NewsWashburn will skip start to rest knee
Galarraga scheduled to take spot in rotation vs. Tampa Bay
By Jason Beck / MLB.com
09/03/09 12:50 PM ET
DETROIT -- The Tigers will skip left-hander Jarrod Washburn from his upcoming start Saturday at Tampa Bay to try to alleviate the pain in his left knee.Armando Galarraga will be recalled from Triple-A Toledo to start in his place. Washburn will then make his next turn in the rotation Sept. 10 at Kansas City.
The decision came out of a meeting Wednesday between Washburn and manager Jim Leyland, who wanted to get an idea of how serious the knee issue was. It was during that conversation that Washburn raised the idea of skipping a start, something the Mariners did with him to alleviate the same left knee soreness in late May.
"I got skipped once earlier in Seattle, and it quieted it down a little bit, so that the pain level was tolerable," Washburn said. "So we decided to give it another try."
In that instance, the Mariners pushed him back a few days. It didn't eliminate the pain, but it alleviated it some. At this point, that's all the Tigers and Washburn are looking to do.
"Any doctor that's seen it told me there's probably some cartilage damage in there," Washburn said, "so it's probably not going to go away."
Washburn is 1-2 with a 6.81 ERA in six starts since joining the Tigers via trade from the Mariners on July 31. That includes a six-run first inning that helped send him to defeat Monday against the Rays. He has two quality starts amid his troubles, including eight scoreless innings against the Royals in a no-decision Aug. 14 at Comerica Park.
Galarraga was originally scheduled to start for Triple-A Toledo on Friday, his first outing since right elbow inflammation knocked him out of his scheduled start last week. His elbow's doing fine, but he still has some lingering muscle soreness in his right forearm. It's unclear whether he'll be on a pitch count.
Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
