Meat Wagon

JJO's blog post this morning has some notes on the Meat Wagon:

-The Astros are among MLB leaders with 21 trips to the DL this season, paying almost $9 million. The Mets have paid over $41m to hurt players.

-Oswalt doesn't want to miss any more starts this season, even though he left with a strained back (of course not, he wants to get to double-digit wins).
"My back feels all right. I threw (Monday) off flat ground and felt OK. I think I'll be fine to go, but I'm not throwing a bullpen (in between)."

-Keppinger should be back (pun intended) today after missing four games with a strained back.
“It's getting better, getting better. I'm hoping I'm good to get in there (today).”

-Welcome to The Show, Chris Johnson. Yorman Bazardo, in a simulated game before the G138, clunked Johnson on the head.
“It hurt. I still have a headache."
Not cool, Yorman, not cool. You're lucky Johnson is bright-eyed and throbbing-templed enough about being in Houston that he doesn't care.

Cooper, on the lack of Yormans in the game:
“He just needed to get some work. He hadn't been in a game, and he needed to face some hitters. He had been sitting out there for nine, 10 days without seeing a hitter. It's one thing to throw a pen and another thing to face a hitter. He unfortunately hit one (batter), but the ball came out of his hand real good and I saw some good movement. He threw some real good sliders. I just would like to see him command the zone a little bit better. I've talked to him about that.”

And finally, Ed Wade on Johnson and Manzella:
“If nothing else, it's a chance for them to absorb some of the atmosphere. Chris Johnson has already absorbed some of it with a fastball in the helmet. It's a chance for guys to become familiar with the big league surroundings. I'm sure (manager Cecil Cooper) will find some playing time for them along the way, but by and large it's just sort of to absorb what this is all about and hopefully get a clearer understanding of what it means to be a big league ballplayer.”