Anderson's injury catches Kazmir's attention

ROGER MOONEY
rmooney@bradenton.com

ST. PETERSBURG – Brian Anderson felt a little something in his pitching elbow last Wednesday, and that something turned out to be a career-ending injury.
Don’t think Scott Kazmir didn’t notice.

“I didn’t want to get too many images in my head about what was going on,” Kazmir said Tuesday morning. “But yeah, I talked to him a little bit about it right when he came in afterwards.”

And Anderson’s advice: “Dude, don't rush it at all. This is a perfect time to do that, Spring Training.”

That’s one reason Kazmir was shutdown Saturday, just one day before he was to make his first start of the spring. The strain in his left elbow, which he suffered Feb. 26, appears to need more time.

How much time, no one knows. Kazmir will miss his first start of the season, which was supposed to be in Baltimore on Opening Day. He could miss more, and Kazmir said he is prepared for that scenario.

“(I) don’t want to have to battle it the whole season,” Kazmir said. “Maybe miss one start. Once I get in there into the games, I want to be there for the whole season. That’s kind of what we're going for.”

Everything will play off when Kazmir begins throwing.

He was supposed to long toss Sunday, but that was scrapped. So, too, was a throwing session Tuesday.

Rays manager Joe Maddon was not sure when Kazmir’s rehab will allow him to throw again. Neither does Kazmir.

“I'm just going on what the trainers tell me what they want to do,” Kazmir said. “So they pretty much have a game plan. So I'll follow what they say. But like I said, we’re not going to rush it. If I miss one start, it's not going to make a difference, as long as everything is going to be good from then on.”