fans to worry about. If the injury is one that bothers the right-hander all season, it could be problematic for the Brewers. The injury is on Gallardo’s left knee. The significance of the left knee for a right-handed pitcher is that it is their plant leg. By plant leg, this means Gallardo will be planting on this leg with all his weight to put as much force as possible behind the ball.
If Gallardo cannot pitch to his fullest potential, the Brewers will be missing one of their most promising pitchers in the rotation. Gallardo went 9-5 with a 3.67 ERA and 101 strikeouts last season. Just think of what those numbers would have been if he had been with the club the entire season.
Gallardo was probably slotted for the third or fourth spot in the rotation behind ace Ben Sheets and inning-eater Jeff Suppan. Sheets will be in a contract year, with the tag of being injury prone on his back.
For him to seal a big contract in the off season, he will have to eat up plenty of time on the mound and stay clear of any minor injuries. If Sheets can do this, it will be big for both him and the Brewers.
Let’s be honest, the Crew is on a time table. The Brewers won’t be able to sign all the young talent loaded on the roster in the next few years. If they don’t win now, winning later will be much more difficult with a depleted roster.
Hopefully for the Brewers and Gallardo, the knee will not bother the young right-hander. The 21-year-old has one thing going for him, he’s young. Being young allows you to heal quickly and that is one thing the Brewers are hoping happens with Gallardo. If he does have some reoccurring problems with the knee, look for lefties Manny Parra and Chris Capuano to log some time on the mound.
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