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Notes from Wednesday's games
Notes from Wednesday's games
June 7, 2006
LOS ANGELES: OF Darin Erstad has returned to Southern California after experiencing soreness in his injured right ankle during a minor league rehab assignment. He took himself out of a game Monday with Triple-A Salt Lake. ``It flared up again,'' manager Mike Scioscia said. ``We'll evaluated it again. Our doctors will put their heads together and see where we're going.'' ... Scioscia didn't rule out RHP Bartolo Colon (right shoulder) rejoining the rotation Sunday or Monday. Colon made his second minor league start Tuesday with Salt Lake. ... INF Maicer Izturis (hamstring) could be activated from the 15-day DL on Friday.
TAMPA BAY: OFs Josh Hamilton and Delmon Young took live batting practice together at the Devil Rays' minor league complex. Hamilton, who was suspended in February 2004 for violating baseball's drug policy, received permission from Major League Baseball last week to participate in extended spring training. Young is serving a 50-game suspension for throwing a bat that hit a replacement umpire in the chest. He can resume playing June 19. ... 3B Evan Longoria, taken third overall Tuesday in the amateur draft, took batting practice. He is expected to join Class-A Visalia next week.
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BOSTON: The Red Sox plan to assign OF Gabe Kapler, coming off an Achilles' injury last September, to Double-A Portland on Thursday. ... Boston opted not to put RHP Keith Foulke (back) on the DL. The team thinks he is no more than two or three days from being able to pitch again. Foulke hasn't pitched since last Wednesday in Toronto. ... No makeup date was announced for the rainout. Though the teams have three mutual off days remaining (July 27, Aug. 7 and Sept. 7), the game likely will be rescheduled as part of a doubleheader during Boston's final trip to Yankee Stadium from Sept. 15-17. To make up an earlier rainout, the teams are also slated to play a day-night doubleheader at Fenway Park on Aug. 18, which will begin a five-game series.
NEW YORK: Yankees manager Joe Torre said Derek Jeter (bruised right thumb) was feeling better, and the doctor told the SS he could play as soon as he could grip and throw a ball. ... LHP Randy Johnson will start Friday night in the opener of a three-game series against Oakland. Mike Mussina will pitch Saturday, and Shawn Chacon is now expected to come off the DL to start Sunday instead of Friday. ... The Yankees could get injured OF Bubba Crosby (right hamstring) back during the current homestand, possibly this weekend.
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OAKLAND: 3B Eric Chavez was a late scratch from the starting lineup because of lower back tightness. Antonio Perez started in his spot. ... LHP Joe Kennedy, sidelined since May 11 with shoulder tendinitis, visited Dr. Frank Jobe in Los Angeles on Wednesday and is awaiting results of an MRI exam. ... SS Bobby Crosby is playing with a sore finger, the result of an opponent sliding into him at second base last weekend. ... Manager Ken Macha said RHP Esteban Loaiza will start Thursday, but is not sure who will be dropped from the roster. Loaiza has been out since April 29 with a strained muscle in his left side. ... Regarding the noon gametime Thursday, Macha said, ``Oh, my goodness, that's almost cruel and unusual punishment.'' ... Macha said that RHP Justin Duchscherer, on the DL since May 7 with right elbow tendinitis, played catch Tuesday in Sacramento with the Athletics' Triple-A team.
CLEVELAND: Manager Eric Wedge remains concerned about his club's shaky defense. The Indians entered Wednesday's game with 41 errors, only the Los Angeles Angels (43) have more. ``I do feel like we have been hopping around and moving around better out there,'' Wedge said. ``It has been a concern but these guys are working hard to fix it.'' An error by 3B Aaron Boone in the eighth inning on Tuesday put the go-ahead run on in a 7-6 loss. ... The Indians' four full-season minor league teams have a combined .558 winning percentage - a major league best. ... DH Travis Hafner has the most homers (eight) and RBIs (25) in baseball vs. left-handers. Indians first baseman Eduardo Perez is second with seven homers and 20 RBIs.
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TORONTO: RHP A.J. Burnett threw 60 pitches in a simulated game Wednesday. Manager John Gibbons said Burnett will likely pitch again in five days, then could be assigned to Single-A Dunedin for a rehabilitation assignment. Burnett has been on the DL since April 22 with right elbow soreness. ... OF John McDonald, on the DL since May 28 with a groin injury, is expected to have a short rehab assignment before rejoining the team. ... OF Alex Rios had an eight-game hitting streak entering Wednesday's game and had not gone two straight starts without a hit. He already had three hitting streaks of nine or more games this season, the longest being 13 games. ... The Jays' major league-best .302 batting average after 57 games is a franchise best for this late in the season. ... Scott Downs' win in relief Tuesday was the first relief win of his career, covering 76 games.
BALTIMORE: The Orioles shuffled their coaching staff Wednesday, replacing first base coach Dave Cash with Rick Dempsey, whose job as bullpen coach was filled by minor league pitching coach Larry McCall. Cash, who was re-assigned, told the team he would need some time to decide whether to stay with the organization. ... 2B Brian Roberts ended a 0-for-19 slump with a leadoff single Wednesday. He had gone hitless in his previous four games. ... Baltimore played its 35th home game Wednesday, tied with Seattle for most in the major leagues.
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DETROIT: The first-place Tigers had scored 31 runs in their last 10 games and lost seven of nine before Wednesday night. Manager Jim Leyland hinted it was time to fine-tune the first-place team. ``Our offense has not been good,'' Leyland said. ``A little more speed would be one of the things I'd be interested in. ... We need to make some adjustments in who we've got and probably need to add something to the team. We're going to have to change things.'' Leyland said he would like to see his team cut down on strikeouts and have better at-bats with two outs and runners in scoring position. ... Detroit's starting pitching has been stellar, leading the majors with 30 wins. ... C Ivan Rodriguez was out of the starting lineup Wednesday with a sore back. He left Tuesday night's game after two innings because of back spasms. Leyland said he hoped Rodriguez would be able to go for the series finale Thursday night but did not want to risk playing him Wednesday.
CHICAGO: Manager Ozzie Guillen wants his players to let him know if they're hurt. Reliever Cliff Politte, who's been ineffective after his best season a year ago when the team won the World Series, didn't let the team know right away that his shoulder was bothering him. Now that he has, he's landed on the 15-day DL. ``It's an aggravating thing I'm going through,'' said Politte, who was 7-1 with a 2.00 ERA a year ago but is 1-1 with a 7.40 ERA in 23 appearances this season. ``If you're not 100 percent, it makes it even more aggravating.'' Politte said he should have let on that his shoulder was hurting sooner. ``I thought I could throw through it,'' he said, adding that he's felt discomfort the last 2 1/2 weeks. ``It was a bad decision on my part. I should have said something a little bit earlier. It looks like a big cop-out and that's the last thing I want to do.'' ... The Sox were set to reach the 1 million mark in attendance Wednesday night, the fastest they'd gotten there in franchise history. It was their 30th home game of the season. Before Wednesday, the White Sox were averaging 34,292 and had 14 sellouts.
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TEXAS: LHP Brian Anderson, who was rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, re-tore the ligament while working out in Surprise, Ariz., an MRI has revealed. On Monday, Anderson threw six pitches in an extended spring game and said he had pain in the elbow. Manager Buck Showalter said Wednesday the MRI revealed he had re-torn the ligament. ``It's very sad,'' Showalter said. The manager said Anderson would have to make a decision on whether to have another operation. He had surgery last July 21. ... Since losing nine in a row in Kansas City in 2002-03, the Rangers have turned it around. After Tuesday night's win, the Rangers had taken nine of their last 11 in KC.
KANSAS CITY: DH Mike Sweeney swung a bat for the first time since he went on the DL on May 2 with a bulging disc. He said the back was pain-free and ``felt great. Hopefully I can get back soon.'' ... Manager Buddy Bell said he was feeling OK Wednesday after going to the doctor on Tuesday with kidney stone problems. ``I'm doing much better today,'' Bell said. ... The few Royals players who were on the team with Jason Grimsley a few years ago said they were shocked that the veteran reliever was being investigated in a scandal involving steroids and performance-enhancing drugs. Said LHP Jeremy Affeldt, ``I refuse to drag him in the mud because he's a good friend of mine and I love him to death. He just made a mistake.''
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MINNESOTA: OF Jason Kubel began 2004 in Double-A New Britain. Twenty-three regular season games later he was starting against the Yankees in the AL divisional playoffs. About a week after that, Kubel collided with an 2B chasing a flyball in an Arizona Fall League game and tore the anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments in his left knee. Minnesota feared that Kubel might never play again. Wednesday, the left-handed Kubel was starting in LF against Seattle's Jamie Moyer, after a three-hit night Tuesday. ``It was a bad knee injury,'' manager Ron Gardenhire said. ``I had a sick feeling in my stomach when I was told how bad it was. To see him now, doing what he's doing, is a lot of fun.'' Kubel said he didn't do much more than swing a bat for the first 11 months after the injury, until he played five games at DH in the instructional league last fall wearing an oversized knee brace. ``The real test was spring training,'' he said. ``I felt I was able to do anything again. Now, it's not an issue anymore.'' ... Wednesday starter Boof Bonser legally changed his name from John to his childhood nickname after the 2001 season.
SEATTLE: RF Ichiro Suzuki entered Wednesday leading the major leagues with 89 hits, then played in his 300th consecutive game. The last day he didn't play was July 10, 2004. The old Seattle record was 293 by Edgar Martinez from 1994-96. Suzuki said he was raised to always play. ``In Japan, core players are expected to play every day, even during exhibitions and spring training,'' he said through his interpreter. He said his secret to longevity is good sleep and specially prepared foods at home - beyond the rice balls he eats in the clubhouse. When asked if he can appreciate Cal Ripken's record of 2,632 consecutive games played, Suzuki said, ``That's like comparing somebody who has 3,000 hits to somebody who has 30 hits. What he did was incredible ... (it's) in another dimension.'' ... Eddie Guardado, replaced by J.J. Putz as closer last month and booed by the home fans after allowing a home run to Minnesota's Jason Kubel in the eighth inning Tuesday, said his problem this season is mental. ``What has made me successful in this game is courage and heart,'' he said. ``But my focus is not where it needs to be. And I don't know why.''
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CHICAGO: RHP Kerry Wood traveled to Cincinnati ahead of the team to have his surgically repaired right shoulder examined by Reds team doctor Timothy Kremchek. Manager Dusty Baker said Wood was ``stiff'' after pitching 3 2-3 innings in Tuesday's 4-1 loss to Houston and was questionable for his next scheduled start, in Cincinnati on Sunday. ``It's a situation where he's still sort of on post-rehab, so to speak,'' Baker said. ... John Mabry started in right field Wednesday so Jacque Jones could rest a sore back, Baker said. Jones pinch hit in the eighth inning on Wednesday and struck out. He's batting .354 over his last 35 games, with eight homers and 24 RBIs since April 28, and Baker is being cautious. ``We certainly can't afford to lose Jacque,'' he said. ... Baker is uncertain when 1B Derrek Lee will return from a broken wrist. The Cubs were hoping Lee would be back in 2-3 weeks, but Baker wasn't optimistic. ``He's still got to get range of motion, throwing, hitting,'' Baker said. ``We have a hopeful date. We don't have a real date.'' Baker understands how long it might be before Lee feels like himself again. ``I've had three hand operations and I'll tell you, it's not easy,'' he said.
HOUSTON: Manager Phil Garner liked what he saw in highlights of Roger Clemens' start for the Single-A Lexington on Tuesday night. Clemens will make his next start for Double-A Corpus Christi on Sunday. He's scheduled to return to the majors on June 22. Clemens was running a charity clinic in Lexington on Wednesday and Garner joked that Clemens' value goes beyond baseball. ``He'll probably be here tomorrow to solve some sort of problem,'' Garner said. ``I'm sure there's an issue he can solve here. He'll probably fix the immigration problem, then head down to Corpus.'' ... Garner is relieved 1B Lance Berkman appears to be returning to form. Hobbled lately with a sore hamstring, Berkman went 3-for-4 with a home run Tuesday. ``This team usually feeds off (Craig) Biggio and Berkman,'' Garner said. ``If either one of them is hitting it good, we usually do well, so it's good to see Lance starting to swing the bat.'' ... The Astros improved to 6-3 with the roof closed at Minute Maid Park.
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PITTSBURGH: RHP Kip Wells (shoulder surgery) will make a rehab start on June 10 for Single-A Lynchburg and on June 15 for Double-A Altoona. ``We want it to be a slow progression for him back to our club,'' manager Jim Tracy said. ``Between those starts we will bring him back to the club for his prep work.'' ... The nine runs were the most allowed by LHP Oliver Perez in his career and he has allowed 13 earned runs in his past two starts. ``The last two times out haven't been good for him,'' Tracy said. ``This is something the be concerned about.'' ... The Pirates, 5-24 on the road this year, haven't won a road series since Sept. 27-28, at Chicago. ... Tracy is hoping the Pirates can make up ground on teams other than St. Louis in the NL Central. ``There are other teams between us and St. Louis,'' he said. ``It means we have to chew in smaller bites.
COLORADO: Despite having four hits in each of his last two games and going 11-for-21 over the past six games manager Clint Hurdle refuses to commit to Jamey Carroll as the team's regular second baseman. ``No he isn't, but he is going to play,'' Hurdle said. ``We can maximize his play by moving him around the infield and not overplaying him.'' ... With five sacrifice flies Colorado matched a major league record matching Seattle which did it on Aug. 7, 1988, against Oakland. ... C Yorvit Torrealba hit his second career grand slam and matched a career high with five RBIs.
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FLORIDA: Rookie Dan Uggla homered twice and drove in five runs. He hit a three-run homer in the fifth and a two-run shot in the ninth for his first career multihomer game and the third by the Marlins in 2006. ... LF Josh Willingham was a late scratch with a stiff back and Joe Borchard replaced him in the lineup. ... Winning pitcher Dontrelle Willis, back home in the Bay Area, had never lasted longer than five innings when pitching in San Francisco, where he won for the first time in three starts. ... INF Alfredo Amezaga had always hoped to meet Barry Bonds, and it happened Wednesday. The slugger even signed a jersey for the nervous Amezaga to take back to his new house in his native Mexico. ... The Marlins avoided a three-game sweep.
SAN FRANCISCO: Barry Bonds had a scheduled day off in a day game following a night game, but the Giants were unsure about the slugger's status for a four-game series starting Thursday night against his former club, Pittsburgh. Bonds tweaked his left side during last weekend's series in New York, though he initially tried to play through it. The injury has become worse in recent days, and Bonds grimaced after a swing during Tuesday night's win. ``I hope this is not a serious problem,'' Giants manager Felipe Alou said. Bonds was examined by team doctors Robert Murray and Ken Akizuki late Tuesday, and trainer Stan Conte listed the slugger as day to day. ... Before the game, the Giants activated RHP reliever Tim Worrell from the 15-day DL and optioned RHP Brian Wilson to Triple-A Fresno. ... C Mike Matheny, on the DL with a concussion, underwent an MRI on his head that was negative. The Giants will be ``1,000 percent sure,'' according to Conte, that Matheny is ready before returning to the field. He could do some easy exercises Thursday.
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PHILADELPHIA: The Phillies' win at Arizona was their 16th in a string of 20 consecutive games. They are 9-7 overall and have won eight of 11. With a three-game sweep of the Diamondbacks, the Phils improved to 5-2 on their current 11-game trip. They open a four-game series at Washington on Thursday night. ... Chase Utley ranks first among NL second basemen in the latest All-Star voting. He's about 27,000 votes ahead of Houston's Craig Biggio. ... OF Bobby Abreu drew a walk Wednesday to extend his major league-leading total to 61.
ARIZONA: RHP Claudio Vargas (6-2, 5.20 ERA) will face the New York Mets in the opener of a four-game series Thursday night. Vargas is 0-1 with a 10.26 ERA in five career appearances against the Mets, including two starts. ... C Johnny Estrada was back in the lineup on Wednesday after taking a night off. Estrada came into the game hitting .325. Snyder is batting .233. ... RHP Juan Cruz, who went on the 15-day DL with a sore right shoulder, plans to throw on the sidelines Friday.
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WASHINGTON: RHP Shawn Hill is expected to keep his spot in the rotation, manager Frank Robinson said. Hill, making his second start of the season, gave up seven hits and four runs, three earned, in six innings in a 5-3 loss Tuesday night. Robinson said RHP John Patterson and RHP Pedro Astacio are getting close but are not yet ready to reclaim spots in the rotation. ``I think he's pushing a little bit too fast,'' said Robinson of Astacio. ``He thinks he's ready now. I think it's going to take some time to build up.'' Astacio, returning from a forearm injury, gave up two runs on four hits in six innings Monday night for Triple-A New Orleans in his third rehab start. Patterson also is recovering from a forearm injury.
ATLANTA: The Braves signed their top draft pick, OF Cody Johnson, Wednesday. Johnson, a 6-foot-4 left-handed hitter from Panama City, Fla., was the No. 24 pick overall. The Braves also signed five other draft picks, including two second-round picks - RHP Dustin Evans and SS Robert Fontaine. ... LHP John Foster had successful Tommy John surgery on his left elbow Tuesday night, the team reported. Dr. James Andrews performed the surgery in Birmingham, Ala. Foster had been on the DL since spring training. ... C Brian McCann completed his injury rehabilitation assignment at Single-A Rome on Wednesday. He was 1-for-4 Tuesday and 1-for-3 Wednesday. McCann, recovering from a sprained left ankle, is eligible to come off the 15-day DL Thursday but may be held back another day or two, manager Bobby Cox said.
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SAN DIEGO: RHP Jake Peavy's start Tuesday night came after three days of extra rest as he recovers from tendinitis in his right shoulder. He also skipped a bullpen session. ``He's fine,'' Padres manager Bruce Bochy said even though Peavy allowed five runs, seven hits and a walk in 3 2-3 innings and lost 5-1 in his shortest start since Aug. 25, 2003, at Arizona. ``He'll know more after he throws in the bullpen Thursday.'' ... RHP Cesar Carrillo, the Padres' 2005 first-round pick came off the DL Tuesday night and made his first Triple-A start for Portland at Tucson. He allowed two runs, two hits and three walks in 2 2-3 innings.
MILWAUKEE: RHP Rick Helling begins an injury rehab assignment when he reports to Triple-A Nashville on Friday. On the 60-day DL with a sprained right elbow ligament, he will pitch Saturday at New Orleans and next Thursday against Omaha. He will then return to Milwaukee for further evaluation. ... Brewers manager Ned Yost picked Jim Gantner to replace Robin Yount as his bench coach for Wednesday night's and Thursday afternoon's games against San Diego. Yount is attending his daughter's high school graduation in Arizona with the team's permission. The Padres approved the substitution.
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CINCINNATI: OF Ken Griffey Jr. was out of the lineup due to a sore left quadriceps muscle after getting tangled up with C Yadier Molina while sliding at the plate in the ninth on Tuesday, but was available to pinch hit. He played the first eight games of the trip and was 16-for-34 with four homers and eight RBIs, and was 2-for-2 with three walks and two runs scored on Tuesday. ... 3B Edwin Encarnacion, who left Tuesday's game with a sprained left ankle, was not in the lineup. His status remained day to day.
ST. LOUIS: RHP Chris Carpenter, who made his first start on Tuesday after coming off the DL from bursitis in his back, has six days until his next start next Tuesday because of two days off. ``It's awhile before he gets out there again,'' manager Tony La Russa said. ``He's got a lot of time to get ready but from there on it's normal to the (All-Star) break.'' ... Utilityman Scott Spiezio struck out as a pinch hitter in the fifth inning on Tuesday after missing seven games with an upper respiratory tract illness. La Russa is hopeful Spiezio can play more this weekend, but sent him home after the at-bat. ... So Taguchi was on the bench after starting nine of the previous 10 games in CF in place of Jim Edmonds, shifted to 1B while rehabbing from an abdominal injury.
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NEW YORK: SS Jose Reyes (sore right wrist) and OF Cliff Floyd (sprained left ankle) didn't start Wednesday night, but both hope to be back in the lineup soon. ``Everything is fine. I hope to play tomorrow,'' said Reyes, who was injured while swinging in his final at-bat Monday night and didn't play Tuesday. Floyd hurt himself just before arriving at third base in the second inning Tuesday. ``I'll be fine, man. A couple of days,'' he said. ``It's a lot better. There was a lot of swelling. It went down. I'm going to rule out tonight. I don't rule out tomorrow.'' ... OF Carlos Beltran played despite soreness in his side. He was injured while making a diving catch of a ball hit by J.D. Drew in the third inning Tuesday night, but stayed in the game. ``I thought maybe he damaged his ribs,'' manager Willie Randolph said. ... 1B Julio Franco made his third start of the season, giving Carlos Delgado a day off. At 47, Franco is the oldest player in the majors. ``This gives me a chance to give Franco some at-bats,'' Randolph said.
LOS ANGELES: Closer Eric Gagne will be shut down for the next few days because of stiffness in his surgically repaired pitching elbow. Gagne earned his first save in nearly a year Tuesday night, but said afterward he wasn't 100 percent. ``I had an MRI today and everything looked good, but the nerve's inflamed a little bit,'' Gagne said. ``So it's just day to day. They said tomorrow it's going to feel 100 percent better and it's going to be fine after that.'' ... C Dioner Navarro begins a rehab assignment Friday night at Triple-A Las Vegas. He sustained a bruised right wrist early last month when struck by a foul tip. ``He's coming along well,'' manager Grady Little said. ``He threw yesterday with no pain. He took swings from both sides of the plate. He's ready to go with no limitations.'' ... Rookie OF Matt Kemp, who homered off Pedro Martinez on Tuesday night, batted cleanup for the first time. ``I didn't see Joe DiMaggio, but I think he must have been like that when he was that age,'' Little said of the 21-year-old Kemp, whose homer off Martinez was his fourth in 10 big league games.
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