Shoulder benches Swift for August> Frayed tissue to be repaired in off-season

Colorado Rockies righthander Billy Swift, currently on the disabled list for the second time this season, said he will probably undergo minor arthroscopic surgery to repair frayed connective tissue in his rotator cuff after the season.

The former University of Maine All-American has been on the 15-day disabled list since Aug. 1, retroactive to July 26, and said he hopes to return next month to try to help the Rockies in their pennant drive.

Watching helplessly as his mates battle the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Padres for the National League Western Division title hasn’t been easy for Swift.

“It’s been tough. But there’s nothing I can do. It (rotator cuff) has bothered me all season,” said the 33-year-old Swift. “I’ve got to get it strong enough to finish out the year. If I can help get us into the playoffs, I’ll be satisfied.”

He said he has been told by several doctors that the injury will not threaten his career and that he should be fine after the surgery.

He feels a lot of factors contributed to the injury like the shortened spring training following the strike and “the cold weather when I first pitched here .”

Swift has been playing long toss lately and will throw on the side on Saturday.

“Then I’ll pitch in a simulated game and, after that, I’ll go get ’em, I guess,” speculated Swift.

He has been lifting weights and performing other exercises to strengthen the shoulder. The arm feels good now, he said.

“But that’s how it was the last time. It felt great when I first came back ,” said Swift.

The South Portland native said the injury has been painful and has weakened his shoulder in the later innings of his games.

Swift, runner-up for the 1993 Cy Young Award when he was 21-8 with San Francisco, is 6-2 with an unusually high 5.83 earned run average. However, he did win his final five decisions, posting a 2.41 ERA in those triumphs.

He was touched up in his last outing for 11 hits and six runs in only four innings of an eventual 10-inning 7-6 loss at Philadelphia on July 25. He did not get a decision.

“Even when I was pitching well, I didn’t feel good. I couldn’t finish anything off. I had trouble following through because of the pain,” said Swift, one of several Rockies pitchers who have been on the DL this season. “I couldn’t understand how I was winning. Nothing felt right. But I was doing enough to win.”

Swift isn’t sure what his status will be when he returns.

“I might be better off coming out of the bullpen three or four times a week instead of pitching just once a week and struggling,” he said. “We’ll see how it feels.”

Down the Line: Through Tuesday’s games, three other former Bears were on major league rosters. Oakland A’s shortstop Mike Bordick of Winterport was hitting .249 with four homers, 27 runs batted in, and 32 runs scored in 92 games. St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Mark Sweeney of Holliston, Mass., was 7-for-34 (.206) in 14 games with a homer and three RBIs. And Chicago White Sox southpaw Larry Thomas of Winthrop, Mass., had no record and a 3.60 ERA in seven relief appearances spanning five innings. Meanwhile, former Bangor High School and American Legion ace Matt Kinney was 1-3 with two saves and a 3.42 ERA for Boston’s Fort Myers franchise in the Gulf Coast (Rookie) League. Kinney’s season ends Saturday, but he will return to Fort Myers for Instructional League ball from Sept. 25-Oct. 31, according to a Fort Myers spokesman.