Wednesday, August 14, 2002
Gonzalez's streak jeopardized
By JOE KAY
AP Sports Writer
Luis Gonzalez's injured ribcage might end the longest active playing streak in the majors, just as the Arizona Diamondbacks start thinking about another run through the postseason.
Gonzalez left Tuesday night's game against the Reds in the third inning with an aching side, but Arizona pulled away to a 6-1 victory Reds without its top hitter.
Gonzalez, who hasn't missed a game since Sept. 30, 1999, got treatment for his side, injured on a swing Sunday. The strained ribcage tightened so much when he tried to run out a second-inning grounder that he had trouble breathing.
His 446-game playing streak will likely end today.
“I've never babied my body,” said Gonzalez, who leads the Diamondbacks in hits, homers and RBIs. “That's the first time I've had to say I need to come out of a game.”
Manager Bob Brenly isn't about to risk a long-term injury to Gonzalez by letting him play with the injury.
“We have to be careful with this thing,” Brenly said. “There's a lot of season left. I don't want to rush him and lose him for any amount of time.”
Gonzalez didn't seem to mind if his streak ends. “This team's in pennant contention and I don't want to jeopardize anything for the long run,” he said. “If I have to miss a game or two, that's what I'll do."
Time is on the Diamondbacks' side. The defending World Series champions have won 17 of their last 21, stretching their lead from one game to a season-high 7 1/2 after Tuesday's win.
They also got an encouraging performance Tuesday night by Rick Helling (8-8), who severely sprained his right ankle in a collision with the Dodgers' Brian Jordan while covering home on July 2. He made two more starts but fared poorly, and the Diamondbacks put him on the disabled list.
“I just thought I could deal with the pain,” said Helling, who gave up two singles and Aaron Boone's 23rd homer in seven innings. “I never realized how much it affected my mechanics. It's like night and day from where I was.”
The right-hander returned last Wednesday and gave up one run in seven innings while getting no decision against Atlanta. On Tuesday, he allowed only one runner to reach second — Boone, who hit his fifth homer in four games.
“Is it 100 percent? Probably not,” Helling said of the ankle. “But obviously it's good enough. These two starts have given me hope. The good thing is I've picked up where I left off, and I'm throwing good again.”
The Reds couldn't tell there was anything wrong with him.
“From the dugout, he looked tremendous,” manager Bob Boone said. “We couldn't square on the ball. We didn't give them much of a game, I know that.”
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Gonzalez's streak jeopardized
