Notes from Tuesday's games
May 23, 2006
NEW YORK: OF Johnny Damon led off the game with a homer. It was his 17th career leadoff homer and first of the season. ... The Yankees activated OF Gary Sheffield from the 15-day disabled list and designated RHP Colter Bean for assignment. Bean appeared in two games, pitched two innings and had a 9.00 ERA.
BOSTON: 1B Kevin Youkilis made Boston's first out of the game on a liner back to the mound that Jaret Wright caught in his gut. ... OF Wily Mo Pena missed his second consecutive game with a sore wrist.
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TAMPA BAY: OF Rocco Baldelli began a 20-day rehab assignment at Triple-A Durham. Baldelli has not played in a game for the Devil Rays since Oct. 2, 2004. ... The Devil Rays are in the midst of their longest road trip of the season - 10 games in 11 days.
TORONTO: The Blue Jays are thinking of giving RHP Roy Halladay an extra day of rest and having him pitch against Boston on Monday instead of Chicago on Sunday. Manager John Gibbons said Halladay is past the strained forearm that bothered him earlier this season. Rookie Ty Taubenheim will pitch Sunday if Halladay goes Monday. ... General manager J.P. Ricciardi said rookie RHP Casey Jannsen is more polished than second-year LHP Gustavo Chacin, who won 13 games in his rookie season. Jannsen is 3-3 with a 3.46 ERA in six starts.
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LOS ANGELES: 1B Kendry Morales made his major league debut after being called up from Triple-A Salt Lake on Monday night. Morales, a switch-hitter who was batting .317 with five homers and 29 RBIs in 41 games for the Bees, was in the No. 5 slot in the order. The Angels, who scored 13 runs in their previous six games, are in need of an offensive boost. ``The ball sounds different coming off his bat,'' manager Mike Scioscia said. ``I like his bat speed and the power coming off both sides of the plate.'' The 22-year-old Morales, who defected from Cuba in June 2004, is confident in his abilities. ``I feel very comfortable,'' he said through a translator. ``I feel I am ready for this level but we will have to wait for the first pitch to be thrown. I'm not surprised to be here.'' RHP Bartolo Colon, out since April 16 due to right shoulder inflammation, threw 35 pitches in a simulated game. Scioscia said Colon will have another simulated game Saturday before the team decides when he can begin a minor league rehab assignment. ... OF Darin Erstad, on the DL since May 1 because of an irritated right ankle, ``ran great,'' according to Scioscia. But Scioscia said Erstad still needs more time before he'll be ready for a minor league game. ... INF Maicer Izturis is expected to go on a minor league rehab assignment this weekend in his recovery from a strained left hamstring.
TEXAS: Despite concerns about his sore right hamstring, 2B Ian Kinsler remains in the lineup for Triple-A Oklahoma as he continues his rehab from the dislocated left thumb that landed him on the DL on April 12. Kinsler could rejoin the Rangers later this week. ... RHP Josh Rupe will be on the mound for the second time in three days on Wednesday in extended spring training in Arizona. Rupe, rehabbing from right elbow inflammation, has been on the DL since March 31.
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OAKLAND: Rich Harden threw about 40 pitches in a bullpen session. Harden, 3-0 in five starts, has been on the DL since April 27 with a muscle strain in his back. Manager Ken Macha said Harden would likely throw a simulated game Saturday in Texas before going further. ... Harden is one of five Athletics pitchers currently on the DL. Fellow starter Esteban Loaiza (strained left trapezius muscle) is expected to throw a simulated game Wednesday, which was pushed back a day. ``He was feeling stiff and needed an extra day,'' Macha said. ... Milton Bradley (sprained right knee) met with Macha in his office before the game and the plan was for him to continue catching balls in the outfield during pregame and doing agility drills. ... Bobby Crosby got two hits Monday, but his solo home run, his sixth of the season, didn't impress Macha as much as his ensuing RBI single that made it 3-0. ``I liked the two-strike hit for the RBI,'' Macha said. ``I'd like to get back to the lineup I started with in the beginning of the year.'' Crosby, hitting just .241, was expected to be the No. 3 hitter but he's been batting sixth lately behind Frank Thomas.
CHICAGO: The White Sox moved to strengthen their bullpen, calling up veteran reliever Jeff Nelson from Triple-A Charlotte. Nelson appeared just four times with the Knights, tossing 5 1-3 scoreless innings and earning one win. If the 39-year-old Nelson can recapture his old form, he would be a valuable weapon out of Ozzie Guillen's bullpen. Nelson won four World Series rings with the New York Yankees and has a 2.66 ERA in 55 career postseason games. ``This guy's going to bring experience, he's going to bring attitude and success,'' Guillen said. ``We need a guy that can give us a little more support that we'd like to have. I don't have to come every day with (Cliff) Politte and (Brandon) McCarthy. I need someone else who can come from the right side.'' ... Tadahito Iguchi was a late scratch from the starting lineup with a sore right foot, after fouling a ball off it Monday. ... Guillen said he sat in his office and flipped between Spanish-language news and baseball after he got thrown out in the second inning of Monday's 5-4, 10-inning victory. ``No soap operas were on,'' he said. ... Paul Konerko and Jermaine Dye hit back-to-back homers in the first, marking the fifth time the White Sox have done that this season. Konerko's homer was his 215th in Chicago, giving him sole possession of third place in the club's record book, breaking a tie with Carlton Fisk.
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DETROIT: INF Carlos Guillen was back in the lineup after taking Monday off with a sore back. ... The Tigers placed DH Dmitri Young on the 15-day DL, retroactive to Monday, with an irritation of his right quadriceps strain. They purchased the contract of 3B Jack Hannahan from Triple-A Toledo. He was hitting .282 with four home runs and 23 RBIs with Toledo, and manager Jim Leyland said he planned to use Hannahan as the DH against Kansas City on Wednesday. ... Leyland is fighting allergies which have been bothering him for the past several days. ``I've been sick the last four or five days. I don't feel good,'' he said.
KANSAS CITY: OF David DeJesus is progressing well in his rehab program and the Royals hope to have him back in about two weeks. The Royals' leadoff hitter has been on the DL since April 19 with a left hamstring strain. ... GM Allard Baird said he disagrees with RHP Scott Elarton, who said Sunday that some players on the Royals don't seem to care if they lose. ``I think these guys do care,'' Baird said. ``I think we're frustrated in terms of going out there every night and not playing up to our ability. Scott has been a team leader on this ballclub and it bothers him. I understand where he's coming from and I respect that.''
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CLEVELAND: Manager Eric Wedge gave struggling SS Jhonny Peralta a rest and moved Casey Blake, the AL's leading hitter, into the No. 3 spot in the order. Peralta was batting .180 with three RBIs in his last 14 games and was 2-for-19 lifetime against Twins starter Johan Santana. ``It was a good day, numbers-wise, to give Jhonny a day off,'' Wedge said. ``He's fighting through it OK.'' Lou Merloni started in Peralta's place. ... Blake has hit second, third, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth in the order this season. ``To have a guy who is OK and comfortable with that, it allows us to plug him in when guys are out of the lineup or hurt,'' Wedge said.
MINNESOTA: LF Shannon Stewart said he didn't want to be put on the 15-day disabled list with a tear in his left plantar fascia, but is ``optimistic'' he'll be back by June 4. He said he's played with the injury since spring training, but the pain became unbearable last weekend in Milwaukee. He has had the same injury before in his right foot. ``Just one time can I be straight and play and not worry about (injuries)?'' a frustrated Stewart said. ... OF Jason Kubel was recalled from Triple-A Rochester to fill the void, and he's hoping to stay up this time after being sent down on April 16. ``I got a lot of at-bats down there,'' Kubel said. ``I feel a little bit better about myself. I feel like I'm ready this time to show them what I can do.''
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BALTIMORE: Instead of watching RHP Hayden Penn make his season debut against Seattle, manager Sam Perlozzo walked his rookie out of the hospital after his appendectomy. ``I bought his pain pills, because he forgot his wallet,'' Perlozzo said, laughing. Perlozzo said Penn, recalled from Triple-A Ottawa last weekend, was ``really upset about he missed this opportunity. I reassured him he'd get one here before this year is out.'' Perlozzo said Penn had a less-invasive surgery than he could have had and thus might return to pitching within a month. ... LHP Adam Loewen arrived from Double-A Bowie at 11 a.m. to replace Penn on the roster. The fourth overall choice in the 2002 draft was told of his promotion Monday during the eighth inning of Bowie's game at Altoona, Pa. Loewen then drove two hours to Pittsburgh, barely slept, and flew to Seattle - in first class, the 22-year-old didn't mind noting. ``It's first-class everything here,'' Loewen said. ``It's unbelievable how they treat you up here.'' Loewen is a native of Surrey, B.C., about two hours north of Seattle. About 20 family members came to Tuesday's game at Safeco Field. Former Mariners GM and now Philadelphia GM Pat Gillick gave Loewen a tour of the ballpark when Loewen was an 18-year-old draft prospect. Loewen was 4-2 with a 2.72 ERA in nine games at Bowie. Tuesday would have been his day to start. Perlozzo said he hoped to get him an inning or two before Loewen potentially starts on Sunday at the Los Angeles Angels.
SEATTLE: Manager Mike Hargrove said for the first time the current bullpen arrangement of RHP J.J. Putz as closer and demoted closer Eddie Guardado and RHP Rafael Soriano as the primary setup relievers could remain for the rest of the season. ``Or it could be for a week,'' Hargrove said, acknowledging how fleeting bullpen success can be. Hargrove repeated that LHP Guardado, 35, being the closer would be the optimum arrangement because that is how the team's bullpen was designed for this season. But Putz, 29, had six saves in seven opportunities entering Tuesday, led AL relievers with 33 strikeouts and had allowed one run in 13 games. He credits Guardado with teaching him a new split-finger fastball for his success. Guardado got his fifth save in eight chances Monday - only because Putz had saves in each of the three previous games and was unavailable. ... How bad has the AL West been? Seattle entered as the only team in the division with at least a .500 record at home (13-13).
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CHICAGO: Tuesday's starting pitcher Kerry Wood experienced some pain in his right shoulder after his first start of the season on May 18. Wood, who allowed four runs and five hits over five innings of a 5-3 loss to the Nationals, played catch on Monday and didn't feel any soreness. Wood had right shoulder surgery performed on August 31, 2005. ... Aramis Ramirez, who hit his first career home run at Dolphin Stadium on Monday, now has homered in all 16 current National League parks. ... Juan Pierre, who played for the Marlins from 2003-2005, went 2-for-4 in his first return to Miami. He visited the new home of former teammate Dontrelle Willis on Monday.
FLORIDA: RF Jeremy Hermida made his first start since going on the DL April 11 with a right hip flexor. Hermida, who hit a pinch-hit single in Monday's game, says he feels no lasting effects from his injury. ``I feel good,'' Hermida said. ``I'm looking forward to getting back out there.'' ... Matt Treanor spelled Miguel Olivo at catcher Tuesday. Manager Joe Girardi prefers to have Treanor catch when Scott Olsen pitches. ``I'm not sure why,'' Treanor said. ``Maybe he thinks I can teach Scott some things.'' ... Girardi had nothing but praise for Cubs pitcher Greg Maddux, who is scheduled to pitch Wednesday's game against Florida. Girardi observed Maddux watching Florida's batting practice before Monday's game. ``You're not going to find a smarter pitcher on the mound when it comes to reading swings and reading hitters and knowing scouting reports,'' Girardi said. ``Here's a guy with (323) wins and he's not satisfied. He's going to watch our young hitters take batting practice so he has an idea what to do.''
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HOUSTON: The Astros' bullpen is once again at full strength with the return of RHP Russ Springer, who served the final game of his four-game suspension Monday night. Springer was disciplined for hitting San Francisco's Barry Bonds on May 16. Manager Phil Garner said he wants to get Springer into a game while the team is in Washington. ... Garner, who was suspended one game for his role in the Bonds incident, served his one-game suspension Monday night, while bench coach Cecil Cooper filled in for him. Garner said he was in a ``locked-down'' area of RFK Stadium and joked with reporters, ``I'm surprised you couldn't hear me screaming when Wandy (Rodriguez) couldn't get the ball over the plate in the fifth inning.'' ... Twenty-four members of the Astros' team and front office, including owner Drayton McLane, visited injured servicemen and women at Walter Reed Army Medical Center on Tuesday.
WASHINGTON: RF Jose Guillen returned to the lineup after missing five games with a strained right hamstring. ``Hopefully I can put it together this time and start doing what I was doing last year,'' said Guillen, who was in a 1-for-17 slump prior to his injury. ... Short on pitching because of injuries, the Nationals welcomed two right-handed relievers from Triple-A New Orleans who had never pitched in the majors: Saul Rivera and Santiago Ramirez. ``It's a good sign - their last names start with Rs,'' said manager Frank Robinson, drawing an ``R'' in the air with his index finger. ``For relief.'' Rivera was 1-1 with one save and a 1.59 ERA with the Zephyrs. Ramirez was 2-1 with seven saves and a 0.99 ERA. ... GM Jim Bowden said New Orleans has been instructed to prepare Shawn Hill to be called up to pitch Saturday against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Hill would fill the spot in the rotation vacated by Zach Day, who left Monday's game early with a sore shoulder and went on the 15-day DL.
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PHILADELPHIA: LHP Randy Wolf, who underwent ligament replacement surgery last July 1, threw a three-inning simulated game Tuesday at the Phillies' spring training complex in Clearwater, Fla. and could start extended spring training Monday. ... Going into the three-game series at Shea Stadium, LF Pat Burrell had 29 career home runs in six seasons against the Mets, third among active players. All the others in the top six have played for more than 10 seasons. ... In the last 18 games before Tuesday night, the Phillies were hitting .302 with nine home runs after the seventh inning and outscored opponents 42-22. They were 12-6 in those games.
NEW YORK: Cuban defector Alay Soler, called up from Double-A Binghamton of the Eastern League, will make his first major league start on Wednesday as the Mets continue to search for fourth and fifth starters. For Thursday, the starter will be either Jeremi Gonzalez or Darren Oliver, depending on whether either is used in relief before then. ... Rusty Staub hosted his 22nd annual BBQ for the New York Police and Fire Department Widows and Children's Fund. The fund has raised $140 million for families of personnel killed in the line of duty.
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MILWAUKEE: Thursday's off day means the Brewers won't need a fifth starter until next Tuesday, and manager Ned Yost isn't sure who that pitcher will be when his turn comes up. ``I don't know if he's on the staff or not,'' Yost said. ... RHP Joe Winkelsas joined the team after his contract was purchased Tuesday from Double-A Huntsville. RHP Jay Lehr was designated for assignment. ... Yost was ejected by plate umpire Bill Welke in the middle of the first inning Tuesday. The ejection was Yost's second of the season. He also was ejected on May 5 at Los Angeles. ... C Damian Miller missed his second consecutive start after leaving Sunday's game against Minnesota with back spasms.
CINCINNATI: Thursday's off day allowed the Reds to cut their bullpen back to six pitchers, optioning RHP Mike Burns to Triple-A Louisville and activating OF Cody Ross from the 15-day DL. ``The bullpen is as rested as it possibly could be,'' manager Jerry Narron said. ... Ross didn't need much time to get over the bruised left pinky finger he suffered when he was hit by Houston RHP Roy Oswalt on April 28 in his first at-bat as a Red. He went to Louisville on a rehab assignment on May 5. ``When I went down there, I was 80-100 percent,'' he said. ``It was a little sore the first game, but after that, I didn't feel anything. It was nice to go play every day.'' ... Burns was sent down after giving up three runs in one inning Monday night.
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PITTSBURGH: Manager Jim Tracy says 1B Sean Casey is close to beginning a rehab assignment in the minors. Casey, sidelined with a back injury, took batting practice, fielded ground balls and ran the bases on Tuesday. Casey took some swings against another player on the injured list, RHP Kip Wells, on Tuesday. Wells, on the 60-day DL after shoulder surgery, threw 30 pitches. ... Tracy inserted Ryan Doumit at first base in Tuesday's lineup. Doumit has been out with a strained left hamstring but ``is healthy enough'' to play, the manager said. ... After Monday night's 4-3 loss, the Pirates are 4-13 in one-run games. The 13 one-run losses are most in the majors.
ARIZONA: RHP Brandon Medders has joined RHP Luis Vizcaino as the primary setup men in the Diamondbacks' bullpen. Manager Bob Melvin says Medders' recent good outings lifted him into the role and gave the team a chance to ease up on Vizcaino, who may have been used too much early in the season. ... Heading into Tuesday night's game, the Diamondbacks led the NL in batting at .278 and fielding percentage at .988. Arizona also is first in the league in doubles (103). ... The Diamondbacks extended their club record by turning a double play for the 13th consecutive game Monday night. ... With the Suns playing a Game 7 playoff contest a block away, Arizona drew the second-smallest crowd in club history Monday night (18,103).
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COLORADO: RHP Sun-Woo Kim was activated from the DL after being sidelined since Apr. 15 because of a bruised right shin. Kim allowed 14 earned runs over 29 2-3 innings in his five rehab starts for Triple-A Colorado Springs. In three appearances with the Rockies this season, he has allowed 11 earned runs in five innings. ``Obviously, it's a decision that's not irreversible,'' manager Clint Hurdle said. ``He will go into the bullpen as long man, and we'll look for an opportunity to potentially give him a start down the road.'' ... RHP Scott Dohmann was optioned to Triple-A Colorado Springs to make room for Kim on the 25-man roster. But Hurdle insisted the demotion had nothing to do with Monday night's relief outing, when Dohmann walked all three batters he faced. ``Obviously, if he pitched better, it might have made it a little tougher to send him down. But I told Scott this was a decision about options and not about performance,'' Hurdle said.
LOS ANGELES: Closer Eric Gagne threw 20 pitches off the regular mound at Dodger Stadium and proclaimed himself ready to begin a minor league rehab stint at Triple-A Las Vegas on Friday. ``I can't wait,'' said Gagne, who underwent surgery on April 7 to have a nerve removed from his elbow. ``I'm a little anxious. I wish I could be doing it tomorrow, but I've got to take my time and get game-ready. It's just a matter of facing hitters, working counts, stuff like that. But I finally feel healthy. I don't have to worry about anything in my arm. It feels great.'' Manager Grady Little is encouraged by Gagne's progress. ``He looked good,'' Little said. ``He's throwing completely pain-free, and that's all what we're looking for right now.''
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ATLANTA: C Brian McCann took batting practice on Tuesday night and might be ready to start Friday in Chicago, manager Bobby Cox said. McCann left Saturday night's game at Arizona with a sprained left ankle sustained in a collision at the plate with Eric Byrnes. ... 1B Adam LaRoche missed his second straight game with a stiff neck. ... Hall of Famer Don Sutton, a Braves broadcaster, spent a few minutes before Tuesday's game talking golf with Padres manager Bruce Bochy. Asked why starting pitchers are such good golfers, Sutton said: ``Because we have four days to think about golf.''
SAN DIEGO: RHP Jake Peavy has slight tendinitis in his right shoulder, manager Bruce Bochy said Tuesday, a day after the ace set the Padres' record with 16 strikeouts in a 3-1 loss to the Atlanta Braves. ``It's a little tender. We think it will be fine,'' Bochy said. Peavy was lifted for a pinch hitter in the seventh with the Padres trailing 2-0. He had thrown 114 pitches. ``There's no doubt that we did the right thing by me coming out of that game,'' Peavy said Tuesday. ``It was risk versus reward,'' Bochy said. ``It wasn't an easy decision. But we've got to think of Jake and the club.''
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ST. LOUIS: Albert Pujols hit his major league-leading 23rd home run with a three-run shot to left in the first off Matt Morris, who faced his former team after spending the last nine seasons with St. Louis. ... The Cardinals' nine runs allowed in Monday night's loss marked only the second time this season St. Louis has allowed nine or more runs after giving up 12 on April 18 at Pittsburgh. The runs were the most allowed to San Francisco since giving up 10 on June 22, 2001, in a 10-5 loss. ... Tuesday starter Jason Marquis had allowed two homers to Barry Bonds in six at-bats and Bonds entered the game 4-for-6 with two walks against the right-hander. ... C Yadier Molina got the day off a night after ending an 0-for-14 stretch with a seventh-inning single in Monday's loss that snapped the Cardinals' five-game winning streak.
SAN FRANCISCO: RHP Tim Worrell went on the 15-day DL with a pinched nerve in his neck after he tried to recover with rest. The injury is unique because it doesn't hurt Worrell when he pitches but rather the day after, trainer Stan Conte said. The move is retroactive to May 21. The Giants recalled right-hander Brian Wilson from Triple-A Fresno to take Worrell's spot two days after activating Wilson from his rehabilitation assignment and optioning him to the minors. The 38-year-old Worrell, who opened the season as the team's closer in place of an injured Armando Benitez, is 2-1 with a 6.91 ERA and six saves in his second stint with San Francisco after first pitching for the Giants from 2001-03. ``Something was wrong, obviously,'' manager Felipe Alou said. ``His fastball did not have much life to it.'' Worrell was examined twice by spine specialist Robert Gamburd, including Monday. Worrell had an MRI that determined there was nerve irritation in the right side of his neck. ... RF Moises Alou, sidelined since May 5 with a sprained right ankle, will have an MRI on Wednesday to determine his progress. ``We're kind of in a holding pattern,'' Conte said. ``We're not going backward. We're not going forward.'' ... Injured 1B Lance Niekro (right shoulder) hit off the tee and could begin throwing Wednesday. He's eligible to come off the DL on Tuesday at Florida. ``We're shooting for that,'' Conte said.
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Notes from Tuesday's games
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