Saturday, May 22, 1999
Neagle weakness confirmed by specialist
BY CHRIS HAFT
The Cincinnati Enquirer
SAN DIEGO — More work appeared in store for Reds pitcher Denny Neagle after the left-hander was found to have weakness in his left rotator cuff — confirming the team's spring training diagnosis.
Neagle visited Los Angeles on Friday to receive a second opinion from Dr. Ralph Gambardella of the Kerlan-Jobe clinic. But the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examination Neagle underwent told the Reds nothing new.
The Reds' options include leaving Neagle in the starting rotation and hoping he can strengthen himself while playing, despite his 0-3 record and 8.17 ERA, or returning him to the disabled list to resume the rehabilitation program he began in February. The team's immediate plans for Neagle weren't clear, because results of the tests were announced during Friday night's game against the San Diego Padres.
After Neagle allowed six runs and seven hits in 1ö innings in Wednesday's 24-12 victory at Colorado, Reds pitching coach Don Gullett said the 30-year-old lacked arm strength, though he spent spring training and the start of the season building the muscles in the back of his shoulder.
Neagle, who won 52 games from 1996-98 before Cincinnati obtained him Nov.10 from Atlanta in the Bret Boone trade, was expected to anchor the pitching staff.
“Obviously, we're very disappointed,” Reds General Manager Jim Bowden said before Friday's tests. “He hasn't won a game, and he's not pitching the way he was the last four years. A healthy Denny Neagle makes us a better ball club.”
The Reds believed that Neagle would regain strength after he was activated from the disabled list April 21. He pitched six shutout innings at Philadelphia on April 27 in his second start. But in four outings since, he has yielded 19 runs and 28 hits, including six home runs, in 15ô innings.
“I'm not saying he's not healthy,” Bowden said. “But we've watched him pitch for a month and a half and we haven't seen any progress.”
Reds Stories
Reds page
