[mikev]

Lugo Out Remainder Of Season

Something didn't quite seem right.

In his June 1 start against Birmingham, Crusaders starting pitcher Javier Lugo, who had been enjoying a resurgent season, just didn't look okay on the mound. His velocity was down, barely touching 90 miles an hour when he regularly touched 95 on the gun. His pitches didn't have the bite they normally do, and he was getting knocked around. With one out in the second inning, Lugo signaled to the dugout. After a visit from the trainer, Lugo left the game.

During the post-game press conference (the Crusaders fell, 2-0), the subject of Lugo came up. The Crusader's manager had a grim look on his face. "Well, Javy was having a pretty rough spasm that he tried to pitch through -- he thought it was just a little tweak because he hadn't completely warmed up, but it never went away. He's headed out for an evaluation right now, actually, so that's really all the information that I can give you."

That night, a fantasy blog broke the news that wouldn't be announced by the team until the next day:

Javier Lugo - CAL

The San Francisco Chronicle speculates that Javier Lugo (back) "might be out for the rest of the season."
The newspaper calls it "a likely situation" due to structural damage sustained from a back spasm. So far this season Lugo is 4-4 with a 2.69 ERA and 1.05 whip.

Crusaders GM Mike Voelker was quoted in the subsequent press release that the team sent out:

"After leaving the game against Birmingham and being examined by our medical staff, we have learned that Javier Lugo's back spasms caused damage that will require surgery to repair. While the surgery itself is minimally invasive, it's also never okay to try and rush back from a back injury of any type. Team surgeons estimate a minimum of five months before any type of baseball activity can be resumed, and anywhere from six to seven for complete recovery. Obviously that puts us into the offseason, so yes Javier's season is over."

Lugo was placed on the 60-day disabled list, and 22 year old George Adams was called up to take his spot in the rotation.