Since the pitchers have now been throwing in camp for about a month, this is generally the time when you start to see guys stop throwing for a few days as a precautionary reaction to some soreness. The latest big name on that front is A's closer Andrew Bailey. Bailey has a condition called lateral epicondylitis that is basically soreness on the outside of the upper arm near the elbow. He'll stop throwing for about a week and the A's still expect to have him ready to go by Opening Day.
Bailey, 25, won the AL Rookie of the Year last season when he closed 26 games for the A's -- after not even being one of their top three closing options heading into the season. He had a 1.84 ERA, 0.88 WHIP and struck out 91 hitters in 83 1/3 innings. Those are the numbers of an elite closer, so it would be a big blow for the A's if they lost him for any bit of time.
Fortunately, though, he should be just fine here in a week.




