Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Miami falls flat in home game
The Trail Blazers beat the Heat, 115-104.
JUPITER — Martin Prado can sleep again after learning that the hamstring strain he suffered in the World Baseball Classic is not as severe as he feared.
The Miami Marlins third baseman underwent a MRI on Saturday that showed a Grade 1 strain to his lower right hamstring and a slight strain to the upper calf that will force him to miss the beginning of the regular season. But the medical report was a best-case scenario for Prado.
“I was concerned and disappointed,” said Prado, who was injured while playing for Venezuela in Wednesday’s 4-2 loss to the United States at San Diego.
“I thought I let my teammates down, [that] I let the Marlins down just because I was unable to come back here healthy. I was not sleeping. I was so worried about myself, worried about the team and worried about the future. So after I talked to a doctor it was a big relief to me.”
Although Prado avoided a long-term recovery that a more serious muscle tear would have required, manager Don Mattingly noted that hamstring injuries require time and the Marlins will be patient to ensure the injury doesn’t linger.
“Once he gets back he wants to make sure he’s ready to go and it’s not something that lingers all year long if he tries to come back
too quick.”
Asked if Prado could miss the first month of the season, Mattingly said, “Not necessarily. I’m just not putting a time table on it.”
Prado was unsure how to gauge his recovery as he hasn’t had a similar injury.
“I want to make sure that I’m 100 percent the whole way and not just trying to rush,” Prado said Sunday morning at the Marlins spring training complex. “I talked to a doctor and he recommended to make sure that I’m 100 percent sure that I’m not going to feel this pain again.”
Prado said he felt a pinch in his hamstring “like a needle” half-way to first base as he ran out a ground ball. He immediately left the game and shifted focus on how the injury would impact his season with the Marlins.
Prado, who is entering his third season with the Marlins, signed a threeyear, $40 million contract extension in the offseason. He hit .305 with eight home runs and 75 RBI last season, and is valued as one of the leaders in the clubhouse.
He was getting treatment Sunday morning and beginning range-of-motion exercises. He said it was too soon to project a return to the field.
“The best scenario right now is not Opening Day,” He said. “Just hoping that we can get it fixed and not worry about feeling this during the season.
“First of all we’re just going to get pain-free running,” Prado said. “That’s basically our main goal right now.”
Prado said he didn’t think playing out of position in left field that night contributed to his injury. Nor did he regret his experience in the WBC.
“It was fun. It was intense. It’s hard to believe that this time of the year how intense those games can get,” Prado said. “It’s a short competition, so every game matters. I think that’s one of the reasons why you’ve got to get locked in mentally and prepare yourself for every out and every at-bat.”
Mattingly has been supportive of his players being involved in the WBC, but said Prado’s injury is an example of why clubs are wary of the international tournament.
“You get in those games and you’ve had 10 days of spring training and you’ve got playoff intensity. Your mind says go, and sometimes maybe your body’s just not quite ready,” Mattingly said. “So those are the dangers of the WBC. But I love the fact that we grow the game. The games are fun to watch.”
Powering USA
The mammoth home run
Giancarlo Stanton hit to power Team USA past the Dominican Republic and into the WBC semifinals in San Diego late Saturday was the talk of Marlins camp.
Stanton launched a fastball from Ervin Santana into the third-level balcony in left field at Petco Park for a two-run homer that put the U.S. ahead to stay in the 6-3 win that eliminated the defending champion Dominicans.
Marlins figured prominently in arguably the biggest U.S. win in a WBC as
Christian Yelich drove in the tying run with a double.
“I saw the homer. I sent him a text after the game, and I was just so proud,” Prado said. “I know he’s representing his country, but at the same time he’s representing the Marlins. And Yelich, we’re always telling them how proud we are to see them succeed and representing their country.” Dominican natives Marcell Ozuna and Jose Urena were exceptions in not sharing in the joy.
Stanton came into the game batting .100 in the tournament and hadn’t started the previous two games. He singled and scored the first U.S. run, sparking the comeback from a 2-0 deficit.
Mattingly said it’s the type of game the Marlins hope Stanton can string together this season.
“Everybody knows he hits the ball a long way. But you would like him to be consistent, a guy that can give us good at-bats, not go a month’s stretch where it’s a struggle,” Mattingly said. “And he’s capable of that. So it’s just a matter of being consistent and helping us on a daily basis instead of one long homer.”