Despite struggles with toe, El Duque will stay on mound
by Ken Davidoff
Staff Writer
Like most Yankees fans, Brian Cashman scours through the area newspapers each morning, searching for information about his team. Unlike most Yankees fans, the team's general manager can then eliminate the middle person and ask follow-up questions.
Yesterday, Cashman went to Orlando Hernandez at Yankee Stadium, where El Duque was preparing for his start against Cleveland tonight, and asked the 35-year-old whether he thought his inflamed left second toe could cause him to miss certain road starts, as Joe Torre said Wednesday.
"I talked to Duque, and that's not accurate,? Cashman said yesterday.
Accuracy and severity are always painted in grays when it comes to El Duque's health, and this latest ailment opens up a new series of questions. How much has this injury contributed to the injury-prone Hernandez's 0-5 record and 5.14 ERA in nine starts? When did he first feel this ailment, and how did it start? In light of the fact that Yankees pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre spoke of having a similar condition during his pitching days, and Stottlemyre needed surgery to fix it, what is the likelihood that pitching with the toe will make it worse?
"It was of minimal concern, and obviously when it's still bothering him, it goes up the radar screen,? Cashman said. "It's not under control until he's pain-free.?
Numerous times, Hernandez has frustrated the Yankees with his lack of communication, which has far more to do with his volatile personality than his limited English. El Duque simply doesn't trust many people. Hence, the shroud of mystery continues to layer every chapter of his Yankees career.
An inflamed toe can often be seen in long jumpers, according to Daniel Hamner of the American College of Sports Medicine and New York Hospital. Said Hamner: "The general inflammation is just from the tissues reacting to the repeated trauma [of the toe landing on the mound].?
Hamner suggested padding the toe, and the Yankees have tried that, with some success. The team sent Hernandez home from Boston to see Thomas Hamilton, a Manhattan-based foot and ankle specialist, on Wednesday. They have decided that for now, it's all right to let Hernandez keep pitching. They believe he will not risk making the ailment worse, or hurting other areas of his body to compensate for the toe.
"It really hasn't altered his delivery,? Stottlemyre said Wednesday. "It's more a matter of how he lands.?
Torre revealed on Wednesday that Stottlemyre needed surgery to correct a similar problem, and Cashman has spoken with Stottlemyre about this. "Mel said to me that he's not sure if he had what Duque had,? Cashman said. "He had something on his foot and his toe, and he had to have surgery, that's what he told me. Obviously, this was [a long time] ago.?
And there have been several medical advancements since then."I wouldn't even consider surgery at this point,? Hamner said. He recommended heat treatment, massage and anti-inflammatory medication, all of which are apparently being used for Hernandez.
"It's just, ?Is the pain manageable or not?'? Cashman said. "That was really the question we discussed on Wednesday.?
Hernandez has clocked good starts recently, so it's possible he will make it through the season all right. Yet this is a question that will have to be asked constantly, because with El Duque, the answer can change without warning.
