Angels : Dan Petry’s Back Injury Not Good, but It Could Be Worse

The doctor’s report is in, and now Angel pitcher Dan Petry knows precisely what’s wrong with his lower back.

“The bad news is that I have a herniated disk,” Petry said Wednesday. “The good news is that it’s very minute.”

And what does that mean?

“It’s a glorified description of a sore back,” Petry said.

Actually, it’s more than that. A herniated disk, according to Dr. Lewis Yocum, the Angels’ physician, is basically a bulging disk, which causes pain when it rubs against nerve endings. The larger the bulge, the more serious the injury and the greater the pain.

That Petry’s bulge is small encouraged Yocum, even though the problem still figures to put a major crimp in Petry’s spring training agenda. Petry is not expected to resume throwing until next week, at the earliest, and whether he pitches before the Angels break camp for Palm Springs March 16 is about a 50-50 proposition.

“It’s very small, and it doesn’t appear to be putting any pressure on the nerve root,” Yocum said of the bulge. “There hasn’t been a neurological deficit (i.e. no pain in Petry’s legs, no loss of strength in his back).

“What I wanted was to make sure the disk is not ruptured. A herniation is a bulge. Orthopedically, there’s a world of difference.”

Petry injured his back last Thursday while picking up baseballs during an agility drill. At first, it was believed that he had suffered a muscle strain, but Yocum scheduled a back scan for the pitcher Sunday to determine if he had suffered a disk injury.

A bulge is there, the scan showed, but Yocum said it was unclear whether it was caused by last Thursday’s mishap.

“Could it have happened 10 years ago? Yes,” Yocum said. “Could it have happened when he bent over last week? Yes. You can’t date these things.

“One reason I wanted the (scan) is to see what we’re dealing with.”

Angel Manager Gene Mauch described Wednesday’s findings as encouraging.

“Sure, it sounds scary, but it isn’t a crippling thing,” Mauch said. “When (the bulge) comes out the size of a golf ball or an orange, then I’d worry about it. This one, I am told, has recessed to the size of a small pea. I’m no expert on peas, but I assume a small pea is pretty small.”

Said Petry: “They called it ‘minute.’ That’s smaller than ‘slight.’ That sounds pretty small to me.”

OK, so it’s small. But until it heals, the Angels are still minus one starting pitcher.

“When I’m pain free, I’ll be out there,” Petry said.

And how long will that take? A week to a month, depending on who is talking.

Asked if Petry will be ready for the regular season, which opens April 4, Yocum replied: “Oh, yeah. I would rather take an extra couple of days now than have to have him take time (off) later. Our main focus is to have him ready for the season safely.”

A riskier bet is whether Petry will able to pitch during the Angels’ Arizona phase of spring training--roughly the next two weeks.

“Realistically, I’d say yes, because that’s the way I want it,” Mauch said. “We’d like Dan to go out there four or five times before opening day. But, if he can’t, he can’t.”

And from Petry: “I don’t know how long it will take. I don’t think it will be a long period of time. Will I be back before Palm Springs? Right now, I’d say so, but that’s because I like to look optimistically at things.”

Considering the Angels’ other pitching options, that’s about the only way they can afford to look at it.

Angel Notes

Outfielder Dante Bichette signed a one-year contract Wednesday, meaning that Angel General Mike Port has 10 players to bring under contract today if he wants to meet his self-imposed March 3 deadline. “It’s going to be a busy day,” Angel publicist Tim Mead said. Most prominent among the unsigned are first baseman Wally Joyner, second baseman Mark McLemore, third baseman Jack Howell, center fielder Devon White and pitchers Kirk McCaskill and DeWayne Buice.

After today’s final intrasquad game, the Angels will leave for Yuma to open their exhibition schedule with a three-game series against the San Diego Padres. Because no designated hitters will be used in the three games, Brian Downing will not make the trip. Neither will Johnny Ray, who will remain in Mesa for some one-on-one training with outfield instructor Lee Walls. “After three days together, he and I will know each other pretty good,” Walls said.

Add Yuma: A third absentee, for obvious reasons, will be Dan Petry. And for Petry, a new Angel, that will mean no three-hour bus ride through the Arizona desert, no viewing of the beautiful blue water tower in downtown Yuma, no sampling of the always-vibrant night life. “I was looking forward to Yuma,” Petry said, grinning. “I like to experience everything life has to offer.”