HOUSTON -- The relief expressed by Brewers right-hander Yovani Gallardo on Thursday was painfully short-lived. Gallardo has a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee that likely will require surgery and could end his season.
The team placed Gallardo, who started the year on the disabled list after undergoing left knee surgery in Spring Training and was to be a crucial member of the Brewers starting rotation, on the 15-day disabled list. Right-hander Dave Bush was recalled from Triple-A Nashville.
Club officials will consider surgical options for Gallardo once the swelling in his knee subsides.
"Pretty devastating," Brewers general manager Doug Melvin said. "Pretty tough."
On Thursday, Gallardo tangled with Cubs outfielder Reed Johnson near first base in the fifth inning and appeared to twist or hyperextend his right knee. Gallardo appeared to be in pain, then shook off the initial shock of the incident, returned to the mound to finish the inning and then went back out for the sixth, surrendering two runs.
Gallardo said he was initially frightened more than injured, and after the game insisted he wasn't feeling any soreness or pain. Brewers manager Ned Yost and head athletic trainer Roger Caplinger checked in with Gallardo in the fifth and again in the sixth inning to make sure he was not feeling any discomfort.
When Gallardo insisted he was fine, he was allowed to pitch. While the team traveled to Houston, Gallardo bused back to Milwaukee to see head team physician William Raasch for an examination.
"The doctor said no further damage could have happened by going back out to pitch," Melvin said. "Once it's torn, it's torn. Going out to pitch didn't cause any additional problems."
The Brewers wound up rallying for three runs in the ninth to stun the Cubs, and headed to Houston feeling good about the win and Gallardo's apparent good fortune. Two days earlier, ace Ben Sheets returned to the rotation after missing a start with a sore right triceps.
"The key is we never get Yovani and Ben together," a disappointed Melvin said.
Last year, Gallardo was called up from the Minors and spent much of the summer filling in for Sheets, who was on the DL with a finger injury. Gallardo went 9-5 with a 3.67 ERA in the big leagues.
The last Brewers player to sustain a torn ACL was infielder Tony Graffanino, who was injured in a game that Gallardo started last August. Graffanino had torn his before, and he continues to rehabilitate as a free agent.
The team placed Gallardo, who started the year on the disabled list after undergoing left knee surgery in Spring Training and was to be a crucial member of the Brewers starting rotation, on the 15-day disabled list. Right-hander Dave Bush was recalled from Triple-A Nashville.
Club officials will consider surgical options for Gallardo once the swelling in his knee subsides.
"Pretty devastating," Brewers general manager Doug Melvin said. "Pretty tough."
On Thursday, Gallardo tangled with Cubs outfielder Reed Johnson near first base in the fifth inning and appeared to twist or hyperextend his right knee. Gallardo appeared to be in pain, then shook off the initial shock of the incident, returned to the mound to finish the inning and then went back out for the sixth, surrendering two runs.
Gallardo said he was initially frightened more than injured, and after the game insisted he wasn't feeling any soreness or pain. Brewers manager Ned Yost and head athletic trainer Roger Caplinger checked in with Gallardo in the fifth and again in the sixth inning to make sure he was not feeling any discomfort.
When Gallardo insisted he was fine, he was allowed to pitch. While the team traveled to Houston, Gallardo bused back to Milwaukee to see head team physician William Raasch for an examination.
"The doctor said no further damage could have happened by going back out to pitch," Melvin said. "Once it's torn, it's torn. Going out to pitch didn't cause any additional problems."
The Brewers wound up rallying for three runs in the ninth to stun the Cubs, and headed to Houston feeling good about the win and Gallardo's apparent good fortune. Two days earlier, ace Ben Sheets returned to the rotation after missing a start with a sore right triceps.
"The key is we never get Yovani and Ben together," a disappointed Melvin said.
Last year, Gallardo was called up from the Minors and spent much of the summer filling in for Sheets, who was on the DL with a finger injury. Gallardo went 9-5 with a 3.67 ERA in the big leagues.
The last Brewers player to sustain a torn ACL was infielder Tony Graffanino, who was injured in a game that Gallardo started last August. Graffanino had torn his before, and he continues to rehabilitate as a free agent.
