And then there were six...

By: Big Rygg

"This is why you have seven or eight guys instead of five guys." - Assistant GM Gord Ash

It's interesting how things work out sometimes. In a spring where our Milwaukee Brewers entered camp with eight viable arms for the five-man starting rotation, we now stand on the precipice of the season with only six healthy options.

It had long been a health-contingent lock that Ben Sheets, Jeff Suppan and Yovani Gallardo would make the rotation. Well, that contingency jumped up and bit Gallardo in the knee a little bit. He'll be okay (he's already pitched in a minor league game after being officially placed on the disabled list), but that's the true tight rope in professional athletics...all athletics really...injuries.

So, here we are. Sheets has been officially named as the Opening Day starter against the Scrubs in Chicago on March 31st. Suppan will pitch game #2 on April 2nd. After that, Ned Yost has admitted that he doesn't know yet how the remainder of his rotation will shake out or shape up.

But we've now got four healthy options for those three non-Sheets, non-Soup starting slots. They are, in alphabetical order:

Dave Bush, Manny Parra, Claudio Vargas and Carlos Villanueva

But this post isn't about these four men. This post is about why we're down to four men for three slots. In case you haven't heard, Chris Capuano's elbow injury is officialy the worst-case scenario.

In what could have been a make or break start for Capuano anyway as he was in a dog fight for a spot in this year's starting rotation, Cappy tore the ulnar collateral ligament in his throwing arm...again. Chris Capuano needs a second ligament replacement surgery. In more readily known terminology, Cappy needs "Tommy John" surgery again.

While this kind of surgery has become, unfortunately, quite "routine", an extremely low number of pitchers have come back from two of these surgeries. Fortunately, Chris Capuano has the mental makeup to be one of those pitchers. I'm no doctor, but I suppose the fact that he doesn't throw 95 MPH will help his cause, though I doubt that there's any substantial difference in the torque on your elbow between throwing 90 and throwing 95...maybe I'm just hoping for the best for Cappy. Even though I didn't think he deserved to be in this rotation based on the talent competing with him, I didn't want him out of the running due to an injury. I would never wish harm on anyone that doesn't wear a Cub uniform.

Okay, okay...I'm not that sadistic as to wish injury on them. But I don't exactly cry when it happens either.

But back to the point, Chris Capuano has two options. Surgery or a grueling three-month rehab that has a 20% chance of working. He chose surgery once before and chances are good that he'll do the same this time as it does give him the best chance at pitching again in the Major Leagues.

So, best of luck to Cappy as he embarks on another year of pain, rehab and mental anguish.

As for our rotation...let's hope the next decision as to who isn't going to make it gets to be made by Ned Yost and Mike Maddux instead of a doctor.