Pin procedure to boost Anderson's recovery

SAN DIEGO -- Rockies left-hander Brett Anderson most likely will have surgery Thursday to place tiny pins in his broken left index finger to promote faster healing.

Anderson (0-2, 3.60 ERA), who suffered the injury while batting against the Giants' Matt Cain in the fourth inning of Saturday's 1-0 Rockies victory, is expected to need 4-6 weeks to heal, but there isn't a timetable on when he'll return to the mound.

The pins, which will be removed in a couple of weeks, help realign the fracture and allow Anderson the opportunity to move the finger as part of the rehab process, said Rockies head athletic trainer Keith Dugger, who said the pins were more like needles.

"If we went conservative, without the pins, he would have been in the splint the whole time," Dugger said.

Rockies manager Walt Weiss said, "It sounds like it's worse when they talk about putting a couple of pins in there, but actually it may help him get back a little bit quicker."

Lefty Franklin Morales (0-1, 6.39 ERA in three games, two starts) will slide into Anderson's rotation spot. Morales started in the rotation but was moved to the bullpen last week to accommodate right-hander Jordan Lyles. However, Anderson's injury kept Morales' stay in the bullpen a short one.

"That's why Frankie is valuable to us, he can do a number of things," Weiss said. "He's shown that he can start. We knew he wanted to start. He felt it was an opportunity when he came over here. I have no problem with him making starts for this club."

On Monday, the club placed Anderson on the 15-day disabled list and recalled left-handed-hitting outfielder Corey Dickerson from Triple-A Colorado Springs.