NEW YORK —Angels reliever Jordan Walden
was placed on the 15-day disabled list Sunday because of a right biceps
strain, an injury that is not believed to be serious but one the
hard-throwing right-hander could no longer pitch through.
Walden said his shoulder had been bothering him for a few weeks and “flared up bad” after his last outing against the Baltimore Orioles on July 8. After a bullpen workout Friday in Yankee Stadium, his arm “was in knots … my biceps is very, very weak.”
Walden,
who is 2-2 with a 3.86 earned run average in 31 games, tried to pitch
through a sore shoulder at double-A Arkansas in 2009, and that led to a
forearm injury that sidelined him for several months. So he and the team
figured it was best to go on the DL and take measures to strengthen the
shoulder.
“Every pitcher is going to pitch with a little inflammation,” Manager Mike Scioscia
said, “but when it gets to a point where you don’t feel you can
comfortably execute your pitches, it’s time to take a step back.”
Walden
described the setback as “a little bump in the road,” and he expects to
return either on or soon after July 24, the day he is eligible to come
off the DL. He was replaced on the roster by outfielder Kole Calhoun.
