Izzy's out

By Joe Strauss
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
08/20/2008

All-time Cardinals saves leader Jason Isringhausen walked away from the club Tuesday with what is believed to be a career-threatening torn flexor muscle near his right elbow.

Team medical supervisor Dr. George Paletta confirmed the finding to general manager John Mozeliak Tuesday night after reading the results from a magnetic resonance imaging of the elbow, according to sources familiar with the situation. The Brighton, Ill., native knew enough about his condition before leaving Busch Stadium early Tuesday afternoon to inform some club personnel, "I’m done."

The tear is located to the inside of Isringhausen’s elbow, according to sources familiar with Paletta’s finding, and causes him problems gripping the ball and flexing his wrist. Rest was prescribed but surgery could eventually become necessary should Isringhausen want to extend his career.

The injury apparently ends the tenure of one of the Cardinals’ most productive free agent signings and a core contributor to one of the most successful runs in recent franchise history.

Paletta examined the elbow during the club’s recent three-game series in Chicago and Isringhausen began receiving treatment. The reliever complained to several teammates of tenderness in the region after his last appearance, a one-inning outing in Saturday’s 9-3 win over the Cincinnati Reds.

"The last time he pitched, I could tell he was doing a lot of elbow-twisting out there, the kind of movement you recognize as someone trying to shake it off," said fellow reliever Russ Springer. "I knew he might have something going on in there, which is a shame because he was starting to throw the ball pretty decent."

Isringhausen endured shoulder and hip surgeries in seven seasons with the club but endured to convert 217 of his career 293 saves for his hometown team.

Manager Tony La Russa said he did not believe Isringhausen’s injury was career threatening; however, Isringhausen turns 37 next month and suggested to several team members Tuesday that he may be through coming back from such problems.

Among a lengthy list of repairs, Isringhausen required elbow ligament transplant surgery in January 1998. The club said in a release the current condition is related to tendon rather than ligament.

La Russa met with Isringhausen Tuesday afternoon but emerged unsure how long his former closer might have pitched with the condition.

"You can’t stress enough how that the hero stuff sometimes works in war but it doesn’t work here," La Russa said. "I didn’t get a real good, accurate [read] when he started feeling this. I don’t know."

The Cardinals will place Isringhausen on the disabled list today for the second time this season and for the fourth time during his tenure with the team. This season’s first stint followed a May incident in which he landed an open-handed punch against a clubhouse television following a blown save in Milwaukee.

It is unclear when the muscle tear was first diagnosed; however, club sources indicated Isringhausen might have pitched with discomfort for some time.

The weak grip and wrist problems are consistent with what some of the issues that contributed to Isringhausen’s abrupt loss of form that contributed to his landing on the disabled list May 16.

"There are a lot of times media and the fans don’t know, and they can’t know the real things going on with the players," said Adam Wainwright, who claimed no prior knowledge of Isringhausen’s problem. "I think he was just trying to battle through and give his team all he can."

After missing a month, Isringhausen was reactivated into a middle-relief role. He secured his final save Aug. 1 in a 6-3 win over the Philadelphia Phillies that came during a weeklong second chance as closer. A difficult Aug. 5 outing moved La Russa to return him to a middle-long relief role.

Isringhausen appeared only twice after striking out three in a two-inning outing Aug. 7 against the Los Angeles Dodgers. He threw a scoreless inning against the Florida Marlins last Tuesday and, in what could be his final career outing, earned a hold in Cincinnati Saturday.

Isringhausen was 1-5 with a 5.70 ERA in 42 appearances this season, leaving him 45-49 with a 3.61ERA in 612 career games. He stands tied for 162nd place on the all-time appearance list with Jerry Koosman.

Isringhausen’s absence Tuesday went largely unnoticed as attention focused on the possible return of starting pitchers Adam Wainwright and Chris Carpenter from the disabled list. Isringhausen approached several fellow relievers before leaving but others were surprised to learn he had left the ballpark before the start of pre-game stretching.

"It’s tough to see his time here, and possibly his career, be up like this," Springer said. "You like to see him be able to throw the ball the way he’d like to throw it.

"Izzy’s a proud guy. He wanted to pitch better than this in front of these fans. I know it bothered him every time they booed him. I just wish he could have finished strong in front of the home fans and end up the way he wanted."

The Cardinals signed Isringhausen on Dec. 11, 2001 to a lesser deal than one offered by the Texas Rangers. He averaged 34 saves the next six seasons, including a career-high 47 in 2004 when the franchise reached its first World Series in 17 years.

A degenerative left hip condition forced Isringhausen to undergo two procedures, the most recent in September 2006 forced him to miss the team’s unlikely run to a world championship. He returned last season to convert 32 of 34 save chances, the game’s second-best success rate.

"He did a lot of great things here that he should be proud of," Mozeliak said.





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