LOS ANGELES: Manager Mike Scioscia wouldn't identify a starter for Bartolo Colon's spot in the rotation the next time it comes up. RHP Hector Carrasco filled in Thursday, throwing three-plus innings and giving up three runs. RHP Kevin Gregg relieved and picked up the win with four innings and one run allowed. ``Let's let the dust settle,'' Scioscia said. ``We don't have to make that decision today. We'll see how our staff lines up for the next couple days.'' ... RHP Francisco Rodriguez got the save after blowing a chance and ending his club-record streak at 22 in Wednesday night's game. He has blown back-to-back saves only once in his career, when he actually blew three straight tries in 2004. But that was over a month span, and Troy Percival was the primary closer that season.
MINNESOTA: LF Shannon Stewart missed Thursday's game, because his wife was due to give birth, and manager Ron Gardenhire said he could miss another two or three days. The Twins plan to give Stewart as much time as he thinks he needs. ... The Twins' 6.85 ERA by their starting pitchers is the worst in the majors. ... 2B Luis Castillo is day to day with a sore right knee, an injury he aggravated beating out an infield hit in the seventh inning. Castillo said he wasn't sure if he'd be able to play in Friday's game against the Chicago White Sox. ... New DH Rondell White was dropped to No. 7 in the lineup twice in this three-game series against the Angels with one day off after struggling in the cleanup spot. White went 2-for-4 with two RBIs on Thursday to raise his average to .127.
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CLEVELAND: RHP Matt Miller was placed on the 15-day DL after straining his right elbow Wednesday, the same injury that caused him to miss all but one game during the second half of last season. The club will determine a course of action after examining him in Cleveland. ... LHP Rafael Perez, recalled from Double-A Akron to replace Miller, made his major league debut Thursday, pitching a perfect eighth inning. ``The good thing is we've got some depth. We've got some people down there who have been throwing the ball well,'' manager Eric Wedge said. ``The timing's not great right now, but we'll make the adjustments we need to make.'' ... LHP C.C. Sabathia, on the DL with a strained right abdominal muscle, threw a 55-pitch batting practice session Thursday. He is scheduled to throw a simulated game Saturday in Kansas City.
BALTIMORE: 2B Brian Roberts had eight homers last April en route to a career-best 18, but he's still searching for his first home run of 2006. So far, the power outage isn't a concern. ``That's the last thing I'm trying to think about,'' said Roberts. ``I don't really care if I hit any home runs this year.'' ... RHP Chris Ray pitched a scoreless ninth inning Thursday and has not allowed a run in 7 1-3 innings over eight appearances this year. ... Erik Bedard's victory Thursday was his first in four career starts against the Indians. He is the first Orioles starter to open the year 4-0 since Rodrigo Lopez in 2002.
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DETROIT: The Tigers optioned RHP Chris Spurling to Triple-A Toledo and activated closer Todd Jones. Jones had been on the 15-day DL with a pulled left hamstring. Of Spurling, manager Jim Leyland said: ``He needs to work things out. It's not the end of the world for him.'' ... Leyland plans to use C Ivan Rodriguez as a DH for Friday's series opener at Seattle and start backup Vance Wilson behind the plate. Pudge also will be a candidate to play 1B when Chris Shelton needs a break. ``That'd be awesome,'' Rodriguez said. ``I look forward to that. I hope it will be soon.'' Leyland expects teams will attempt to run against Rodriguez in coming games. ... Curtis Granderson is scheduled to get a day off from CF Friday and Craig Monroe will start in center. Leyland wants to get Marcus Thames a start in the OF. ... After committing four errors in the first two games of the series, Detroit SS Carlos Guillen worked a clean game.
OAKLAND: Closer Huston Street has a slight muscle strain on the right side of his chest that will keep him out of action at least through Friday. The reigning AL Rookie of the Year felt tightness beneath the armpit area of his throwing arm on the third-to-last pitch he threw during his save Tuesday night against the Detroit Tigers, the fourth outing in five days for the right-hander. The A's are taking no chances that this could become serious, though Street said he is virtually pain-free now. ... LHP Barry Zito reached 100 pitches for the third straight start but failed to get a decision after Justin Duchscherer lost the lead in the ninth.... RHP Joe Blanton, the No. 5 starter, has lacked the location he showed last season as a rookie - though manager Ken Macha knows the A's must be patient with their young pitchers. ``It has to be continual maintenance,'' Macha said a day after Blanton allowed 10 hits and seven earned runs in 4 1-3 innings and also committed an error in an 11-4 loss. ``It's not like having Mike Mussina who's pitched 10 years in the big leagues and you know what to expect from him.'' ... Struggling Dan Johnson - 1-for-32 (.031) with one RBI to start the season coming into Thursday's game - returned to the lineup at 1B after getting several days to work on his swing but went 0-for-3. ... Johnson and SS Bobby Crosby teamed up for inning-ending double plays in the fourth and fifth. ... Frank Thomas got his first career hit off Jeremy Bonderman with a fourth-inning single after going 0-for-7.
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TAMPA BAY: OF Carl Crawford returned to the lineup after missing one game with a sore right shoulder. ... Manager Joe Maddon said he had not decided on a starter for Saturday's game against Texas, but that it would probably be a minor league callup. ... LHP Scott Kazmir has made eight of his 43 career starts against Boston, the most of any opponent.
BOSTON: Edgar Martinez presented Red Sox slugger David Ortiz with the outstanding designated hitter award before the game. Jim Rice presented Jason Varitek and Manny Ramirez with silver slugger awards. Varitek and Mike Lowell also received his Gold Glove in a pregame ceremony. ... Josh Beckett professed apathy about Friday night's matchup with A.J. Burnett: ``I don't have to face him. These guys do,'' he said. ``There's definitely some significance, but I don't put too much emphasis on it.''
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TEXAS: Ian Kinsler, on the DL since April 12 with a dislocated left thumb, played catch Thursday. But manager Buck Showalter said his starting 2B is not ready to swing a bat yet. ... RHP Frank Francisco, who as a rookie in 2004 led Rangers pitchers with 10.5 strikeouts per nine innings, threw 25 pitches in batting practice Thursday. Showalter called that ``a big step.'' Francisco missed all of 2005 after April ligament replacement surgery in his right elbow, but Showalter said ``I think he has a chance'' to return before July's All-Star break. ... Entering Thursday, Texas had scored 31 of its 72 runs (43 percent) with two outs. ... The Rangers were the only team entering Thursday without a pinch-hit at-bat.
SEATTLE: 3B Adrian Beltre said not having an RBI or even an extra-base hit in 63 plate appearances this season before his double during Wednesday's five-run, ninth-inning rally had been weighing on him. ``A little bit, yeah,'' Beltre said. Beltre was especially encouraged that the double was to the opposite field. ``That means I'm seeing the ball well and waiting well. That's good for me.'' Beltre entered Thursday batting .161 after hitting four home runs in six games of March's World Baseball Classic. Manager Mike Hargrove said it was unrealistic to expect Beltre to remain that hot, but Beltre did. ``I never expect to be cooling off. I always expect to be better,'' he said, running out of the clubhouse to begin batting practice. ... Hargrove had little to say about Tuesday's and Wednesday's crowds of 17,927 and 17,613, respectively, setting consecutive attendance lows at Safeco Field. ``Historically, April and May are not good attendance months. School's still in,'' Hargrove said. ``Hopefully, we'll play well into the season to build fans' interest.'' ... Entering Thursday, RHP Rafael Soriano had stranded all eight runners he had inherited through seven appearances.
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WASHINGTON: Pitcher Billy Traber's run-scoring single in the first inning Thursday night was his first career hit and RBI. ... The Nationals start a six-game homestand against the Braves after playing 13 of their first 16 games on the road. ... Livan Hernandez was the first pitcher since Pittsburgh's Rick Rhoden in 1980 to have three extra-base hits in one game when he had two doubles and one homer Wednesday night.
PHILADELPHIA: Jon Lieber (0-3, 9.18) goes for his first win in four starts on Friday. ... A night after getting the game-winning hit off a left-handed pitcher, left-handed hitting Ryan Howard was dropped from sixth to seventh in the batting order because the Phillies were facing a left-hander. ... Ryan Madson lasted just one inning Thursday night, allowing nine runs, seven hits and four walks. His ERA rose from 2.77 to 8.36. ... Phillies starting pitchers have four wins in 15 games.
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MILWAUKEE: Milwaukee RHP Dan Kolb will throw on the side Friday as he attempts to come back from right elbow soreness. Kolb returned to Milwaukee on Monday and underwent an MRI, which came back negative. ... RHP Ben Sheets will make his second start of the season Friday after missing the first 10 games recovering from right posterior shoulder strain. In his first start April 16, Sheets pitched five innings, giving up four runs, while striking out seven. ... In his first 10 pinch-hit appearances, OF Gabe Gross has collected five hits, including three home runs, and driven in nine runs. Gross is already only one away from the Brewers' record of four pinch-hit homers in a season, set by Bob Hamelin in 1998. ``This job is tough. You've got to stay ready,'' Gross said. ``So far this season, things have been working out for me.''
CINCINNATI: The Reds recalled LHP Brian Shackelford Thursday from Class AAA Louisville. Shackelford was 1-0 with 1 save and a 1.29 ERA in seven relief appearances for Louisville. He fills the roster spot of LHP Michael Gosling, who was sent back to Louisville after being called up Wednesday. ... OF Ken Griffey Jr. did not travel with the Reds to Milwaukee. He is on the 15-day disabled list with a strained right biceps tendon in his right knee. He is eligible to come off the disabled list April 28. ... OF Adam Dunn's last six hits have been home runs, giving him eight for the season. He is two shy of the club record for April, which was set by Tony Perez in 1970. Dunn hit nine home runs in April in 2003.
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ARIZONA: Luis Gonzalez will auction off the bat and batting gloves that were used for his 500th career double Tuesday night to benefit Peoria, Ariz., police officer Bill Weigt, who was paralyzed by a gunshot in the line of duty. Gonzalez is the 21st major leaguer to hit 300 home runs and 500 doubles. The bat and batting gloves will be auctioned during the April 24 Diamondbacks Foundation Auction. ... Russ Ortiz, who left Tuesday night's game with a cramp in his right calf, threw a bullpen session Thursday and is expected to make his scheduled start Sunday at Los Angeles.
SAN FRANCISCO: Manager Felipe Alou said he hoped to give Armando Benitez a few appearances before putting him back in the closer role. Benitez was activated Thursday after a stint on the disabled list with left knee bursitis. He'll eventually take the closer job from Tim Worrell, who has converted his first six save opportunities. ... 1B Lance Niekro returned to the lineup Thursday night after missing three days to attend the funeral of his grandfather in Florida. ... Alou managed his 500th game with the Giants on Thursday night at Arizona. He took a 274-225 (.549) record into the game. That's sixth on the club's all-time managerial wins list. ... Jason Schmidt (0-2) will go for his first victory Friday night at Coors Field, where he is 4-1 with a 5.12 ERA.
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