Notes from Sunday's games
June 25, 2006
NEW YORK: C Paul Lo Duca (bruised left thumb) said he should be ready to play Tuesday in Boston. Lo Duca didn't play Sunday. He left Saturday's game in the third inning. ... The Mets had their rookies wear dresses for the trip to Boston. OF Lastings Milledge wore a leather skirt and a feather BkofAma. RHP Alay Soler wore a plaid skirt and pigtails. Both posed and danced for the cameras. ``I'm hot,'' Milledge joked. ... LHP Billy Wagner is one save shy of 300. ... The Mets are 25-13 on the road - the best mark in the NL.
TORONTO: RHP Josh Towers is 1-9 with a 9.11 ERA. He posted his only victory of the season on May 14 at Tampa Bay. ... RHP Pete Walker (sore right shoulder) could be activated in time for Tuesday's game against Washington. ... The Blue Jays are 4-14 against the Mets. ... OF Reed Johnson has reached base in 34 of 36 starts. ... Blue Jays manager John Gibbons rested RF Alex Rios and 3B Troy Glaus. Both pinch-hit in the ninth.
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FLORIDA: A 2-1 loss in the first game of Sunday's doubleheader left Florida 8-15 in one-run games, including 5-11 on the road. ... The Marlins called up RHP Anibal Sanchez from Double-A Carolina to start the nightcap. ... Josh Johnson, who had warmed up before Saturday's game was postponed, was pushed back to start Monday against Tampa Bay. ... It was Florida's first doubleheader of the season. The Marlins have two more scheduled, at the New York Mets on July 8 and a day-night twinbill in Philadelphia on Aug. 30.
NEW YORK: Mike Mussina joined David Cone as the only pitchers to reach 2,500 strikeouts while pitching for the Yankees. ... Mussina has now won nine games before the All-Star break 13 times in his career, surpassing Steve Carlton, who did it 12 times, for the most such seasons. ... RHP Octavio Dotel (elbow surgery) will resume throwing on flat ground Monday. ... The Yankees entered the nightcap second in the majors in runs with 412, trailing only the Chicago White Sox, who had 429 before Sunday night's game against Houston.
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ST. LOUIS: In the eighth inning, CF Jim Edmonds hit a foul popup against lefty Wilfredo Ledezma - leaving St. Louis manager Tony La Russa criticizing himself. ``I blame myself for that at-bat,'' he said. ``I had two right-handed batters on the bench. I never should have let him bat.'' ... The last time St. Louis was winless during a two-stop road trip - as it was against the Chicago White Sox and Detroit - was at the start of the 1997 season. ... LHP Mark Mulder has rotator cuff inflammation and irritation in his left shoulder, an MRI revealed, and will be re-examined in about a week.
DETROIT: Manager Jim Leyland was happy his team swept St. Louis, but he wasn't gloating because it came at the expense of his good friend, Cardinals manager Tony La Russa. ``I wish it wasn't against him because I know how bad he's hurting,'' Leyland said. ``This is the happiest day of the year for me because it's over.'' ... LHP Mike Maroth, on the 60-day DL, threw 45 pitches from 60 feet Sunday morning. ``They said I'd be out two to three months, and a month after (elbow) surgery, I'm throwing without pain,'' he said. ``I would think I'm at least on the right pace.''
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CINCINNATI: RHP Elizardo Ramirez finally got some run support in a 4-2 win at Cleveland. ``It's nice to get him some runs,'' manager Jerry Narron said. ``He's 3-6, but could easily be 6-3.'' The Reds have totaled 17 runs in Ramirez's six losses. ... LF Adam Dunn has 10 homers off lefty pitchers, tied with Cleveland DH Travis Hafner for the major league lead. Both hitters are lefties. ... INF Rich Aurilia has hit .303 (10-for-33) with two homers and five RBIs over his last 10 games to lift his average to .263. ... The Reds are 58-75 all-time in interleague play.
CLEVELAND: Manager Eric Wedge is growing more disenchanted with his team, which has gone 27-40 after a 6-1 start. ``Until they bear down and settle in, we're going to continue to struggle,'' he said. ``You can't worry about scrutiny. If you don't like it, get the hell out.'' ... DH Travis Hafner has hit .355 (11-for-31) during an eight-game hitting streak. Wedge said Hafner will start at first base Monday night in St. Louis. ... SS Jhonny Peralta has hit .459 (17-for-37) over his last 10 games. ... CF Grady Sizemore has hit .357 (10-for-28) with two homers during a seven-game hitting streak.
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ATLANTA: Manager Bobby Cox had RHP John Thomson (blister on his right middle finger) penciled in to return July 4, but that is in doubt. ``It's touch and go,'' Cox said. ``It's hard to say.'' ... Cox believes LHP Mike Remlinger, designated for assignment after Saturday night's game, could hook on with another team. ``I still think he has some pitching left,'' Cox said. ``He could get another chance.'' The 40-year-old Remlinger was cut so LHP Chuck James could be recalled from Triple-A Richmond to start Sunday. ``It was tough,'' Cox said. ``He was one of the guys who helped us over the years.''
TAMPA BAY: Manager Joe Maddon said DH-RF Jonny Gomes, who has problems throwing because of a shoulder injury, will be limited to pinch-hitting duties during interleague road games this week at Florida and Washington. ... Two minor leaguers at Triple-A Durham, Elijah Dukes and Ryan Knox, have been suspended for violating team policy. Dukes received 15 games, retroactive to June 17. Knox got three games. ... The Devil Rays have an announced home attendance of 566,130 through 35 games this season. That is an increase of almost 100,000 from last year's total of 470,722 after 35 games.
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WASHINGTON: RHP Livan Hernandez's victory was the first for a Nationals starter since June 11, when RHP Shawn Hill beat Philadelphia. It's the third time Hernandez has stopped a Washington losing streak this season. ... SS Royce Clayton had seven hits in 12 at-bats during the interleague series in Baltimore and is on a 9-for-16 streak with three doubles and four RBIs. ... LF Alfonso Soriano went 0-for-12 over the weekend but his sacrifice bunt in the third inning Sunday, which moved a runner to third base with one out, was a catalyst for the win, manager Frank Robinson said. ``He did it on his own - that was more impressive,'' Robinson said.
BALTIMORE: The Orioles signed RHP Russ Ortiz, and manager Sam Perlozzo announced that Ortiz would make his first start July 1 in Atlanta. Ortiz, designated for assignment June 13 by Arizona, will take the rotation spot of left-hander Adam Loewen, who was optioned to Triple-A Ottawa. ... 3B Melvin Mora, who was in a 12-for-49 slide, got the day off. ``He kind of asked for it, said he needed a little breather,'' Perlozzo said. ... RHP Daniel Cabrera's four wild pitches established a team record for a game. Twelve other Orioles had uncorked three wild pitches, most recently Pat Rapp on April 30, 2000.
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CHICAGO: The Cubs' monumental struggles this season have led to questions about manager Dusty Baker's job security. Baker said he spoke with GM Jim Hendry recently, and Hendry gave Baker no indication that his job was in jeopardy. ``I've been hearing, `Dusty's in trouble' most of my life,'' Baker said. ... RHP Kerry Wood (shoulder) has been on the disabled list since June 7. When asked if he expected Wood to pitch again this season, Baker said, ``I expect him to. When, I don't know, but I expect him. He needs it for his career, for his sake.'' ... Juan Pierre had three hits in an 8-1 loss to the Twins.
MINNESOTA: DH Rondell White returned from a doctor's visit in Cincinnati to have his ailing left shoulder examined. White had surgery in the offseason and said it has been tight all season, perhaps leading to his .167 batting average. He had a cortisone shot and hopes to be back in the lineup soon. White said the condition makes it difficult for him to get around on fastballs. ... C Joe Mauer got the day off. Manager Ron Gardenhire said it was a difficult decision to sit the majors' leading hitter. ``It's always tough, but he needs a day,'' Gardenhire said. ``He's been catching a lot of baseball, and the days he isn't catching, he's DH-ing.''
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MILWAUKEE: LHP Jorge De La Rosa, who is on the DL with a finger blister, is scheduled to throw a bullpen session on Monday. If all goes well, manager Ned Yost said De La Rosa could go out after that on a minor league rehab assignment. ... The Brewers have been outscored 52-37 in the first inning. ... RHP Jeremi Gonzalez, who worked 4 2-3 scoreless innings on Saturday, has struck out 11 in 12 2-3 innings with the Brewers since being acquired in a May 26 trade with the Mets. ...The Brewers did not homer Saturday or Sunday, the first time they have gone back-to-back games without a home run.
KANSAS CITY: LHP Mark Redman became the first Royals starter to win five games in a month since RHP Jose Lima in July 2003. ... The Royals are 7-5 in interleague play. ... The Royals' shutout on Sunday was their first since a 1-0 victory on May 4 at Minnesota. ... DH Mike Sweeney's minor league injury rehabilitation assignment, which was originally scheduled to begin on Monday with Double-A Wichita, has been delayed. Sweeney went on the disabled list on May 2 with a bulging disc. ... The Royals, who are 9-30 in away games, open a six-game trip on Tuesday at Cincinnati. ...The Royals have a .547 winning percentage against the Brewers, their best winning percentage against a team with a minimum of 100 games.
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TEXAS: Manager Buck Showalter wouldn't tip his hand as to his pitching plans for OF Barry Bonds. ``We'll pitch carefully to him,'' Showalter said. ``You pick your times to be aggressive, like when it's 10-0 and with nobody on base.'' ... RHP Kameron Loe (right elbow bruise) will begin a throwing program on Monday. ... Texas pitchers are 0-for-10 hitting with three sacrifice bunts this year. ... The Rangers are 6-6 in interleague play this year. ... Texas has been shut out three times this season.
COLORADO: 1B Ryan Shealy's stiff back has complicated manager Clint Hurdle's choice for the DH role in AL ballparks. ``Shealy hasn't played for three days and not swung a bat,'' Hurdle said. ``I have some thoughts on who will DH, but nothing is firmly in place.'' ... SS Omar Quintanilla got the start to add another left-handed bat. ``Vicente Padilla is so tough against right-handed hitters,'' Hurdle said. ``And I needed to get Omar in a game.'' ... OF Matt Holliday went 2-for-3 and reached 100 hits. ... Colorado has six shutouts this season, five at Coors Field. ... RHP Byung-Hyun Kim has thrown 13 consecutive scoreless innings.
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SEATTLE - Richie Sexson went 5-for-5 to set a career high in hits. He also homered twice, giving him 14. ... It was the most hits for a Mariners player since Raul Ibanez went 6-for-6 on Sept. 22, 2004, against the Angels.
SAN DIEGO - A 9-4 loss to Seattle dropped the Padres to 5-7 in interleague play, including 1-5 against the Mariners. ... San Diego's eight homers in the series are a season high. ... The 14 combined homers in the three-game series were a Petco Park record. The previous mark was 12 when the Mariners visited last year.
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OAKLAND: 3B Eric Chavez was held out of the lineup with tendinitis in both forearms. Manager Ken Macha hopes the Gold Glover will be available after Monday's off day when the team plays at San Diego starting Tuesday. ``He just needs a day off,'' Macha said. ... 2B Mark Ellis, nursing a broken right thumb, will begin a rehab assignment for Triple-A Sacramento on Monday and is scheduled to play five innings in the field. He likely will play a couple of games at second, then be the designated hitter later in the week before probably rejoining the A's on Friday night when they host the Arizona Diamondbacks. ``It would be nice to have him available,'' Macha said. ... Jason Kendall singled in the first for a seven-game hitting streak. ... Everyone but starting pitcher Esteban Loaiza reached base for Oakland, which split this year's Bay Bridge Series with the Giants 3-3. ... Jay Payton matched his career high with four hits, including an RBI triple. His .339 batting average against the Giants is his second best against any opponent and his 34 RBIs are his most vs. any team.
SAN FRANCISCO: Barry Bonds left the game after the second inning with irritation in his left knee. He was listed as day to day. ``This is a minor injury,'' manager Felipe Alou said. ``It's not like the chronic right knee that needed all that care last year.'' ... Closer Armando Benitez had an MRI exam on his sore right elbow, and the test revealed a slight sprain. He hasn't pitched since blowing his fourth save of the season Friday night, and trainer Stan Conte expected the right-hander to rest Sunday and Monday before getting him back on the mound Tuesday to evaluate his progress. ``We have to wait for the inflammation and stiffness to go away,'' Conte said. ... While Moises Alou declared himself ready to play after missing the previous six games with lower back trouble, his manager father, Felipe, opted to hold out the right fielder for another game to give him two more days rest coupled with Monday's team off day. Moises Alou is slated to return Tuesday against the Texas Rangers. ``I always listen to my dad,'' he said. Felipe Alou wanted to see his son do some work on the field considering most of his swings and activity had been in the cage. ... Conte isn't sure 1B Lance Niekro, sidelined with a strained right groin, will be ready to come off the DL on Tuesday when he's eligible. He will likely need some rehab games first. ``If I put him out there too soon and he goes back on, we're back to square one,'' Conte said. ... The Giants honored Bonds, Jason Schmidt, Moises Alou and Steve Finley before the game for their milestones in the first half of the season. Bonds moved past Babe Ruth and into second place on the career homers list last month; Schmidt matched a 102-year-old club record with 16 strikeouts against Florida on June 6; Alou hit his 300th career home run earlier this season; and Finley hit his 300th homer on June 14 to make him the sixth member of the 300-300 club for home runs and stolen bases.
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LOS ANGELES: RHP Kelvim Escobar's outing of 4 2-3 innings Saturday was his second shortest of the season. ... SS Orlando Cabrera went 1-for-3 with a walk and now has reached base safely in 53 consecutive games, the longest streak in the majors since New York's Alex Rodriguez reached base in 53 straight in 2004. ... Tim Salmon started in left field for just the third time in his career and the first time since July 2004. ... Escobar has allowed 10 runs in six innings in four career appearances against the Diamondbacks. ... Chone Figgins stole his 27th base Sunday, moving within two of Baltimore's Corey Patterson for the American League lead.
ARIZONA: The Diamondbacks snapped a five-game losing streak and won for the third time in 20 games. They are 2-10 in their last 12 home games. ... The Diamondbacks became the last team to win an interleague game with their 9-7 victory over the Angels. ... 2B Orlando Hudson has hit safely in eight of his last nine games and has homered in two straight. He was 2-for-4 on Sunday with a three-run homer and a season-high four RBIs. ... Hudson has driven in four or more runs six times in his career. ... Hudson is hitting .340 (32-for-94) with the two homers and 18 RBIs in his career against the Angels. ... 1B Conor Jackson was 4-for-5 with two runs scored for his first four-hit game. ... RHP Miguel Batista gave up seven hits and is tied with Andy Pettitte for the NL lead in hits allowed with 126. ... Batista said after the game he was struggling with shoulder stiffness in his last start, caused by sleeping on his right shoulder. It wasn't until after the game that his shoulder ``popped back into place.'' Batista hasn't mentioned the shoulder issue after his start. ``You guys don't need to know everything,'' he said. ... LF Luis Gonzalez shaved his goatee Saturday night ``to try something different.'' He went 1-for-3 Sunday, but his homerless streak reached 204 at-bats.
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HOUSTON: RHP Brandon Backe threw 70 pitches over four innings in a simulated game Sunday at U.S. Cellular Field and is scheduled to begin a four-game rehab assignment with Triple-A Round Rock on Thursday at Oklahoma City. Backe has been on the DL since April 14 with sprained ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. ``I'm great,'' Backe said. ``I'm sore today. I feel good, no pain.'' ... Craig Biggio was back in the lineup, leading off and serving as the designated hitter, after missing Saturday's game with a sore shoulder. ``It's just aggravated right now,'' he said. ``(I can feel it) in certain positions and certain angles.'' ... Manager Phil Garner will be back in familiar territory when the Astros start a three-game series at Detroit on Monday. But the Tigers' view of the American League these days is different. After years of losing, they lead the AL Central. ``If they win, it's going to be a fantastic place to be,'' said Garner, who spent two full seasons in the Tigers' dugout before being released after six games in 2002. ``There are great, great baseball fans in the state of Michigan.''
CHICAGO: The White Sox expect their employee assistance program to finalize the details of manager Ozzie Guillen's sensitivity training early this week. ``We probably will try to do it while the team is at home, but not necessarily,'' vice president of communications Scott Reifert said. The White Sox play three games at Pittsburgh and three more against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field before starting a four-game series at home against Baltimore on July 3. Commissioner Bud Selig ordered Guillen to undergo sensitivity training and fined him an undisclosed amount for using a derogatory term that describes someone's sexual orientation during a profanity-laced tirade against Chicago Sun-Times columnist Jay Mariotti last week. ``I think (Guillen) takes the whole thing seriously,'' general manager Ken Williams said. ``He's stung. I'm stung for him because I see people approach him not always with the best intentions, (with) baited questions, leading questions. At the same time, there's a code of conduct we all have to live by. Some of his responses have to be diluted a little more.'' ... Reliever David Riske dropped his appeal of a three-game suspension for hitting St. Louis' Chris Duncan with a pitch last week and began serving his punishment on Sunday. Riske and Guillen were ejected in the seventh inning of a 20-6 victory Tuesday night after the right-hander plunked Duncan. The benches had been warned after the Cardinals' Sidney Ponson hit two White Sox batters with the bases loaded in the bottom of the sixth. Riske and Guillen were fined an undisclosed amount. Guillen also served a one-game suspension. ... AL home run leader Jim Thome will likely skip the home run contest because he doesn't want to risk injury, after being limited to 59 games by back and elbow problems last year with Philadelphia. ``With my situation, coming off injury, I think it would not be good,'' said Thome, who had 24 homers entering Sunday's game. ``It is for the fans. The fans appreciate it. This one year, as far as my health goes and what I've done to maintain my back, the ultimate goal is to make sure I'm healthy for the second half. And I would never want to jeopardize it.'' Thome said he will not miss the All-Star game if he's selected.
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PITTSBURGH: Where have you gone, Willie Stargell? Or Roberto Clemente? Or Bob Veale, for that matter? The Pirates' 11-game losing streak is the team's longest since an 11-game slide in 1955. The 1939 Pirates dropped 12 straight, the team's longest drought since 1900. The franchise record for consecutive defeats was set by the 1890 Pittsburgh Alleghenies, who had lost several of their key players that year in a bidding war with the upstart and short-lived Players League. ``We have already seen some things that strongly suggest that there's light at the end of the tunnel. We just have to keep chasing it,'' manager Jim Tracy said. ... LF Jason Bay, who was successful on his first 21 stolen base attempts last season, is 6-for-8 through 77 games. The team has attempted to steal only 38 times in 75 games, second fewest in the NL behind San Francisco, and has been successful 28 times. ``We've stolen some bases, not a lot. But I don't believe in the running game, where you're trying to prove something to somebody and then run the risk of running yourself out of innings,'' Tracy said. ... Pittsburgh has scored 10 runs in RHP Kip Wells' first two starts since he came off the DL, including Sunday's 7-4 loss to the Dodgers. Wells received the lowest average run support in the majors last season (3.07), en route to a league-worst 18 losses. ... The Pirates are 1-40 when they trail after seven innings. ... Pittsburgh RHP Ryan Vogelsong, who has allowed at least one baserunner in each of his 20 relief appearances, did not pitch in the weekend series at Los Angeles. ... Since the start of last season, Pirates LHP John Grabow has allowed only six of his 54 inherited runners to score. ... Despite their abysmal record, the Pirates have outhomered their opponents 86-76.
LOS ANGELES: The Dodgers improved to 4-2 against former manager Jim Tracy with their three-game sweep of the Pirates, outscoring them 24-8. Last season, the Dodgers had their only losing record in Tracy's five seasons with them (427-383). ``Jim was given such a challenge last year with the team that we had,'' 2B Jeff Kent said. ``It just created a different type of managing style in itself, with the roster of players that needed to be rotated often because guys were hurt, and the challenge he had with kids playing against experienced players on the other team. Jim was always having to manipulate, but I think he did a fantastic job - until the last couple of weeks when we as players just ran out of gas. It was nothing that he did.'' ... The Dodgers improved to 32-9 against Pittsburgh since the start of the 2001 season, and have won 11 of the last 12 meetings at home. ... 1B Nomar Garciaparra, who raised his NL-leading average to .362 with a pair of hits including his 200th career home run, is the hardest player in the majors to strike out this season. He has fanned once every 19.2 plate appearances. ... The Dodgers resume their interleague schedule Monday night at Minnesota. It's their first appearance in the Twin Cities since Game 7 of the 1965 World Series, when Sandy Koufax relied on just fastballs to beat Jim Kaat 2-0 with a two-hitter at Metropolitan Stadium.
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