Milton Charging Back

[Wally Mo Pena]

Unlike Jr., there seems to be no holding Milton back, which is nice to see i must say. Lancaseter reports:

Eric Milton walked off the mound with a huge smile on his face,
 and that in itself was an indication of progress.

The left-hander, on the disabled list after arthroscopic surgery 
on his left knee, threw 85 pitches in a simulated game Wednesday
 afternoon. Facing Chris Denorfia, Quinton McCracken and Ray 
Olmedo, he looked good and felt better.

So good that he said he expects to make one start that doesn't 
count - Monday against Pittsburgh in the Hall of Fame Game at
 Cooperstown, N.Y. - and return to the Reds' rotation.

"I'm guessing that's probably it," he said. "I'll probably be 
(activated) in Detroit."

Manager Jerry Narron wasn't ready to jump on that timetable, 
saying the Reds would see how Milton feels today before 
officially giving him the Monday assignment, then see how he 
looks in that outing before taking the next step.

"He looks pretty close to me," said Narron. "It's just a matter 
of him getting back in the routine of it. You miss a couple 
weeks, you're just going to have to get back up to where 
you were. It'll take a couple starts to do that."

Nonetheless, Milton clearly was pleased with what he had 
done Wednesday.

"What I like is my arm is fresh," he said. "My arm feels great."

Not only did he throw all his pitches, "I was making stuff up - 
dropping down and adding some stuff."

Milton last pitched April 18, when the Marlins touched him up 
for nine runs in 4 1/3 innings. He had surgery six days later, 
and the original projection for his return was three or four weeks.

His proposed timetable falls on the short side of that range, 
but it remains to be seen whether the club will back Milton - 
known for his hard-charging approach to these things - in his 
quest to be back on the mound next weekend against the Tigers.

As far as Milton is concerned, there's no reason to dawdle.

"Today would have been the day to see how I felt and today 
was normal," he said. "That's a good sign. Everything's good; 
there's really no holding me back."

if he's ready to give us some average+ innings, get him back now.

[CincyRedsFan30]

If he comes back against the Tigers, hopefully that means the end for Dave Williams.

[missionhockey21]

If he's healthy, I am looking forward to getting him back. I think if he's the same guy we saw earlier and healthy, there's no reason he can't post an ERA around 4.5 which is fine with me.

[NFLman2033]

i hope the Milton that made his first two starts of the year is the Milton we get back, not the other guy who loves to throw up gofer balls

[redsrbetter]

I think if we get the Milton we saw at the beginning of the year, we will all love the days he is pitching. I think we will honestly have a legitimate 1-2-3 punch. But I am honestly doubting that he is completely healthy as of yet. We all have heard that he is the biggest competitor on this team. This can only mean that he hates to be out. He is striving hard to get back I am sure, but I hope he isn't pressing the issue so much that he comes back with weak legs and gets killed while on the mound.

[Geki Ace]

It's delightfully sad that we're all looking forward to Eric Milton's healthy return.

[NFLman2033]

It's delightfully sad that we're all looking forward to Eric Milton's healthy return.

well sad is more like it