Notes from Saturday's games
July 1, 2006
NEW YORK METS: LHP Billy Wagner turned his right ankle awkwardly while covering first base on the final play of the game, but said he's fine. ``I just didn't want that ball getting by me. I didn't want to throw another pitch,'' Wagner said. ... Rickey Henderson joined the coaching staff and was in uniform, wearing No. 24. He plans to be with the team for a week. Henderson, baseball's career leader in runs and stolen bases, was a guest instructor with the Mets during spring training. ... The Mets improved to 26-17 on the road. ... RHP Steve Trachsel won his fifth consecutive start. ``He's tough because actually with him it's not always good to be ahead in the count,'' Yankees slugger Jason Giambi said. ``You're not always going to get a fastball.'' Trachsel and Giambi were teammates at Long Beach State in 1991 on a team that went to the College World Series.
NEW YORK YANKEES: RHP Mike Mussina said he felt fine, one day after sustaining a slight strain in his right groin early in his outing against the Mets. The 37-year-old Mussina, enjoying his best season in years, hopes to make his next scheduled start Wednesday night in Cleveland, but said he won't know for sure if he'll be able to do so until at least Sunday. Even if his turn gets pushed back, it's not a big problem, because Mussina is slated to make only one more start before the All-Star break anyway. ... SS Derek Jeter is the only player to appear in all 53 regular-season games between the Mets and Yankees since interleague play began in 1997. ... Jeter and 1B Andy Phillips combined for a nice play to retire speedy Jose Reyes leading off the third. ... LHP Matt Smith has not allowed a run in 11 appearances this season, covering 10 innings. ... Longtime public address announcer Bob Sheppard was absent after leaving Friday night's game because of laryngitis.
---
---
HOUSTON: Houston leads this year's Silver Boot Series 3-2 against Texas. The Astros will take the trophy back for the first time since 2003 with a victory Sunday - or a loss by five runs or less. ... Before their 7-0 victory Saturday, the Astros had scored only five runs the previous four games, all losses. ... Houston has turned a majors-best 99 double plays after two Saturday. ... 2B Craig Biggio is only one hit shy of matching Babe Ruth for 38th on the career hits list with 2,873.
TEXAS: Texas fell to 21-22 at home with its 7-0 loss to Houston on Saturday. The Rangers haven't been above .500 at home since May 24, 2005. ... 3B Hank Blalock was 0-for-4, the first time this season he's been hitless in three straight games. ... Rangers opponents have scored first in 10 straight games. Texas is 3-7 in those games. ... Texas is 7-10 in interleague games. ... 1B Mark Teixeira ended June with 12 doubles, a franchise record for doubles in that month. Ruben Sierra (1989) and Rusty Greer (1997) held the previous mark with 11.
---
---
CHICAGO WHITE SOX: Manager Ozzie Guillen said he expects to be criticized when All-Star selections are announced Sunday because, as usual, there will be some deserving players left off the AL roster. ``I'm going to take the heat. But I don't pick this team myself,'' Guillen said. ``One thing you have to remember, I have to pick the best guys to win the game.'' The league that wins the All-Star game will have home-field advantage in the World Series and that was a big plus for the White Sox last year when they won the first two games at home against the Astros. ... Guillen said he was upset with Pablo Ozuna for not telling him his hamstring was bothering him before Friday's game. Ozuna had to leave the game in the first inning after hobbling from first to third on a single. ``He should have told me that he's not 100 percent. We could deal with that,'' Guillen said. ``We were lucky that it wasn't worse. Every player counts for me.''
CHICAGO CUBS: RHP Kerry Wood will play catch and long toss over the next week as the Cubs try once again to get their injury-plagued starter ready to return to the mound. Wood began the season on the DL, made four starts and then went back to the DL after the shoulder began troubling him. He had surgery last August. On Monday, Wood went to see the Cincinnati doctor who did the operation and underwent bio-mechanical testing that showed he had a muscle imbalance in the shoulder. ``We're definitely going to have to go backward as far as his endurance. There is no question about it,'' trainer Mark O'Neal said Saturday. ``I'd say he's probably got a week's work of playing catch and long toss before we even think about doing anything on the mound.'' Wood starts feeling discomfort around the 65-pitch count, so the Cubs will try to build him back up gradually. ... Aramis Ramirez's three-run shot in the fifth inning Saturday was the Cubs' 12,000th homer. Jacque Jones added a solo drive in the seventh. Ramirez also doubled and tripled. ... Saturday's game was the second straight in which a Cub fell a hit shy of the cycle. Juan Pierre singled, doubled and tripled on Friday.
---
---
ARIZONA: Manager Bob Melvin has yet to decide who will start Monday against the Dodgers in Los Angeles. RHP Juan Cruz, on the DL since June 4 with a sore right shoulder, played catch Saturday a day after throwing a bullpen session. He could start Monday, though either way the Diamondbacks plan to keep him in the rotation - meaning his fill-in, RHP Edgar Gonzalez, might go into the bullpen. ``Potentially,'' Melvin said. ``We'd like to get (Juan) back in the rotation.'' ... Melvin is going to be cautious with INF Tony Clark, who is nursing a sore right shoulder, before the All-Star break. He could probably play as designated hitter this series, but ``we want to give him some added rest,'' Melvin said. Clark might need a cortisone shot before the break. ... Sunday's series finale features two eight-game winners in Oakland ace Barry Zito and Arizona's Brandon Webb. ``For the fans, it's a marquee matchup,'' Melvin said. ... Arizona won back-to-back games for the first time since sweeping a four-game series at Atlanta from June 1-4. Melvin went with the same lineup as Friday night, when the Diamondbacks won for only the fourth time in 24 games to conclude a terrible June (8-20). They are on a nine-game road trip leading into the All-Star break.
OAKLAND: RHP Rich Harden, on the DL for a second time this season due to a strained ligament in his right elbow, said he had no ill effects Saturday after playing catch Friday for the first time since being shelved June 8. ``I feel good,'' he said, though Harden still could be about 3 1/2 weeks from a return to the rotation. ... 3B Eric Chavez was held out of the lineup with inflammation in his forearms that has been bothering him for several weeks. Marco Scutaro started at third. ... LHP Joe Kennedy (left shoulder tendinitis) threw off the mound. ... The latest A's fan giveaway: oven mitts and potholders. ... Oakland, which had its season-best eight-game home winning streak snapped Friday night with a 6-4 defeat, lost a series to Arizona for the first time in five sets. This series marked the first meetings between the clubs since July 6-8, 2001, when the A's earned a three-game sweep. ... Oakland, which came in with an AL-worst .249 batting average, hasn't been no-hit since July 13, 1991, by four Baltimore Orioles pitchers - though the A's didn't get their first hit off Miguel Batista until Frank Thomas' two-run homer in the seventh. The Big Hurt has 465 career home runs, tying him with Dave Winfield for 25th place on the career list.
---
---
LOS ANGELES DODGERS: 1B Nomar Garciaparra, the NL batting leader, singled in the fourth to extend his hitting streak to 13 games. ... Closer Eric Gagne said he called off a scheduled throwing session Friday because of continued discomfort in his right elbow. Gagne, who has pitched only two innings for the Dodgers after undergoing surgery to remove a nerve in his elbow, said he's certain he'll return sometime this season. ``He's still not in a position where he's ready to throw a ball yet,'' manager Grady Little said. ``He's still got some pain. So until that time comes, we'll just be on hold.'' ... LHP Mark Hendrickson was taken out after the fifth inning as a precautionary measure. He was struck in the left biceps by Vladimir Guerrero's liner in the fifth - the next-to-last batter he faced. ``We knew as time went on it would tighten up on him,'' Little said. ``He wanted to pitch more out there, but it wasn't worth taking a chance.''
LOS ANGELES ANGELS: OF Garret Anderson was mired in an 8-for-56 slump before he lined a two-run double in the third and a single in the sixth, giving him 2,000 career hits. ... RHP Jered Weaver, recalled Friday, will pitch Monday night at Seattle. Weaver was recalled when his older brother Jeff was designated for assignment after going 3-10 with a 6.29 ERA in 16 games for the Angels. ``Obviously, mixed emotions,'' Jered said regarding the circumstances that led to his being recalled. ``Not really the circumstances I wanted to come back on, but obviously, it's a very business-oriented game, and I'm definitely coming to realize that.'' Jered Weaver, the Angels' first-round pick in the 2004 draft, made four starts with the team earlier this season, going 4-0 with a 1.37 ERA. ... The Angels have committed 31 errors in their last 27 games and lead the AL with 65. They have allowed 58 unearned runs this season compared to 45 all of last year.
---
---
PHILADELPHIA: The Phillies finally named a starter for Sunday - LHP Aaron Fultz, who has pitched out of the bullpen all season. He's 1-0 with a 4.25 ERA in 33 appearances. ... 12 of Jimmy Rollins' last 20 hits have gone for extra bases. ... The Phillies dropped to 1-7 on their nine-game road trip. ... RHP Cory Lidle said hasn't thought about the possibility of being traded despite being a veteran pitcher on a team that is struggling.
TORONTO: With RF Alex Rios (leg infection) and CF Vernon Wells (strained left hamstring) sidelined manager John Gibbons started Troy Glaus at SS and Shea Hillenbrand at 3B to get more offense in the lineup. The 6-foot-5 Glaus usually plays 3B. ... Closer B.J. Ryan has gone 18 innings without surrendering an earned run. ... The Blue Jays wore special jerseys with red and white numbers on the back and the word Canada where the players' names usually go for Canada Day. The shirts will be auctioned for charity.
---
---
BOSTON: RHP Tim Wakefield made his 300th career start with the Red Sox on Saturday. Only Roger Clemens (382) has more; Cy Young had 297. ... RHP Matt Clement, who hasn't pitched since June 14 because of a strained shoulder, came out of his side session well Friday and is scheduled to make a rehab appearance for Boston's Gulf Coast League team in Fort Myers on Tuesday. ... C Jason Varitek, who wasn't in the lineup Saturday because Wakefield was pitching, has 979 career games caught with the Red Sox - 11 shy of matching Hall of Famer Carlton Fisk's club record. ... Boston's 12-game winning streak, which was snapped Friday, was the longest in the majors since Houston won 12 straight from Aug. 27 through Sept. 8, 2004.
FLORIDA: Even with his team surprising many by climbing into second place in the NL East, first-year manager Joe Girardi had a quick response when asked if he thinks he already warrants manager of the year consideration. ``I laugh at it,'' Girardi said. ... Until facing Tim Wakefield on Saturday, the Marlins hadn't seen a knuckleball-throwing starter since beating Arizona's Steve Sparks 11-2 on May 22, 2004. ... The Marlins were 18-7 in June, setting a franchise record for wins in that month. Florida's winning percentage of .720 was a franchise-best for any month, surpassing the 17-7 (.708) clip in July 2003.
---
---
CLEVELAND: OF Jason Michaels began a brief rehabilitation assignment with Triple-A Buffalo. Michaels, who has recovered from a sprained right ankle, is eligible to be reinstated from the DL. ... Manager Eric Wedge is considering changing some roles in his thrill-a-minute bullpen. Indians relievers gave up nine runs in the last two innings Friday night, leaving the bullpen's ERA at 5.21 - second-worst in the AL. The bullpen's 6-14 record is by far the league's worst. Wedge said relievers who have been doing well lately will get expanded roles. Bob Wickman remains the closer.
CINCINNATI: LHP Brandon Claussen, on the DL with shoulder tendinitis, threw 70 pitches in the bullpen Saturday without problem. His shoulder felt stronger. ``I can tell there's a difference,'' he said. Claussen hopes to throw batting practice next week. ... INF Juan Castro had a Brazil soccer jersey hanging from his locker on Saturday. He also has USA, Mexico and Argentina jerseys. He has traded allegiances as the various countries were eliminated. ``I was pulling for Mexico,'' said Castro, who was born there and grew up playing soccer. ... Saturday's game was the Reds' third home sellout of the season. ... 2B Brandon Phillips stole his 16th base in 16 tries. It's the Reds' best such streak since Ken Griffey Sr. opened the 1980 season with 19 consecutive steals. ... RHP Joe Mays' bases-loaded double provided his first three career RBIs. He had only one other career double.
---
---
BALTIMORE: Pitching coach Leo Mazzone chatted with Braves manager Bobby Cox for about an hour before Saturday night's game. The two didn't have a chance to talk Friday as Mazzone made his first return to Atlanta after 15 years as the Braves pitching coach. ... SS Miguel Tejada played in his 1,000th consecutive game Saturday night. He has the longest active streak in the majors. ``I think it's a tremendous feat,'' said manager Sam Perlozzo. ``For me, anyone who can play that many games is a special person. ... You start breaking it down, a thousand games is a long time not to have a little twisted ankle or a cold or something to keep you out of the game.'' ... Former Braves catcher Javy Lopez, who has played primarily as a designated hitter, didn't start for the second straight game in Atlanta on Saturday. Perlozzo said Lopez had a stiff neck Friday that prevented him from appearing as a pinch-hitter.
ATLANTA: If RHP Jorge Sosa can hold the closer's job, the rest of the bullpen might fall into place. Chad Paronto, Macay McBride and Oscar Villarreal each had not given up an earned run in their last three appearances before Saturday night's game. Manager Bobby Cox says Villarreal has recently added a ``change-split'' that has been effective against left-handers and right-handers. ``It's really encouraging to see him do that,'' Cox said. Villarreal was warming up in the ninth as Sosa earned his second save Friday night. Paronto, Ken Ray and Sosa combined for three shutout innings in the game. ... Cox passed Joe McCarthy for sixth place on the list of career wins for managers with 2,126 wins Friday night.
---
---
TIGERS: RHP Joel Zumaya hit 101 miles per hour on the PNC Park radar gun Friday night, one of the highest readings there this season. ... The Tigers scouted Pirates rookie LHP Tom Gorzelanny's last start for Triple-A Indianapolis, even though they didn't know at the time he would be starting Saturday night. He made only one other major league start, against the Astros in September.
PIRATES: 3B Freddy Sanchez returned to the lineup after sitting out one game with back spasms. ... Like all major league teams, the Pirates plan their promotional giveaways months in advance. Saturday night's item was a triple bobblehead doll featuring three rookies from last season: CF Chris Duffy, C Ryan Doumit and LHP Zach Duke. Duffy quit the team for a month and remains in the extended spring training camp, waiting assignment to the minors. Doumit has been hurt most of the season. Duke is 5-7 with a 4.92 ERA after going 8-2 with a 1.81 ERA last season. ... Indianapolis reliever Josh Sharpless will replace LHP Tom Gorzelanny in the Futures Game for top prospects at PNC Park on July 10. Gorzelanny was promoted to the Pirates last week. Pirates catching prospect Neil Walker also will play in the game. Both Sharpless and Walker grew up near Pittsburgh.
---
---
TAMPA BAY: Heading into Saturday's game at Washington, OF Carl Crawford has hit 11 home runs in his last 29 games and has seen his average improve from .266 to .311. He had two two-run home runs, a single and a sacrifice bunt in the Devil Rays' 11-1 win over Washington on Friday. ``I'm seeing more selectivity early in the count, and I'm seeing a tremendous two-strike approach,'' Manager Joe Maddon said. ``He's not just up there swinging. He's swinging at pitches he wants to hit.'' Crawford had a first-inning triple and a second-inning double in Saturday's game. ... Maddon said that catching duty will be split for the time being, with Josh Paul handling the starts of RHP James Shields and LHP Scott Kazmir, and the recently acquired Dioner Navarro handling RHPs Jay
Seo and Tim Corcoran and LHP Casey Fossum. ... Since June 7, the Devil Rays are batting .280, after starting the season with a .240 clip.
WASHINGTON: In another attempt to inject life into his beleaguered team, Washington Nationals manager Frank Robinson shuffled his lineup, putting 2B Jose Vidro in the leadoff position for the first time in nearly four years and moving slugging LF Alfonso Soriano to third. ``It's not anything he brings to the leadoff spot,'' Robinson said. ``This is not a long-term thing. It's not that you're looking for a guy stealing bases. Vidro's going to go up there and hit, the way he usually hits. And hopefully get on base, and somebody else behind him can drive him in. So that's what it's all about.'' ... Marlon Anderson also made his first start of the season in center field and Robert Fick got the start as catcher. Fick left the game in the second inning with mild gastrointestinal distress and was replaced by Brian Schneider. ... The Washington Nationals placed RHP Shawn Hill on the 15-day DL with inflammation in his surgically repaired right elbow, retroactive to June 29. The Nationals reinstated RHP Pedro Astacio from the 60-day DL and released RHP Santiago Ramirez his unconditional release. Astacio had been sidelined since April 1 with an elbow strain.
---
---
MILWAUKEE: 3B Corey Koskie has 64 hits this season, 34 for extra bases. Koskie played seven seasons for the Twins before signing as a free agent with Toronto in 2005 and arriving in Milwaukee by way of trade before this season. He was also active in the Minnesota community, and said he has kept in touch with many old friends from the area. ... RHP Tomo Ohka is scheduled to make his first rehab start tomorrow for Class A Brevard County. Ohka has been on the DL since May 3 with a partial rotator cuff tear. ... Milwaukee is looking for consecutive seasons of .500 or better for the first time since 1991 and 1992. Last night's loss dropped the Brewers to 40-41.
MINNESOTA: Last night's game was supposed to be OF Shannon Stewart's return from a plantar fascia injury, at least according to a pre-game lineup sheet distributed by Twins' manager of baseball communications Mike Herman. Turns out Herman copied the wrong lineup off manager Ron Gardenhire's computer and Stewart ended up not playing. Did Herman learn from his mistake? Sort of. Stewart was listed on today's lineup sheet as the No. 8 hitter. Gardenhire looked at the sheet and said that Stewart will be hitting seventh, not eighth. ``He's ready to go,'' Gardenhire said. ``We know there's going to be problems, but when he's running around and swinging the bat, we're a better team.'' ... Gardenhire also said that if rookie Francisco Liriano does not make the All-Star team, he will pitch the first game after the All-Star break.
---
---
KANSAS CITY: Kansas City went 13-14 in June, marking the most wins for the Royals in one month since September, 2003 when the team went 13-15. ... David DeJesus singled his first two times up Saturday to extend his hitting streak to eight games. DeJesus has now reached base safely in 27 of 29 games since returning from the DL. ... A win Saturday or Sunday would give Kansas City a team record 10 wins in Interleague play.
ST. LOUIS: In contrast with the Royals, St. Louis said good riddance to the month of June, as the Cardinals' .360 winning percentage last month (9-16) was the third lowest in team history for that month and snapped a string of 14 consecutive winning months. Only the 1971 team (8-21, .276) and the 1965 club (11-20, .355) had worse marks in June. ... The Cardinals' pitching staff, which had a National League worst 6.09 ERA in June, did not begin July with a bang, as starter Sidney Ponson allowed fours runs on three hits in the first inning Saturday.
---
---
COLORADO: The Rockies were still abuzz over RHP Josh Fogg's two-hit shutout of Seattle on Friday night that took just 1 hour, 52 minutes. It was the fastest game in the history of Safeco Field and the quickest 9-inning game in the Rockies' 14-year history. Fogg also was the first Rockies pitcher to ever face the minimum 27 batters, and was the first pitcher to face just 27 since Mark Buehrle of the White Sox did while throwing a two-hitter against Cleveland on July 21, 2004. ... Colorado finished June 14-12, its first winning June since 2003 when the Rockies went 15-13. ... OF Brad Hawpe's homer off LHP Jamie Moyer on Friday night was the second homer of Hawpe's career versus a lefty. His other was on June 21, 2005, against Houston's Wandy Rodriguez.
SEATTLE: Newly acquired Eduardo Perez was in uniform for Saturday's game. Perez will platoon at DH with Carl Everett, who will hit against just right-handed pitching. Perez caught a 6 a.m. flight from Cleveland Saturday morning, but said the excitement of arriving in Seattle kept him from being able to sleep on the plane. Seattle traded minor-league IF Asbrudal Cabrera to Cleveland for the veteran Perez. ... To make room for Perez, the Mariners optioned Mike Morse to Triple-A Tacoma. He was hitting .381 in 10 games, but had just one at-bat since June 16. ... Seattle reached the halfway mark of the season after Friday's loss and were above .500 (41-40) at that point for the first time since 2003 when they were 53-28 after 81 games.
SBR Top-Rated Sportsbooks
Notes from Saturday's games
Reply With Quote