Counsell sore, but doing all right

Steve Gilbert
MLB.com
May 3, 2005

PHOENIX -- It was more fear than pain that Craig Counsell experienced Monday night when he landed awkwardly while diving for a looping fly ball in shallow right field in the second inning.

The second baseman landed on his elbow and that put his shoulder in an awkward position, giving him a bit of whiplash with his neck.

"It just scared me a little bit," Counsell said. "But it's fine."

Counsell isn't one to be scared on the baseball diamond, but keep in mind he still has a plate in his neck from a pinched nerve in 2002 that wound up requiring surgery and caused him to miss two months of the season.

Matt Kata got the starting nod at second on Tuesday, but that was more a matter of manager Bob Melvin wanting to get as many right-handed hitters in there as possible against Giants southpaw Kirk Rueter.

"He (Counsell) was a little bit sore today, but I had Matty in there anyway," Melvin said.

Arizona head athletic trainer Paul Lessard said Counsell experienced the normal soreness that accompanies a play like that.