CINCINNATI - Reds reliever Jonathan Broxton had no problems with his pitching hand on Tuesday, a day after a line drive knocked him out of a game.
Broxton was hit on the right hand by Nate Schierholtz's line drive in the eighth inning of a 5-4, 13-inning win over the Chicago Cubs on Monday night. He left the game for X-rays that were negative.
Broxton said Tuesday the ball hit him by the pinkie, causing the hand to go numb and causing concern that it might be broken. Manager Dusty Baker took him out of the game to have the hand examined.
"When it hit me, it was numb for two or three minutes, but then it was fine," Broxton said. "I wanted to stay in the game, but Dusty wouldn't let me. He wanted to get X-rays and stuff. That was probably the smart thing to do. You don't want to take a chance and then have it snap and need surgery."
The reliever said there was no swelling in the hand and he thought he was available to pitch. Baker wanted to be a little cautious. Asked if he would be inclined to use him in the second game of the series, Baker said, "Not sure about that."
Reliever Sean Marshall played catch on Tuesday, a day after he threw one inning at Triple-A as part of a rehab assignment. The left-hander started for Louisville and pitched one perfect inning, striking out two, in his first rehab appearance.
Marshall hasn't pitched this season because of shoulder tendinitis. He's expected to go back to Louisville and pitch a few more times before he comes off the 15-day disabled list.
"I feel good," Marshall said. "My arm bounced back good."
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