Notes from Sunday's games
June 11, 2006
TEXAS: The Rangers scored in the first inning for the second consecutive night after going a major league-leading 14 games without a first-inning run. ... SS Michael Young went a 32nd consecutive game without an error, a Rangers record for shortstops. ... RHP Kevin Millwood allowed two runs and seven hits, two walks and a wild pitch, striking out five.
BOSTON: The Red Sox gave away 8,000 free hot dogs on Saturday night to fans who waited out the long rain delay. ... RHP Josh Beckett gave up three earned runs on five hits and three walks, striking out seven in 5 1-3 innings but avoided his third consecutive loss. ... The nightcap of the doubleheader put Boston over the 1 million mark in attendance this season. The 28 games to reach the milestone is the fastest in club history. ... 2B Mark Loretta hit Boston's other game-ending homer this season, on April 17 against Seattle.
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OAKLAND: RHP Huston Street has retired 22 of 24 batters in his past six outings. ``He seems like he never throws the ball over the middle of the plate,'' Yankees captain Derek Jeter said. Street saved all five wins on the six-game road trip and became the first Athletics pitcher to earn four saves in four days since Billy Koch in June 2002. ... SS Bobby Crosby missed the entire series with a sore right hand. The A's hope he'll be able to play when they open a homestand Tuesday night against Seattle. ... DH Frank Thomas sat out with an ailing quadriceps.
NEW YORK: C Jorge Posada hit his 183rd homer, tying Tommy Henrich for 15th place on the team's career list. ... New York had won nine straight games against left-handed starters at Yankee Stadium before losing 6-5 to Barry Zito and the Athletics. It was the longest such streak to begin a season in club history. ... OF Bubba Crosby (hamstring) had his third minor league rehabilitation game with Class-A Tampa rained out. He could rejoin the Yankees in a couple of days ... RHP Octavio Dotel (elbow surgery) is scheduled to start a rehab assignment Monday with Tampa. But there is a possibility it might be pushed back a day and moved to Triple-A Columbus because of the inclement weather expected in Florida from Tropical Storm Alberto.
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CLEVELAND: Closer Bob Wickman called his heated exchange with RHP Paul Byrd in the clubhouse following Saturday's 4-3 11-inning loss ``just a little argument between players.'' ``You ever get into an argument with your wife? People have arguments,'' Wickman said. Wickman was 8-for-8 this season and had saved 24 straight dating back to last August before allowing two runs and four hits, including Tadahito Iguchi's game-winning single. Afterward, he was walking around the locker room with ice on his right shoulder when Byrd said, ``Take it off.'' Wickman responded by saying, ``We can take this outside.'' The exchange ended when Wickman walked to the trainer's room. ``I look at it as a non-issue,'' manager Eric Wedge said. ... The Indians recalled INF Ramon Vazquez from Triple-A Buffalo on Sunday and had him start at shortstop for the struggling Jhonny Peralta. Vazquez was batting .179 (5-for-28) with four RBIs in 16 games when the Indians optioned him to Triple-A on May 17. He hit .250 with two homers and nine RBIs in 60 at-bats for Buffalo.
CHICAGO: 3B Joe Crede was back in the lineup on Sunday night after missing Friday's and Saturday's games with back spasms. Crede left Thursday's game against the Tigers in the second inning when he first started feeling pain. ``We had the epidural the other day (Friday) and that calmed things down and made it feel a little better,'' Crede said. Crede is hitting .299 with nine homers. ... Manager Ozzie Guillen is uncertain how he will use DH Jim Thome when the White Sox visit National League ballparks, starting with a three-game series at Cincinnati that begins on Friday. Guillen hopes to get Thome, leading the club with 21 home runs and 53 RBIs entering Sunday's game, some time at first base. ... The White Sox open a four-game series at Texas on Monday followed by the Cincinnati series, before a six-game homestand against St. Louis and Houston.
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TAMPA BAY: The Devil Rays hit six home runs on Sunday to match their club record and brought their season total to 79, their most ever after 63 games. ... The Devil Rays set a franchise record with 38 total bases Sunday against the Royals. ... DH Jonny Gomes has seven home runs in his 12 career hits against the Royals. ... Rookie RHP James Shields has thrown 12 straight scoreless innings in his past two starts against the Royals and Angels. ... CF Rocco Baldelli equaled his career high with four hits. It his third career four-hit game and his first since July 6, 2004 at Baltimore. He is hitting .438 in four games since coming off the disabled list. ... The Devil Rays won five of six games against the Royals this season. They have won nine of their last 10 against Kansas City.
KANSAS CITY: CF David DeJesus has a nine-game hitting streak, the longest by a Royal this season. He is 4-for-34, .382, during the streak. ... The Royals acquired RHP Brandon Duckworth from the Pirates for cash considerations and he will start on Tuesday against the Angels. Duckworth was 8-3 with a 2.42 in 12 starts with Indianapolis, the Pirates' Triple-A farm club. ... RHP Mike MacDougal will join Double-A Wichita club on Monday to begin a rehab assignment. MacDougal, who led the Royals with 21 saves last year, was placed on the 60-day disabled list in spring training with a shoulder injury.
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DETROIT: RHP Carlos Zumaya pitched three innings for his first career save. Zumaya watched his home country Mexico beat Iran 3-1 in the World Cup before getting the ball to warm up in the bullpen. Zumaya was chanting 'Ole, Ole, Ole' as he went to the bullpen from the clubhouse. He says he never played soccer though because he's too husky to run. ... Zumaya caught his spike on the mound and twisted his ankle in the ninth, prompting the trainer and manager Jim Leyland to come to the mound. ``Jim was like 'You all right, You all right?''' and I was 'Yeah' and he was like 'Then why am I out here then?'''
TORONTO: 2B Edgardo Alfonzo's double in the fifth was his first extra-base hit since joining the Blue Jays and just his second extra-base hit of the season. He's hitting just .126. ... RF Alex Rios ended a 0-for-11 skid with a homer in the seventh. ... 3B Troy Glaus leads Toronto with 19 home runs. ... RHP Ty Taubenheim has not lasted longer than five innings in any of his four major league starts. ... C Bengie Molina has hit in 12 straight.
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BALTIMORE: Reliever LaTroy Hawkins used to play in Minnesota, so he knows a thing or two about watching Twins manager Ron Gardenhire get ejected from a game. Gardenhire was ejected on Sunday for the 25th time in his career and mimicked a swing in the batter's box before leaving the field. ``Tell Gardy his swing wasn't that good when he was a player,'' Hawkins cracked. ... Starter Erik Bedard lasted just five innings, but that's nothing new for the Orioles. Baltimore starters have pitched more than six innings just 10 of their last 50 games. ... Corey Patterson stole his 27th base of the season in the eighth inning.
MINNESOTA: The Twins clubhouse was abuzz before the game as Mexicans Juan Castro, Dennys Reyes and Luis Rodriguez gathered around the television to watch Mexico take on Iran in the World Cup. Castro and Reyes wore Mexican soccer jerseys to the park and hung them over the TV before the game and erupted when Mexico scored its first goal of the game. ... 1B Justin Morneau finished the three-game series batting .583 (7-for-12) with three homers and nine RBIs. ``This was the first series this season where my swing has felt good for the whole series,'' Morneau said. ... Gardenhire moved Morneau moved up from sixth to fifth in the order and Michael Cuddyer from fifth to cleanup to try and take some of the pressure off Torii Hunter, who was beginning to struggle in the fourth spot. Hunter batted sixth and went 1-for-4.
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SEATTLE: RHP Felix Hernandez, who earned his first complete game in the majors with a four-hitter, pitched nine innings for the Mariners last Sept. 27 and got a no-decision as they lost in 11 against Texas. He has won three straight outings after starting the season 3-6. ... Four-time Gold Glove RF Ichiro Suzuki committed his first error of the season when he overran a single by Chone Figgins. ... Rookie Rene Rivera made his 10th start behind the plate while Kenji Johjima got a well-deserved day off. Johjima has played more innings defensively than any catcher in the majors this season (483 1-3). ... Jose Lopez had two infield hits and Rivera had one, raising Seattle's AL-leading total to 69. ... Mariners LHP Jamie Moyer will make his 499th career start Tuesday night at Oakland. He is 0-2 in his last six road starts against the Athletics since June 30, 2003. ... Raul Ibanez hit a two-run homer for his 100th career hit against the Angels, the first team Ibanez has reached triple digits against. ... Jeremy Reed's home run was only his third since Aug. 19, 2005 - all of them at Anaheim.
LOS ANGELES: Two of the runs RHP Jeff Weaver allowed against Seattle were unearned - the result of his two fielding errors on back-to-back plays. One was on a bunt, the other on a comebacker. ``I don't think I've ever had two errors in one season, let alone one inning,'' Weaver said. ... The Angels have committed 47 errors, tying them with Toronto for the most in the AL. They have allowed 43 unearned runs, the most in the majors - and only two fewer than they allowed all last season, when they had the second-fewest errors in the league (87). ... SS Orlando Cabrera had three of the Angels' four hits against Seattle RHP Felix Hernandez. Cabrera reached base in his 41st consecutive game without the benefit of a fielder's choice, the longest active streak in the majors.
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PHILADELPHIA: The Phillies finished 10-10 in a stretch of 20 games in 20 days. ... LHP Randy Wolf, on the 15-day disabled list following ligament replacement surgery last July 1, is scheduled to make his second rehabilitation start for Single-A Clearwater on Tuesday. ... LHP Cole Hamels, Sunday's losing pitcher, had retired the first 21 left-handed batters he faced in his career before Washington's Nick Johnson doubled in the third inning. ... OF Bobby Abreu extended his hitting streak to 11 games with an eighth-inning single and drew his National League-leading 65th walk in the first.
WASHINGTON: A day after being activated from the 15-day disabled list, OF Jose Guillen started for the first time since May 25 and went 2-for-3 with two doubles and two RBIs. ``I got to start producing,'' said Guillen, who had been out with a strained hamstring. ``There's no excuses now; I've got to start hitting much better. I've got to come through in the clutch situations like I did last year.'' ... Brendan Harris started at second base in place of slumping Jose Vidro, who was 3-for-25 without an extra-base hit in his previous six games. ... Washington has won five straight home series and six of seven overall. ... OF Alfonso Soriano has drawn a walk in four straight games for the first time in his career.
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ATLANTA: Edgar Renteria's home run on Sunday puts him at 99 for his career and it was his eighth of the season. ... Braves pitcher Horacio Ramirez is OK after being knocked in the forehead by a hit from Lance Berkman on Sunday. He expects to make his next scheduled start. ``I've already talked about it and why not,'' Ramirez said. ``I think I'll be ready. I only have a little headache.'' ... The Braves are just 2-9 in June after Sunday's 14-4 loss. ``Things really just aren't going our way right now,'' Ramirez said. ``We're not getting any breaks.''
HOUSTON: Astros LHP Philip Barzilla made his major league debut in the eighth inning on Sunday. He got one out and allowed one hit and no runs. He came into the game as the song ``Godzilla'' by Blue Oyster Cult played in the ballpark. ``(pitching coach) Jim Hickey has been singing that song to me for about four years,'' Barzilla said of the 1977 tune. Barzilla said he didn't mind the song though. ``I had a good outing so we'll keep it,'' he said. ... Astros first baseman Lance Berkman returned to the lineup on Sunday after missing Saturday's game for the birth of his third child, Katie Mae. He had two hits and an RBI and scored two runs for Houston. ... Astros pitcher Wandy Rodriguez picked up his eighth win on Sunday. He has the second most wins among National League lefties this season behind Tom Glavine (9).
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PITTSBURGH: The Pirates went 4-3 on their road trip and have a three-game winning streak for the second time in 2006 after getting four straight victories from May 29-June 1. ... 3B Joe Randa, on the 15-day DL with a bruised right foot, was set to begin a rehabilitation outing with Triple-A Indianapolis. ... Jason Bay singled to center to start the fourth, extending his hitting streak to 10 games. ... Jose Bautista hit his first career grand slam in the eighth inning. ... Closer Mike Gonzalez recorded his third save in as many days and is 5-for-5 this month and has converted all 11 of his chances this season.
SAN FRANCISCO: Lance Niekro struck out in his first two at-bats and aggravated his groin before being lifted for pinch-hitter Mark Sweeney, who took over at 1B for San Francisco. ``There's a possibility that the DL is going to be mentioned,'' Giants manager Felipe Alou said. ... Moises Alou's solo home run in the seventh marked the 24th time a player has homered on his bobblehead day. He also made a pretty diving catch across the left-field line on a drive by pitcher Paul Maholm in the fourth. ... Giants RF Jason Ellison earned his fourth start in 11 games and fifth overall. ... Jason Schmidt went 20 innings dating to Aug. 9, 2002, without allowing a run to Pittsburgh before the Pirates scored in the fourth.
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CHICAGO: 3B Aramis Ramirez had hit five of his 10 home runs this season on Sundays, but he still got the day off against the Reds after getting hit on the left elbow with a pitch on Saturday. He's expected to return on Tuesday. ... Sunday's win gave the Cubs a 6-4 record on their longest road trip of the season. They get Monday off before opening a six-game home stand. ... LHP Sean Marshall, Tuesday's scheduled starter against Houston, got the loss against the Astros in his last start despite allowing just one run in seven innings of a 1-0 Houston win ... Manager Dusty Baker is considering an adjustment of their rotation for the last two games of the series, moving RHP Greg Maddux up from Thursday to Wednesday and giving RHP Carlos Zambrano the start on Thursday.
CINCINNATI: RHP Paul Wilson threw a light side session Sunday and will throw 50-60 pitches in the bullpen Tuesday as he continues his comeback from shoulder surgery last June 7. ``He's definitely getting stronger,'' trainer Mark Mann said. ``You can tell both by his velocity and by his ability to locate in the latter part of a bullpen (session).'' ... RHP Matt Belisle, who's been on the 15-day disabled list since May 30 with a strained lower back, long tossed Sunday and will throw 50-60 pitches in the bullpen on Monday, the day he's eligible to be activated. ... RHP David Weathers left Sunday's game in the eighth inning with what was diagnosed as tendinitis in his right shoulder. He said he'd be ``very surprised'' if he went on the disabled list.
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ST. LOUIS: With Sunday's win at Milwaukee, the Cardinals improved to 20-8 in day games, tops in the major leagues. ... Every Cardinals starter, including P Jeff Suppan, reached base by the fifth inning ... 3B Scott Rolen had his hitting streak end at 14 games Sunday, going 0-for-2 with two walks and a sacrfice fly. ... SS David Eckstein was 7-for-14 in the three-game series at Milwaukee. ``Since Day 1 he's been playing very good bseball,'' manager Tony La Russa said. ... Suppan failed to record his 100th career win for the fourth time, going just four innings. ``It's something out there, but I'm not pitching for that,'' Suppan said. ``I'm pitching for the team.''
MILWAUKEE: A day after leaving the game after straining his right shoulder on a throw, OF Brady Clark pinch-hit and poppped out Sunday. ... LHP Jorge De La Rosa was placed on the disabled list Saturday with a blister on the middle finger of his throwing hand, giving Milwaukee five pitchers disabled. Said manager Ned Yost: ``It never ends.'' ... The Brewers finished their 10-game homestand 4-6. ... RHP Dave Bush's four-inning start Sunday matched his shortest outing this season.
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LOS ANGELES: OF J.D. Drew was held out of the starting lineup with a bruised right thigh. ``Nothing more than a bruise,'' manager Grady Little said. ``He should be back in the lineup Tuesday.'' ... There was no updated status on the condition of RHP Eric Greg Gagne. ``A decision will be made on him Tuesday,'' Little said. ... 1B Nomar Garciaparra had his 13-game hitting streak snapped. ... With the day off Monday, LHP Perez won't pitch again until Saturday in Oakland.
COLORADO: Colorado Rockies reliever Mike DeJean will undergo season-ending arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder. ``We knew his shoulder was basically beat up, but we found his labrum was frayed a little bit and his rotator cuff wasn't torn, but was probably thinning and beat up,'' trainer Keith Dugger said. ``We decided surgery was the best option.'' OF Cory Sullivan drew just his fourth walk in his last 25 games. ... 2B Luis Gonzalez has played four positions in his five rehab games for Triple A Colorado Springs. ... 1B Todd Helton has 24 home runs and 100 RBIs in 142 games against the Dodgers.
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ARIZONA - OF Jeff DaVanon, who had one of the Diamondbacks' two hits off Alay Soler Saturday night, started in center field on Sunday as manager Bob Melvin gave struggling Eric Byrnes a rest. Byrnes was 1-for-15 since the Diamondbacks opened a 10-game homestand last Monday. ... RHP Juan Cruz, on the 15-day disabled list with a sore right shoulder, will throw off a mound on Tuesday, Melvin said. Cruz threw on the side Sunday. ``I feel much better,'' he said. ... Arizona takes Monday off before opening a three-game series against NL West rival San Francisco Tuesday in Chase Field.
NEW YORK - SS Jose Reyes turned 23 Sunday, one day after he celebrated his third anniversary in the major leagues. ... RHP Alay Soler's two-hit shutout at Arizona Saturday night was the first by a Met rookie since Jason Jacome beat Los Angeles 3-0 on July 7, 1994. ... Including this weekend's series at Arizona, the Mets have won six of their last seven series. ... IF Julio Franco is tied for the major-league lead with nine pinch hits. ... After RHPs Orlando Hernandez and Alay Soler threw complete-game victories against the Diamondbacks this week, Met manager Willie Randolph expressed cautious optimism about the back end of his rotation. ``Soler's pitched well, El Duque's pitched well, but you don't ever really kind of feel totally relaxed until you turn that over three or four times,'' Randolph said. ``Now you've got a nice little rotation going here, and those guys are solid. I have to wait and see and be patient when it comes to that.''
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FLORIDA - 2B Dan Uggla's ninth-inning home run was the seventh hit into the top balcony of the Western Metal Supply Co. Building just beyond the left-field corner at Petco Park. ... The Marlins lead the majors with 494 strikeouts.
SAN DIEGO - RHP Jake Peavy struck out 10 Marlins on Sunday, the 13th time he's reached double digits. That moved him past Clay Kirby for second on the Padres' all-time list. Andy Benes holds the team record with 15. ... Former major leaguers Randall Simon and George Arias are on the Tijuana Potros, who played the Mexico City Diablos Rojos in a Mexican Baseball League game that followed the Marlins-Padres game at Petco Park.
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