Tigers halt Zumaya's rehab plan

6/18/2008

Joel Zumaya was nowhere to be found at Fifth Third Field when the Mud Hens took the field yesterday.

He had a plane to San Diego to catch.

Zumaya was scratched from his rehab appearance against the Syracuse Chiefs yesterday, and instead threw a short, 14-pitch bullpen session in Toledo before the game. He packed his bags quickly and said he would join the Tigers in San Diego for their three-game series against the Padres on Friday.

"They gave me the call and said meet [us] in San Diego," Zumaya said as he was leaving the Hens' clubhouse. He is originally from the San Diego area.

Recovering from offseason surgery on his right shoulder, Zumaya gave up three runs (one earned) and struck out four in four appearances with Toledo. He last worked for the Hens Monday night, allowing an unearned run on two hits and two strikeouts. His shoulder felt fine, he said.

Tigers general manager Dave Dombrowski said in a telephone interview that the plan is to activate Zumaya from the disabled list for Friday night's game.

"He'll have Wednesday and Thursday off, so he should be ready to go," Dombrowski said. "But we still have to see him first, so I'm not putting it at 100 percent [for Friday]."

Zumaya, a flamethrower whose fastball can reach triple digits on a radar gun, hasn't pitched for Detroit this season. His best season was his rookie year in 2006, when he went 6-3 with a 1.94 ERA in 62 games.

Last year, Zumaya missed almost four months with a right middle finger strain. He underwent surgery Oct. 31, for an injury he suffered when a box fell on his shoulder while preparing to evacuate his family's home during the Southern California wildfires.

RHYME AND REASON: International League president Randy Mobley said by telephone yesterday that Hens manager Larry Parrish was suspended for four games instead of three because of the "severity of the infraction."

He was suspended for shoving umpire Chris Conroy twice and poking his finger in umpire Kevin Causey's chest several times after he was ejected from Sunday night's game. Parrish served the second game of his suspension yesterday.

Mobley, who doled out Parrish's suspension, said "when you have multiple infractions within a single incident" he was inclined to lengthen the punishment.

"What I saw was a bumping, pushing, poking incident," Mobley said.

On Monday, the day the suspension was handed down, Mobley's assistant Chris Sprague said there was no league statement regarding Parrish's actions or punishment.

Mobley would not disclose the amount of money Parrish was fined. He said Conroy and Causey were not reprimanded.

Conroy put himself between Causey and Parrish, and put his hands on Parrish before the Hens manager shoved him.

"It was done in a manner of trying to let the air out of the situation," Mobley said of Conroy's actions.

Conroy ejected Syracuse hitting coach Al LeBoeuf in the third inning yesterday.

A LOOK AHEAD: The Hens are off today and begin an eight-game road trip tomorrow against the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees. After four with the Yanks, Toledo heads to Syracuse to play the Chiefs four more times.

Probable pitchers for the first two games between the Hens and SWB are: Toledo right-hander Virgil Vasquez (4-6, 5.08 ERA) against Yankees RHP Alan Horne (2-0, 3.44) tomorrow; Hens RHP Lauren Gagnier (1-1, 3.60) against Yanks RHP Dan McCutchen (1-4, 3.62) Friday night.