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Notes from Friday's games
Notes from Friday's games
May 5, 2006
BALTIMORE: DH Javy Lopez was placed on the 15-day DL with a mid-back strain, retroactive to April 28, after going hitless in his last 14 at bats. He was replaced on the roster by OF Luis Matos, who had inflammation in his right shoulder. ... When Daniel Cabrera pitched seven innings at Texas on Wednesday, it was only the third time in 16 games that an Orioles starter went at least six innings. ... Baltimore is 1-8 against teams who used a lefty starting pitcher. ... INF Brandon Fahey started his sixth consecutive game since being brought up Sunday from Triple-A Ottawa.
BOSTON: Manager Terry Francona said Josh Beckett will start Tuesday's opener of a three-game series against the New York Yankees, but he hasn't decided who will pitch the other games. ... Francona said CF Coco Crisp has ``much improved'' range of motion in his comeback from a fracture at the base of his left index finger that sent him to the disabled list April 11. Crisp had X-rays Thursday. Francona didn't say when Crisp might return but had indicated earlier it might be around mid-May. ... Closer Jonathan Papelbon ``is fine'' after stumbling when his right foot became stuck on the rubber while he threw a pitch in the ninth inning Thursday night, Francona said.
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LOS ANGELES: Blue Jays C Bengie Molina played his former team for the first time. He denied he was ever angry at the Angels for not showing interest in him as a free agent. ``I never even said I was angry. That word never came out of my mouth,'' Molina said. Molina said in February that he felt like he was thrown away like a piece of trash. ... His brother, Jose Molina, started at C for the Angels. ``It's very weird. I miss him a lot. I got use to having him around,'' Molina said. ``He's got a good chance to be a No. 1 catcher.'' Molina wasn't surprised C Jeff Mathis was sent down to the minors. Mathis, a first-round draft choice by the Angels in 2001, was batting .103 in 12 games. ``I bet you they knew he wasn't ready. They knew that it was going to be hard task for him. That team is rebuilding. That team needs to win.''
TORONTO: RHP Josh Towers is 0-6 and saw his ERA rise to 10.59 after Thursday's 7-4 loss to Boston. ``He's scrambling,'' manager John Gibbons said. ``Nobody can really figure it out because it doesn't look mechanical. When he's making mistakes, they're not missing them. He's just making more of them than he's ever made. We plan to keep running him out there cause we figure he'll turn it around. And we need him.''
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NEW YORK: RF Gary Sheffield was back in the starting lineup for the first time in five games. He missed three games with a bruised left wrist after a collision with Toronto 1B Shea Hillenbrand last Saturday. Sheffield pinch-hit Thursday at Tampa Bay and singled in the seventh, then finished the game in right field. ... LHP Randy Johnson may not always dominate like he used to, but manager Joe Torre said he's doing what counts. ``The bottom line is winning. That's my thoughts,'' Torre said Friday, a day after the 42-year-old Johnson (5-2) won his third straight decision despite his third subpar performance in four outings - allowing five runs and seven hits in 6 2-3 innings in a 10-5 victory over Tampa Bay. ``I don't want him apologizing for winning a game that's not spectacular. ... Our mindset is he's going to win a lot of games.''
TEXAS: LHP Matt Riley, who was trying to come back from two elbow ligament replacement operations, has torn his ligament again. ``Three days ago, he was throwing 94 mph, and the next thing, he's contemplating his future,'' Rangers manager Buck Showalter said. ``It's sad.'' The 26-year-old Riley, a third-round pick for Baltimore in 1997 who was with the Orioles' through last season, signed a minor league deal with the Rangers and was working out in Arizona. ... Brian Anderson, another lefty trying to come back from elbow ligament replacement surgery, threw off flat ground in Arizona on Friday and felt good. ... CF Gary Matthews Jr. (sore quadriceps) was back in the lineup and leading off Friday night after missing only one game.
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DETROIT: DH Dmitri Young came off the 15-day DL Friday and OF Alexis Gomez was designated for assignment. ... 2B Placido Polanco said he would miss Friday's game with tightness in his back, something he has been battling for three or four weeks. ``I think it's a day-to-day thing. We did some exercises and some treatment to release some of the tightness and it feels better already.'' He knows that playing on the Metrodome turf would not be wise. ``You could be 100 percent, and you play one game here and the next day you all beat up.'' ... Detroit beat Minnesota by a combined 33-1 during last weekend's three-game sweep in the Motor City, but OF Marcus Thames didn't expect the same this weekend. ``It won't be no cakewalk because we beat them like we did. They'll come out shoot for us and try to get us back. We've just got to stay focused and play good baseball.''
MINNESOTA: Struggling 1B Justin Morneau was given a rest against LHP Kenny Rogers, but manager Ron Gardenhire said he's not concerned about Morneau struggling against left-handers and losing confidence. ``If I'm going to give him a day, I'm giving him a day against this guy,'' Gardenhire said. Morneau is 1-for-10 against Rogers. ... 2B Luis Castillo returned after leaving Thursday's game with a cut on his lower right leg, sustained on a takeout slide while he was turning a double play. Castillo said he was OK to stay in the game, but the Twins didn't want to chance it with a bad cut. ... C Joe Mauer was given Friday off, but Gardenhire planned to play him Saturday and Sunday.
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KANSAS CITY: OF Reggie Sanders was out of the lineup with a tight left hamstring after leaving Thursday's game after two innings. Sanders was four homers shy of joining Barry Bonds, Willie Mays, Andre Dawson and Bobby Bonds as the only major leaguers with 300 homers and 300 steals. ... The Royals had scored six runs in their previous seven road games and a team batting average of .170 over that stretch. ... Kansas City has eight players on the DL, including first baseman DH Mike Sweeney.
CHICAGO: Nearly six months after he was selected AL Manager of the Year, Ozzie Guillen got his plaque commemorating the award Friday. It was delivered by C A.J. Pierzynski shortly after a bus pulled through the center field gate area with a sign ``Ozzie's Bus'' on the front. Guillen's penchant for telling it like it, criticizing players' mistakes when they make one, has been known in the White Sox clubhouse as ``being thrown under the bus.'' ``As soon as I saw the bus, I knew A.J. had a lot of things to do with this,'' Guillen said.
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PITTSBURGH: In an attempt to ignite his lineup, Pirates manager Jim Tracy inserted 3B Freddy Sanchez into the leadoff slot for Friday's game against Washington. Tracy said the move was an experiment to give his sluggers a few more run-producing opportunities. Sanchez, who entered the game with a .333 average, was making his 11th start of the year and first as the leadoff hitter. He led off the game with a flyout to left field. ``In the interim, for a day or so, we're going to give this a shot, see where this takes us,'' Tracy said. ``We're hoping he can help (bring) more opportunities to the middle of our order.'' ... C Ryan Doumit took some instruction at first base before Friday's game and will continue to practice at the position. Tracy said learning the position could make Doumit a more valuable reserve player for the Pirates.
WASHINGTON: SS Cristian Guzman will have season-ending surgery to repair his injured right shoulder. Guzman, who had been sidelined since early March, is expected to be ready for spring training in 2007. ... The Nationals have not lost a series to Pittsburgh since 2000, when they were the Montreal Expos. The Nationals went 5-1 against the Pirates in 2005. ... Matthew LeCroy made his third start of the year at catcher, as regular starter Brian Schneider was given a day off with Pittsburgh left-hander Oliver Perez on the mound. Schneider had started 15 of the Nationals' previous 16 games and is batting .213 with one home run. ... Marlon Byrd made his seventh straight start in center field. He entered the game without a hit this season at RFK Stadium; he has 16 on the road. Byrd led off the bottom of the first with a walk, and he scored the game's first run one batter later on Jose Vidro's double to left.
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SAN FRANCISCO: Omar Vizquel played his 2,302nd game at SS, tying Cal Ripken Jr. for third most at the position behind Hall of Famers Luis Aparicio (2,581) and Ozzie Smith (2,511). ``That's a tireless little man,'' manager Felipe Alou said. Alou thinks Vizquel will pass Aparicio if he wants to. Vizquel homered and singled his first two times up. ... Mark Sweeney started at 1B in place of slumping Lance Niekro, who was hitting .203 with one homer and 10 RBIs.
PHILADELPHIA: C Mike Lieberthal was put on the 15-day DL with a bruised left knee and C Carlos Ruiz was recalled from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Sal Fasano started behind the plate. Lieberthal, an All-Star in 1999 and 2000, was hit in the knee by a pitch from Atlanta's John Thomson on Thursday night. ... RHP Gavin Floyd gave up two homers in the first three innings. He had allowed five home runs in 24 2-3 innings this season coming into the game.
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ATLANTA: Going into Friday night's game, 3B-OF Chipper Jones had played 157 games in his career, nearly one full season, against the Mets with a batting average of .330, 35 home runs and 104 RBIs. ... SS Edgar Renteria returned to lineup Thursday night after missing nine games with a strained left rib cage and extended his hitting streak to 20 games, 19 this season. Renteria had 10 multihit games during the streak. ... OF Andruw Jones' home run against Philadelphia was his first after 37 at-bats without one. He went nine straight games without an RBI before driving in two runs in each of the last three games.
NEW YORK: Rookie RHP John Maine could be scratched from Sunday's start after reporting discomfort in a finger following his first start on Tuesday. That could mean a quick callup from Triple-A Norfolk for veteran RHP Jose Lima. ... RHP Pedro Martinez was honored before the game by the New York State Assembly in recognition of his 200th career victory last month. ... Mets home attendance after 15 games was 561,052, an increase of 67,046 over last year's 494,006. ... The Mets' pitching staff leads the majors with 236 strikeouts and the bullpen leads with a 2.42 ERA.
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ST. LOUIS : LHP Mark Mulder is scheduled to face Florida for the second time Saturday. He and Oakland lost to the Marlins 13-2 on June 3, 2003, with Mulder giving up eight earned runs in 3 2-3 innings. ... Playing in their third city in four days Friday, the Cardinals arrived at their Miami hotel at 3:30 a.m. EDT. Manager Tony La Russa shrugged off the schedule, noting that minor league teams have it worse. ``My frame of reference is if you called down to Memphis and checked their travel,'' La Russa said. ``No complaints.'' ... The Cardinals went into the weekend 0-4 in May for the first time since 1958.
FLORIDA: OF Matt Cepicky was outrighted to Triple-A Albuquerque. ... Rookie RF Jeremy Hermida (hip flexor) hasn't run since Monday but may be able to rejoin the Marlins in another week, manager Joe Girardi said. ... Batting .179, rookie 1B Mike Jacobs was back in the lineup Friday after being benched for three games. ``I wanted him to have a few days to clear his mind,'' Girardi said. ... Florida went into the weekend last in the majors with four sacrifice flies.
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HOUSTON: Manager Phil Garner said he is tired of answering questions about altering his game strategy when managing at Coors Field. ``I manage the same at every ballpark,'' he said. ``You manage to score runs, get as much as you can from your starter and use you bullpen wisely.'' ... RHP Brad Lidge said Denver was his favorite major league stop. ``I can sleep in my own bed for three nights,'' said Lidge, who prepped locally at Cherry Creek High School. ... LHP Wandy Rodriguez will make his scheduled start Saturday after a bout with a virus that left a large scab on his lip. ``It knocked him down a little bit and wore him down,'' Garner said. ``The doctor said the medication did a good enough job that he was able to make the trip and will make his start.''
COLORADO: RHP Mike DeJean (right shoulder tendinitis) played long toss. He will pitch a simulated game Saturday. ... SS Clint Barmes was dropped from the No. 2 spot to No. 7 in the batting order. ``We wanted more production from our No. 2 hitter,'' manager Clint Hurdle said of the move. ``I'm hoping that Clint will provide some protection for Brad Hawpe.'' ... Barmes missed the past two games to attend a cousin's funeral. ... 1B Todd Helton played his first game after being on the DL with an abdominal illness. ``I'm relieved because he wasn't a good bench coach,'' Hurdle said. ``He does make me a better manager.'' ... OF Ryan Spilborghs was optioned to Triple-A Colorado Springs to make room for Helton.
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ARIZONA: RHP Juan Cruz twisted his ankle Thursday night, but manager Bob Melvin said Friday that Cruz would be available for his next start. In his first two starts, Cruz (1-0) has allowed one earned run and struck out 10 in 10 innings. ... RHP Casey Daigle rejoined the club Friday, one day after his wife, former US Olympian Jennie Finch, gave birth to their first child. ... RHP Claudio Vargas starts against Cincinnati on Saturday night. After giving up 11 earned runs in back-to-back starts, Vargas has given up only one earned run in his last two starts, a stretch of 13 innings.
CINCINNATI: RHP Paul Wilson, who is on the DL recovering from right rotator cuff surgery, was scratched from a scheduled Sunday start for Triple-A Louisville because of shoulder fatigue. Wilson has thrown 91 and 92 pitches in his last two minor league outings. His next start has yet to be determined. ... The Reds' 20-9 start is their best since 1990, when they went 22-7 on their way to a World Series title. ... Saturday's starting pitcher, RHP Bronson Arroyo, is 5-0. It's the best start by a Reds pitcher since Wilson went 7-0 to open the 2004 season. Arroyo has a 2.06 ERA, more than two runs lower than his lifetime 4.41 ERA.
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MILWAUKEE: Bench coach Robin Yount, who fell ill on the team flight to Los Angeles because of dehydration, was hospitalized overnight for precautionary reasons. The 50-year-old Hall of Famer is expected to be back in the clubhouse on Saturday. ... RHP Jared Fernandez was recalled from Triple-A Nashville. The 34-year-old knuckleballer takes the roster spot that opened up Wednesday when RHP Tomo Ohka was placed on the 15-day DL because of a partial tear in his rotator cuff. Ohka is expected to be sidelined at least four weeks. ... RHP Ben Hendrickson was tabbed to start Saturday in Ohka's spot, after throwing 78 pitches in relief on Tuesday night. RHP Dave Bush will start next Thursday at San Diego on seven days' rest, because manager Ned Yost doesn't want LHP Doug Davis (5.35 ERA and 29 walks in 37 innings) going five days between starts. ... CF Brady Clark, who led NL leadoff hitters last year with a .372 on-base percentage, started in the eight hole for the sixth time this season because of a 6-for-36 slump that lowered his average to .202. Clark, who signed a two-year, $7 million contract in the offseason, entered Friday night's game 2-for-20 with runners in scoring position.
LOS ANGELES: RHP Eric Gagne, limited to just 14 appearances since the start of last season because of injuries, made 50 throws from a distance of 120 feet on Friday and could be throwing off a mound within a week. ... C Dioner Navarro was placed on the 15-day DL because of a deep bone bruise on his right wrist, which he injured on a foul tip off the bat of San Diego's Vinny Castilla in Thursday's 3-0 loss. ... C Russell Martin was called up from Triple-A Las Vegas to take Navarro's roster spot, and was in the starting lineup. ``He caught everyone on the staff in spring training and handled everyone very well, so we're not concerned about his receiving,'' manager Grady Little said. ``He's a very talented youngster.'' ... 3B Bill Mueller, the only player to appear in each of the team's first 29 games, sat out for the first time because of a sore right knee that is expected to sideline him at least another 3-4 days. An MRI showed no structural damage.
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