- Slug: Sports-Pollock speaks, 500 words
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By Ben LEIBOWITZ
Cronkite News
PHOENIX — Arizona Diamondbacks center fielder A.J. Pollock addressed reporters in the clubhouse Wednesday for the first time since injuring his thumb on May 14.
Pollock suffered an avulsion fracture of his left thumb when his glove bent awkwardly on a dive attempt with two outs in the ninth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers. The Diamondbacks have set no definitive timetable for Pollock’s return to the lineup although manager Torey Lovullo projected four to eight weeks after the injury occurred.
Despite being out of the lineup for 14 games, Pollock is still the team leader in home runs (11), doubles (tied with Daniel Descalso at 10), RBI (33), total bases (93) and OPS (.969). He was by far the Diamondbacks most consistent and reliable hitter before the injury.
Arizona, due mostly to a sputtering offense, has a 4-9 record in the 13 games played without Pollock since he got hurt.
“I play the game hard, and it’s brutal. But, you know, sometimes stuff like this is going to happen,” Pollock said. “It’s in my job description to go out there and make plays on defense.”
The former All-Star and Gold Glove winner said that he feels “really good” two weeks after the injury and likes how he has progressed.
“If you ask me, I feel like I’m very, very close to doing stuff,” Pollock said of an eventual return to baseball activities.
Pollock was circled by a mob of reporters anxious to hear from him for the first time since he sustained the injury. Looking at the collection of cameras and bodies surrounding Pollock, teammate Paul Goldschmidt joked, “Geez, you could have just used the interview room.”
Daniel Descalso weighed in as well, chiding his injured teammate in a light-hearted manner.
“Good. Now we can finally stop answering questions about you,” Descalso said.
Pollock said his teammates gave him a hard time for avoiding reporters, “so I figure I have to give you guys a little airtime,” he said.
In Pollock’s stead, speedster Jarrod Dyson has primarily covered center field in addition to Chris Owings, who’s played three games out in center.
Manager Torey Lovullo said, “We’re a little challenged right now with A.J. being down,” but that he likes to have Dyson in center field and hitting leadoff because he can pressure defenses with his speed when he gets on base.
In May, Dyson has drawn eight walks and stolen seven bases. His on-base percentage for the month is .340, which is much better than his overall mark of .276.
The Diamondbacks rebounded from a rough 1-8 road trip by winning back-to-back games at home against the Cincinnati Reds. Still, getting Pollock back in the lineup will be a welcome reprieve for a team that’s had a hard time scoring runs without him.
“You never want to get hurt,” Pollock said. “You feel like you’re in a rhythm, you feel like you’re helping the team, but it is what it is.”
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