MINNEAPOLIS — After arm injuries in 2011, Minnesota starting pitchers Scott Baker and Nick Blackburn both insist they're healthy.
The Twins need them to be.
Both starters had their 2011 seasons cut short as they joined the long list of injured Twins players. Baker was shut down for more than a month in early August with a strained right elbow. Blackburn, meanwhile, didn't pitch after Aug. 21 because of a right forearm strain.
Baker's injury was particularly frustrating for both he and the Twins. Before his injury, Baker was Minnesota's top starter. At the All-Star break, Baker was 7-5 with a 3.01 ERA in 17 starts.
He started just four games after that, however, in addition to two relief appearances in late September.
"I think I would probably have treated it a little bit differently if we would have been playing competitive baseball at the time, shooting for the playoffs," Baker said of his return in late September. "It was kind of a long process to throw two or three innings. But it was something that I probably didn't have to do that I wanted to do just for the peace of mind going into the offseason knowing I could take the proper amount of time off from throwing and just treat it as I normally would as far as the conditioning."
Baker's injury did not require offseason surgery. Blackburn, meanwhile, did have a procedure on his right forearm — and he had the scar to prove it last week at TwinsFest at the Metrodome. The surgery helped relieve what was diagnosed as radial tunnel syndrome, which causes increased pressure on the nerves in the forearm.
Blackburn left his start against the New York Yankees on Aug. 21 after just four outs and was shut down for the rest of the season. Though the injury occurred in that game, Blackburn said he thinks it was something that was building over time.
"I don't think I was totally healthy before everything went completely south in that Yankees game," he said. "But the change-up started flattening out a month or two before that. That was a sign, you know. That was something that was painful for my wrist to begin with. I started having little symptoms pop up and it just got gradually, not where it was necessarily painful, but a little more annoying each week as the days went on."
When the season ended, Blackburn opted for surgery and spent 11 days with his right arm in a cast. He said he hopes the surgery will prevent it from becoming a recurring issue.
"It was to the point where it wasn't getting any better," Blackburn said. "I guess it was not damaged, but it was something that definitely needed to happen. The nerve was creased, and it was changing colors a little bit. So there was definitely signs of an issue in there. (The doctor) said the surgery went really well. So far, everything's going great."
Blackburn finished the year 7-10 with a 4.49 ERA in 26 starts and walked a career-high 3.3 batters per nine innings. The Twins are counting on both Blackburn and Baker to have bounce-back seasons as they'll join a rotation that will likely include Carl Pavano, Francisco Liriano and offseason acquisition Jason Marquis.
As of last week, Blackburn had thrown four or five bullpen sessions and said "everything felt healthy." Like Blackburn, Baker started throwing again right after Christmas and had already thrown off a mound a few times.
With pitchers and catchers reporting to spring training in Fort Myers, Fla., in just over two weeks, Baker and Blackburn both say they'll be ready to pick up where they left off before their injuries.
But can they stay healthy?
"I know I can do it. It's just a matter of doing it," Baker said. "I guess the question is, have you done everything you possibly could to prepare to do that? And I feel like I have. Really, to worry about it or to be anxious about it really is pointless. As long as you're putting the effort in and you have the know-how, then you did the best you could and you let it fly. That's all you can do."
The Twins — whose starters had a combined 4.64 ERA, 26th in all of baseball in 2011 — are hoping Baker and Blackburn can put their injuries in the past. Last year's team spent as much time in the trainer's room as it did on the field. As a result, Minnesota lost 99 games and finished last in the AL Central.
Any chance of a rebound in 2012 could hinge on the rotation — and the health of Baker and Blackburn.
"It was bad. By the time I was on the DL, everybody was so amazed and just over the fact that was not something that ever happens," Blackburn said of the 2011 season. "That was a mess. It obviously wasn't pretty, but I think everybody knows we have more talent than that. If we keep everybody healthy, it should be a different story."
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