Yorvit Torrealba has experienced the type of season he wouldn’t wish on his worst enemy.
He struggled in April. When he had an opportunity to catch in June, his son Yorvit Eduardo was kidnapped in Venezuela, sidelining the catcher for a month.
Monday, Torrealba started back-to-back games for the first time in nine weeks, a concession to his improving offense and Chris Iannetta’s slump. Torrealba doubled and scored in his first at-bat, sheepishly meandering home after Cubs pitcher Tom Gorzelanny flubbed a throw that should have trapped Torrealba in a rundown.
“I have to be strong. And I am 200 percent mentally right now,” Torrealba said. “I don’t care what anybody says, it’s hard to be sharp when you don’t play every day. But I have been killing the ball in the cages.”
Iannetta will return to the lineup today, manager Jim Tracy said. As he did with Clint Barmes this month, Tracy is giving the slugger a few days to “clear his head.” Iannetta is 4-for-20 this month.
For Torrealba, there are two keys to his revival: having his son and family safely with him and an improved attitude.
“To bring my son with me to the ballpark is exciting,” Torrealba said. “And last year I wasn’t really positive about anything. This year I decided that whatever my role, I was going to make the best of it.”
Cooking test Thursday.
A visit to a foot specialist Monday confirmed that Aaron Cook has a sprained big right toe. Whether he makes his scheduled start Saturday in Florida will depend largely on a bullpen session Thursday. Cook must show he can push off without changing his arm angle to compensate for any pain.
“That’s the big day for me,” trainer Keith Dugger said.
Footnotes.
Former first-round pick Greg Reynolds won’t pitch again this season after being sidelined with a shoulder impingement. The plan is to rebuild the right-hander’s delivery, improving his posture and changing how he takes the ball out of his glove. He’s a candidate to go to the instructional league. . . . Reliever Manuel Corpas will play catch today for the first time since having bone chips removed from his elbow last month. He remains hopeful he can pitch in September.
Troy E. Renck, The Denver Post
