NewsQuartet of Brewers scheduled for surgery
Counsell, Parra, McGehee, Looper all set for procedures
By Adam McCalvy / MLB.com
10/05/09 7:23 PM EST
MILWAUKEE -- Add Craig Counsell and Manny Parra to the list of Brewers set for arthroscopic surgeries in the coming days to fix problems that nagged all season. Counsell, fellow infielder Casey McGehee and pitcher Braden Looper will each undergo relatively minor procedures next week to clean up right knee injuries and left-hander Parra will have surgery on his left shoulder. All four procedures will be performed by Dr. William Raasch, the team's head physician. In chronological order: • Parra will undergo what a club official stressed was a routine surgery on Tuesday to clean up the AC joint in his left shoulder. The procedure has been planned for some time, and the injury did not prevent Parra from making his final starts of the season for the team. It's also "not even remotely close" to the shoulder issues in Parra's past, according to assistant general manager Gord Ash. Parra had season-ending surgery in August 2005 to repair a torn rotator cuff. "What Dr. Raasch is going to do is eliminate the friction" outside of Parra's shoulder joint, Ash said. "It's nothing inside the joint. It's been nagging him all year, but not nagging to the point where he couldn't pitch. There is some irritation there, so we're going to take this opportunity to eliminate it. It's kind of like having a pebble in your shoe." Ash hoped the surgery would provide some peace of mind for Parra, who had a trying season. He went 11-11 but posted a 6.36 ERA in 27 starts and spent three weeks in the Minor Leagues following a June demotion. Of the 67 National League pitchers who worked at least 100 innings, only teammate Dave Bush (6.38) had a higher ERA than Parra. • As previously reported, McGehee will also have surgery on Tuesday, an arthroscopic procedure to clean out loose bodies from his right knee. McGehee played most of the season with pain in the joint, and has known since the All-Star break that he would probably require surgery. McGehee enjoyed a breakthrough season in spite of the constant knee pain, which affected him more in the field than at the plate. He singled in his first at-bat in Sunday's season finale to finish with a .301 batting average, and his 66 RBIs led all Major League rookies. McGehee also hit 16 home runs. Manager Ken Macha pulled McGehee from Sunday's game early to preserve his batting average. "That's something he by no means had to do, and I appreciated it," McGehee said. "I thought [my year] went pretty well. I want to get my defense back next year to where I expect it to be at. Other than that, I feel like I had a solid year." • Also, as expected, Looper will have surgery next week to fix torn meniscus in his right knee. Looper told reporters on Saturday that he pitched all year with the issue. He led the Brewers and set a career high with 14 wins and led the National League with 34 starts, but also led the Majors by allowing 113 earned runs, 39 home runs and posted a 5.22 ERA. Looper wondered aloud whether the pain in his knee contributed to his trouble keeping the ball in the park. "I tried the best I can to get the ball down because that's my whole game," Looper said Saturday. "I don't know [if the knee played a part in pitches staying up]. I know I haven't been as consistent this year. That's the thing that upsets me, I hope that [the knee] didn't cause that." • Counsell has been dealing with an injury similar to Looper's since Spring Training, when he briefly considered surgery that would have sidelined him for several weeks. Instead, he opted to play through it and enjoyed his best season in years, batting .285 -- a career high for a full season -- with a .766 OPS -- his best mark since 2000. In recent days, Counsell had said he would not have surgery. On Monday, he changed his mind and will also have his surgery scheduled for next week. • In another medical matter, Ash said that outfielder Corey Hart had visited on Monday with Dr. Don Sheridan, a Phoenix-based hand specialist who confirmed the diagnosis of Hart's right hand injury. Hart has a pair of sprained fingers but no fractures and will require only rehabilitation.Adam McCalvy is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
