Back Spasms Put Renteria On Sidelines With Vina
By Rick Hummel
Of the Post-Dispatch
June 28, 2001
At the start of Wednesday night's game against the Cincinnati Reds, the Cardinals were without half of their keystone combination. Second baseman Fernando Vina sat out with a bruised calf and a sinus infection.
Three innings into the Cardinals' 3-1 loss to the Cincinnati Reds, they were without shortstop Edgar Renteria, too.
Renteria came out with spasms in his lower back. Vina is expected back for Friday's start of a nine-game trip, but Renteria's status is cloudier.
"(The spasms) were bad enough to take him out of the game," said trainer Barry Weinberg. "Edgar never complains about anything. When he does complain, you take it very seriously.
"He just tightened up all across his lower back. It didn't bother him in his first at-bat, but then when he went out onto the field, it started tightening more. Then, on that last at-bat (in the second), it got real tight running. He could barely bend over."
Renteria will be checked during today's off day. Popular rookie Stubby Clapp replaced Renteria in the lineup, with Placido Polanco moving from second base to shortstop. Clapp lined out in each of his two at-bats.
Reds pitchers were unable to slow Vina on Tuesday night, when he had three hits and drove in five runs.
But Brady Clark's foot and the sinus infection conspired to keep Vina out of the Cardinals' lineup Wednesday.
Vina had suffered a bruised right calf, which swelled Wednesday, after Clark inadvertently kicked him on a ninth-inning play at first base on Tuesday. But Vina already had taken sick and said he couldn't sleep at all on Tuesday night.
Vina, hitting .322 with men in scoring position, is at .299 for the season.
Though Vina has been their offensive catalyst, the Cardinals oddly were 4-1 in the games Vina hadn't started before their loss Wednesday.
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