It seemed like Brandon Backe was barely starting to progress in the right direction, tossing two scoreless innings during yesterday's game against the
Pirates. Now he's going to miss at least one start due to an injury ( strained rib cage muscle ) he suffered during the first inning.
Backe says he's fine and won't miss much time ( perhaps one start ), but keep in mind this is the same injury he missed five weeks with, back in 2005.
The injury probably isn't as severe as before, but this is definitely a concern to monitor all season long.
Some people on this forum would rather see Backe released, much less make the starting rotation but I had always held out some hope for him throughout the
years. He just has never developed into the type of starting pitcher I had envisioned back in 2004.
It's 2009 already ( five years later ) and I'm still uncertain about Backe's long-term contributions to the team. He's just not reliable or
healthy enough during the course of a 162-game season. I'm starting to think he's better suited for any type of bullpen role.
If the Astros ever play another postseason game at Minute Maid Park, there's no question I'd like to have Brandon Backe on the mound. But other than
that, I'm not sure he's ever been the type of starting pitcher I thought he would be.
