Cause for Concern?

On Monday, April 7, I had a conversation with a reliable ESPN sports reporter who works closely with Major League teams. Our talk began with my asking him what he thought about the Dodgers having enough offense.

“Well, I would be worried if Matt Kemp doesn’t start to hit,” he said, “but I’m concerned about Chad Billingsley being hurt.”

This statement surprised me, as I had not read or heard anything about this. He elaborated, “I spoke to some reliable sources who said that his elbow might be hurt. I spoke to [general manager Ned] Colletti, this was February 18th, and he said everything was fine. Then Billingsley had a terrible spring training, so I think it could be something that he hasn’t informed the team about yet.”

Billingsley did indeed struggle during spring training. He posted a 7.43 ERA in 13.1 innings.  Although 2008 is too young to draw any conclusion from, he has thus far struck out 2 in 2.1 innings and walked 1.

This information is purely speculation, but interesting none-the-less. Billingsley will take the mound on tonight (April in Arizona. Keep a close eye on this game and let’s hope my source is wrong.