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Puma's injury could be big trouble for Astros
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If Lance Berkman is hurt, the Astros will struggle.
Opening Day for the Astros is just a week away.
Things have been looking up of late. The team went almost a week without losing a spring training game. The starting pitcher candidates are looking better. Pudge Rodriguez looks like he might have something left.
Pitchers like Mike Hampton and Russ Ortiz have looked healthy, which is an absolute must for this team to be any better than the 73 1/2 wins most Web sites like bodoglife.com (and Vegas books) say.
The eternal optimism of spring was starting to reach a fever pitch.
Then Lance Berkman got a sore arm.
Technically, he has tendonitis in his biceps. He missed Sunday's game and is expected to miss a few more, according to MLB.com's Alyson Footer.
The injury does not appear serious. Berkman says he can swing a bat with no pain, but has trouble throwing the ball.
The Astros simply can't afford to lose two players on the roster -- the Puma and Roy Oswalt. Without either guy, that under 73 1/2 number looks pretty safe. Not only that, but both guys simply have to be at their absolute best.
So a sore arm a week before Opening Day has to be a serious cause for conern.
Berkman is the Astros' most important offensive player. The scariest thing is there is absolutely no depth behind him. Darin Erstad can play first, but there goes your outfield depth, which is thin anyway. And Berkman's bat out of the lineup can't be replaced.
The Astros are notoriously slow starters, too. So any injury to one of the stars -- no matter how "minor" it may appear -- is cause for concern. Berkman is 33 years old, and has a lot of wear and tear on his body. Little injuries can become large ones.
Hopefully, the injury is just one of those minor spring training things that happen, and will be quickly forgotten in a day or two.
If not? So much for all that spring optimism.
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