Betancourt to DL; Hale called up to start
DENVER -- The Rockies sent struggling reliever Rafael Betancourt to the 15-day disabled list on Monday with vertigo symptoms caused by a sinus infection. Colorado also called up right-hander David Hale, who started Monday's series opener versus the Cardinals.
Betancourt said the sinus infection has lingered for the better part of three weeks, first occurring during the Phillies series (May 18-21) on the Rockies' last homestand. It continued when Colorado headed to Cincinnati and eventually forced Betancourt out of his May 30 appearance at Philadelphia.
"I've been feeling like I was tired, but I understand my responsibility is to come here and work and be able to pitch when the manager needs me and the team needs me," Betancourt said on Monday. "And I was trying to do that, but I got a little bit tired.
"That's the way I've always been -- to try first and then see what happens."
Betancourt made three appearances on the Rockies' current homestand but hasn't generated much production. On June 2, he served up a go-ahead, ninth-inning grand slam to the Dodgers' Alex Guerrero. Four days later, the Marlins tagged Betancourt for three runs in just one frame.
It was the first time since June 2008 that Betancourt gave up at least three runs in back-to-back appearances. Since May 19, he has a 12.00 ERA in eight outings -- eight runs and 10 hits given up in just six innings.
"Honestly, the way I was pitching the last two games, I told myself I can't keep doing that," Betancourt said. "I need to take care of this now and get better physically.
"I've put myself in bad situations for the team, and it's very frustrating And I told [Rockies manager] Walt [Weiss], I can't keep dealing with that. I need to get better, so I can go out and pitch."
At the moment, Betancourt doesn't have a timetable for his return. He said he took some antibiotics in Philadelphia but saw little improvement, and Weiss added that Betancourt's vertigo symptoms are also a result of an inner-ear infection.
"He's just not feeling right, and he feels weak," Weiss said. "So it's a pretty clean move -- putting him on the DL and bringing David in."