SILVA PITCHING AGAIN AFTER SERIOUS INJURY.Byline: GIDEON RUBIN Special to the Daily News LANCASTER -- JetHawk Jesus Silva's velocity is nowhere near what it once was. He still seems a bit shaken and complains of headaches. But what matters most is that, for the first time since being struck in the face by a line drive while he was playing winter ball in his native Venezuela, Silva is pitching again. He pitched for the first time in eight months on Monday in a 3-1 victory over Inland Empire In·land Empire A region of the northwest United States between the Cascade Range and the Rocky Mountains, comprising eastern Washington, eastern Oregon, northern Idaho, and western Montana. Farming, lumbering, and mining are important to the area. . He pitched well, allowing one hit in 1 1/3 innings of shutout ball. ``I was a little bit nervous,'' Silva said through a translator. ``I hadn't pitched for a long time.'' It was unclear whether he would ever pitch again after he experienced the frightening injury while playing in front of his family and friends for his hometown team in Maracay, about 100 miles southwest of Caracas, the nation's capital. Silva said the experience was unbelievable. He said he never lost consciousness after being knocked off his feet. There is a visible scar below his right eye, the result of a surgical procedure in which five titanium plates were implanted, along with four screws and two wires, to repair a shattered shat·ter v. shat·tered, shat·ter·ing, shat·ters v.tr. 1. To cause to break or burst suddenly into pieces, as with a violent blow. 2. a. cheekbone cheek·bone n. See zygomatic bone. . ``I try not to think about it,'' he said. ``It's in the past.'' After spending most of the last eight months in Venezuela, he reported two weeks ago to the parent Arizona Diamondbacks' spring training facility at Tucson, Ariz. JetHawks manager Brett Butler Brett Butler can refer to different people:
Silva has pitched for the JetHawks in parts of the last five seasons. In 2002, he was considered one of minor league baseball's premier relief pitching prospects. He was 2-3 with 14 saves and a 2.08 ERA before being promoted to Double-A El Paso El Paso (ĕl pă`sō), city (1990 pop. 515,342), seat of El Paso co., extreme W Tex., on the Rio Grande opposite Juárez, Mex.; inc. 1873. in Texas early in the second half. His velocity topped out at 99 mph that year. He pitched for the JetHawks in parts of the last two seasons, splitting time between the starting rotation and the bullpen. He was dogged by a shoulder injury last season, when he went 5-2 with a 6.91 ERA in 29 appearances at Lancaster. His velocity had fallen to the low-90 mph range last season. On Monday, he topped out at 86 mph, but showed excellent command, JetHawks pitching coach Jeff Pico Jeff Pico (born February 12, 1966 in Antioch, California), is a former professional baseball player who pitched in the Major Leagues for the Chicago Cubs from 1988-1990. He is currently the pitching coach of the Visalia Oaks. said. ``His location was excellent,'' Pico said. ``He kept everything at the knees.'' Pico believes Silva will regain some of the velocity once he reclaims comfort on the mound and builds back his arm strength. Silva said he is still experiencing the headaches that bothered him earlier this year, but less frequently. He said he is just happy to be pitching again. ``I feel good right now,'' he said. ``I want to keep going.'' Hot at home: The JetHawks (48-53, 16-15 second half) have catapulted themselves into the thick of a second-half title race, winning eight of nine games heading into Thursday's game against Inland Empire, the last game of a 10-game homestand. They were tied for second in the South Division with High Desert (16-15), 1 1/2 games behind In sports, the phrase games behind, often abbreviated as GB in tables, is a common way to reflect the gap between a leading team and another team in a sports league, conference, or division. first-place Lake Elsinore (18-14). The bad news for the JetHawks is that they open a six-game road trip on Friday against Rancho Cucamonga Rancho Cucamonga (răn`chō k  'kəmäng`gə), city (1990 pop. 101,409), San Bernardino co., S Calif. . The JetHawks have a dreadful road record (16-34). They've lost 10 consecutive road games and are 1-11 away from Lancaster in the second half. Streaking: JetHawks second baseman second baseman n. Baseball The infielder who is positioned near and to the first-base side of second base. Noun 1. second baseman - (baseball) the person who plays second base second sacker Emilio Bonifacio Emilio Jose Bonifacio (born April 23, 1985 in Dominican Republic) is a Major League Baseball play for the Arizona Diamondbacks. He was called up on September 1, 2007. was 2 for 4 with two doubles in Wednesday's 4-1 victory over Inland Empire. He has hit safely in 30 consecutive home games and nine straight games overall. He has six consecutive multihit games. Batting .447 over his home hitting streak In baseball, a hitting streak refers to the consecutive number of official games in which a player gets at least one base hit. Games in which a player does not have any official at bats due to walks, or sacrifice bunts, or being hit by a pitch, are ignored (neither break the streak , he is hitting .571 (16 for 28) with six extra-base hits over his last six games. gideon.rubin@dailynews.com (818) 713-3607 CAPTION(S): photo Photo: (color) SILVA |
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