Mulder shut down with “mild strain”
DENVER — After a meeting with the Cardinals team doctor Wednesday morning, lefthanded starter Mark Mulder will be shut down for at least a week to calm what’s being called a “mild rotator cuff strain”, the team announced in a press release this afternoon.
Mulder experienced what was described as “shoulder fatigue” during his start Monday in Memphis. He was scheduled for one start on his rehab assignment, and then the Cardinals were going to have to decide what do with the lefthander when the 30 days of his rehab assignment expired May 14.
Wednesday’s diagnosis delays that decision.
“The bottomline is this is not a setback whatsoever,” Mulder’s agent Gregg Clifton said this afternoon. “It’s a hiatus for a week, and then after he’s re-evaluated he’ll be back out there. … Everyone feels a brief rest period will allow him to come back (feeling stronger).”
Mulder is coming off two shoulder surgeries in the past two seasons. The first was a repairing of his labrum and left rotator cuff. The second was needed last September to repatch a section of the rotator cuff that did not heal following the first surgery.
Through his rehab, Mulder has also been trying to break the bad mechanical habits that developed over the course of pitching several seasons with rotator cuff troubles. That has mainly meant restoring his arm slot to a higher, full-extension release than he ever had as a Cardinal.
The lefthander met with Dr. George Paletta in St. Louis in Wednesday morning. The evaluation discovered a “mild rotator cuff strain”, and a seven to 10 days of rest were prescribed. He will be re-evaluated at the end of the stretch.
Mulder made five starts on his rehab assignment, posting a 6.66 ERA and allowing 33 hits in 25 2/3 innings on his rehab assignment.
More later today here and on StlToday.com
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Derrick Goold said he was going to Mizzou for capital-J journalism, but after growing up in the Time Zone Baseball Forgot he was really drawn to MU sitting between two major-league cities. Goold joined the Post-Dispatch in 2001 after working for The Times-Picayune and Rocky Mountain News, covering sports from LSU to NHL and every level of baseball in between. 
SSDD from Mulder & the Cardinals.
He’ll never be back–Unless it’s to be a coach, and Haren will continue to flourish…
Would this allow him to have a new 30-day rehab assignment or would it start from where he left off?
Not knocking you, DG, but this is one of the _least_ surprising stories I’ve seen in a while. Getting smoked twice in AAA meant something was obviously wrong.
I hope Mulder can come back, but I ain’t gonna be holdin’ my breath…
This does not come as a suprise at all. Anyone want to bet that after the 7-10 days rest, he says he’s good to go, and then goes out and sticks it up, only to find out after that it wasn’t a “mild” strain at all, but something much worse. And around and ’round we go. I wish Mulder the best, I really hope he gets better soon, but how many times do we have to go through this song and dance?
Sorry, but I think the guy is toast. Too bad he wasn’t able to show is Oakland form while suiting up for the Cards.
Creative. What injury will they make up next.
Boy, what a great trade by Jocketty. Sure am glad we gave up Dan Haren and Daric Barton to get a pitcher who would win us 15 games three years ago.
I am not surprised by this latest revelation, and it shouldn’t come as a shock to see Hudson, Mulder, and Zito all struggling now that they are out of Oakland, all of them were worn down before they were 30.
The good thing is we have won 22 games, our pitching staff is doing well, and there is no need to rush back Mulder, Carpenter, Clement, or Juan Gonzalez…lol.
Fred
cut him loose, he is done!!!!!!
Wouldn’t it be a more fair world if people spent as much time bragging about the Wainwright-Drew trade as they do dragging around the Mulder-Haren trade?
Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose…and you know the rest.
I sure hope they don’t try to rush Carpenter back too. Let him pitch a couple games in September . . . no more.
This redesign is terrible. How many fonts can we cram onto one page.