Percival goes down; Chipper stays up

Not the hammy. Again.

Trying to back up third base on a throw in Monday night's 5-4 victory over the Red Sox, Troy Percival either tweaked or twinged his hamstring, depending on which verb lingo you prefer.

As a Percival owner, the obvious reaction is shock, disappointment and a loud harrumph.

But honestly, what did you expect with this guy? He's already hit the DL once for the hamstring injury. You probably got him in round 15 or later in your mixed league draft and his injuries cost him all of the 2006 season. And he turns 39 next month.

I'd say we're on borrowed time to begin with.

Not that the whole Percival/Rays/baseball's best record/baseball's worst stadium story isn't fascinating. It is.

But buying a Percival is similar to plunking cash for a used Saturn. Sure, there's the fancy daytime running lights and the sides are dent-proof, but ultimately, it's going to be in the shop a lot longer than you want. It's just not that reliable.

Not that I own a Saturn or anything.

My personal Percival advice is hope he lands on the DL. Yeah, that's right. You want him to get better. Grab Dan Wheeler ASAP if you have a spot or hope they DL Percival soon so you can make the switch.

As soon as Percy gets 2 saves in a row, try packaging him and get yourself a Kevin Gregg or Jose Valverde type.

Hamstring injuries linger worse than a bad penny. Or is it that bad pennies keep showing up? I get confused in the catchy lingo that originated back when you could get gas for pennies.

Now, you rarely will stop to pick it up.

CHIPPER AVOIDS DL: For all you Chipper Jones owners, riding his .400 wave, good news.

Just as Jones was on the doorstep of the DL with a strained quadriceps, a miraculous healing occurred and - poof! - he's back in the lineup tonight.

What?!?

Bobby Cox is quoted as saying Chipper just all of a sudden started feeling better.

OK.

Jones, batting .394 going into tonight, has missed eight games, which has probably seemed like 80 to his owners, who have been giddy about his production, considering they probably plucked him in the 7th or 8th round.

Just like Percival, you have to wonder about the staying power of Jones. In the last four season, Jones has missed at least 25 games each year.

Two of those seasons, Jones missed 50+ contests.

He's not quite on the sell-at-any price list like Percy, but you have to think the average is going to dip and the power numbers are not irreplaceable.

Get him healthy a week and see if you can cash in for 85 cents on his value, pull the trigger.