| | Associated Press
MIAMI -- Florida Marlins ace Alex Fernandez received good
news Monday when an MRI revealed that his sore elbow is due to a
sprained ligament.
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| Fernandez |
As a result, Fernandez is expected to miss only one start. The
Marlins had feared that the diagnosis might be worse.
"I wasn't even thinking that way," Fernandez said. "I don't
know if my mind could handle that."
The right-hander has made an impressive comeback from rotator
cuff surgery that forced him to miss the 1998 season. Fernandez
underwent the MRI after the elbow bothered him in his past two
starts.
"The last time I was in one of those tubes, it wasn't good
news," he said.
A slight, unconscious change in his pitching motion to favor the
shoulder may have caused the sore elbow. The injury was diagnosed
as a sprained ulnar collateral ligament.
"It's the best news we could get," manager John Boles said.
"We knew something was wrong, and the thing you fear is a tear.
It's one start versus the season, which is what you're talking
about."
Fernandez is 4-3 with a 3.99 ERA. Reliever Ricky Bones will take
Fernandez's turn in the rotation Thursday against Atlanta. | |
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