After being bothered with hip and elbow problems for much of his 2011 season San Francisco Giants closer Brian Wilson came into Scottsdale this spring doing more cardio and baseball related activities instead of heavy lifting to easy up on some of his previous issues. And after his bullpen session on Monday was pain free, Wilson hopes to have smooth sailing here on in.
Wilson told reporters after his dialed back session (he threw about 80 percent) that injuries played a factor last year, but was far from making excuses:
"Probably pitching with a hurt elbow the whole year, and a bad hip. You could blame a ton of things. But I'm the one throwing the ball."
Wilson will throw again in two days under the supervision of pitching coach Dave Righetti and likely head trainer Dave Groschner. All parties involved seemed pleased with Wilson's session even 'testing the waters' with a couple of hard thrown heaters towards the end. This pleases the bearded one, who's definitely ready to get back to work:
"I feel like I'm right on schedule," Wilson said. "It's a check on the checklist. It's a standard bullpen. I don't look too deep into it. But as far as pain, I was pain-free. No ailments, no tweaks, no inflammation."
Skipper Bruce Bochy noted that Wilson's workhorse status will likely mean he won't need a lot of rust-shaking to do this Spring, and that everything is where it should be with him at the moment:
"I don't think he needs a lot of outings, to be honest," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "He's pretty simple with his delivery and I think that's going to help with his command. He was getting extension there. I liked where he was with his arm slot, with everything. I was happy today. He's on pace."
We'll keep you updated on his status, but it's looking like all systems will be a go for Wilson sooner than later baring any setbacks.
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