Cubs ace to get second opinion on back injury
By TIMES WIRES
Published September 12, 2006
ATLANTA - Carlos Zambrano's back ailment appears to have more questions than answers.
Zambrano flew to Miami on Monday to get a second opinion on his lower back injury, six days after Cubs doctors performed an MRI exam on the right-hander and said there was no structural damage and "no significant irritation" to his back.
Zambrano said Friday that his back felt much better, and he threw off flat ground Sunday.
The Cubs said he'd already made a request to get his back checked.
Zambrano, who is third in the NL with 188 strikeouts, was hurt during a Sept. 4 loss to Pittsburgh.
EX-PLAYER ARRESTED: Former outfielder Dwight Smith was arrested Friday in Peachtree City, Ga., and charged with cocaine possession and two traffic violations. Smith, 42, played from 1989-96 with the Cubs, Angels, Orioles and Braves and was a member of Atlanta's 1995 world championship team.
ANGELS: Right-handed reliever Brendan Donnelly dropped his appeal of a four-game suspension for hitting Texas' Freddy Guzman with a pitch and began serving the penalty.
ASTROS: Left-hander Andy Pettitte was pushed back a day from his scheduled start to allow a left ankle injury time to heal.
BREWERS: Tony Gwynn Jr., son of the former Padres great, was recalled from Triple-A Nashville. Gwynn, 23, was a second-round pick in the 2003 draft.
CARDINALS: Closer Jason Isringhausen received a cortisone shot for his ailing hip and won't be used until the weekend. The right-hander has not pitched since Wednesday.
ORIOLES: Right-hander Kris Benson was scratched from his start against the Yankees because of strep throat. Right-hander Rodrigo Lopez, who lost his spot in the rotation last week, replaced Benson.
TWINS: Francisco Liriano was activated from the disabled list two days before the rookie left-hander was scheduled to make his next start.
YANKEES: Closer Mariano Rivera will take an extra day of rest before testing his ailing pitching arm. The right-hander has been sidelined since Aug. 31 with a muscle strain near his elbow. He was slated to throw today, but that session was pushed back to Wednesday, manager Joe Torre said.