Team doctors agreed that Cardinals shortstop Rafael Furcal did not need surgery on his elbow ligaments. Furcal was not in favor of surgery. However, after continued problems this spring, Furcal has been shut down from baseball activity and will not seek the opinion of Dr. James Andrews.
An MRI taken on Friday revealed that Furcal is dealing with inflammation around his ulnar collateral ligament, which sustained a Grade 2 tear last August. He is hopeful that he can avoid surgery, which doesn’t seem like it will be a recommendation, given that there is no evidence of another tear in the ligament.
On the field Monday, the Minnesota Twins got to starter Lance Lynn early, putting up three runs in the first and finishing with a 7-0 win. Four of the Twins’ first five hitters to face Lynn reached base with a single. Lynn was satisfied because they were all ground balls. Lynn went on to finish 2 1/3 innings and allowed only one other hit. He threw 48 pitches, 29 of which were strikes.
Tony LaRussa dealt with shingles in 2011, now Mike Matheny is dealing with a ruptured disk in his back. Matheny was in the dugout, but didn’t manage on Friday, because the pain was bad. He received an epidural shot on Monday. If that doesn’t work, he may have to consider surgery.
