NEW YORK: OF Johnny Damon didn't start Thursday because of a pulled abdominal muscle he sustained in Wednesday's game. He didn't do any baseball activities and may take batting practice on Friday in Tampa. Manager Joe Torre said it's possible Damon could miss a few games. ... RHP Kris Wilson will start Sunday against the Devil Rays in place of RHP Shawn Chacon, who has pitched himself out of the rotation - for now. Torre said Chacon will pitch out of the bullpen, and that if Wilson produces, Chacon could be there permanently. ... Wilson, whose contract was purchased from Triple-A Columbus, pitched two perfect relief innings Wednesday. ``I was a little surprised,'' he said. ``I'm honored they have the confidence in me to start a game.'' Wilson was 6-5 with a 2.84 ERA in 14 starts at Columbus. Chacon was rocked for seven runs, including three homers, in 1 1-3 innings in a 19-1 loss to the Indians on Tuesday. ``It's disappointing, but I understand,'' he said. ``I have to pitch better. That's the bottom line. We're not a last-place team where you can keep running guys out there if they're not doing well.''.
CLEVELAND: 3B Aaron Boone's three errors, two in New York's eight-run fourth inning on Wednesday, only heightened speculation that he will be replaced by Andy Marte after the All-Star break. Boone has 14 errors, the most by any third baseman in either league and the third-most of any position player in baseball. He entered Thursday's game in an 8-for-54 slump and he's batting .254 with four homers and 34 RBIs. Marte, acquired in the trade that sent Coco Crisp to Boston, was named an International League All-Star for Triple-A Buffalo, where he is batting .271 with 13 homers and 38 RBIs. ``He has been more consistent the last month,'' Indians manager Eric Wedge said. ``He's working his way through some things and getting his game together. He's doing the things at that level that he needs to do.'' ... OF Casey Blake took live batting practice on Thursday for the first time since going on the DL on June 16 with a strained side muscle. Blake will likely go on a rehab assignment at Lake County during the All-Star break and expects to be back with the Indians for their July 13-16 series in Minnesota.
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BOSTON: RHP Matt Clement (right biceps) is not expected to throw off a mound again until next Thursday. If that goes well, he could make a minor league rehab start a few days after that. ``He showed up today and felt a lot better,'' manager Terry Francona said. Clement left his first minor league appearance Tuesday in the Gulf Coast League after one inning because of soreness. ... Entering Thursday, Tampa Bay's Carl Crawford had stolen 201 bases - including three in the Devil Rays' 5-2 win Wednesday over the Red Sox - since making his major league debut on July 20, 2003. Over the same stretch, Boston has a team total of 240 stolen bases.
TAMPA BAY: Boston manager Terry Francona believes that Major League Baseball at some point needs to address the overhanging catwalks at Tropicana Field. Red Sox 1B Kevin Youkilis had his fly ball hit off one of two catwalks that are in play and caught for an out in left field by Tampa Bay's Carl Crawford on Wednesday. ``I don't think my complaining is going to do it, but this putt-putt golf has got to go,'' Francona said. ``It's stupid. Hitting it around the windmill. This a major league baseball game. It's like the bigger and stronger you are, the better you hit the ball, the more you get penalized. It doesn't make sense.''
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BALTIMORE: Before the game, the Orioles designated OF Luis Matos for assignment and purchased the contract of OF Luis Terrero from Triple-A Ottawa on Thursday. Matos, 27, had a .207 batting average, and spent two weeks this season on the DL with inflammation in his right shoulder. Terrero first joined the Orioles on April 19 when Matos went on the DL. ... OF Nick Markakis missed Wednesday's game after he was sent to a local hospital to have precautionary tests taken on a sore spot on his right calf. Perlozzo first thought that they may have to put Markakis on the DL, but after being evaluated on Thursday, Markakis was available off the bench.
CHICAGO: C A.J. Pierzynski edged Minnesota rookie LHP Francisco Liriano for the final AL All-Star spot. Before the game, Pierzynski addressed the crowd from the field and thanked them for their votes. AL manager Ozzie Guillen will have seven of his players on the roster and said that he will bring 3B Joe Crede if an AL infielder backs out with an injury. ... Guillen said he is not obligated to play everyone on Tuesday. ``I wish I could, but in my mind is to win. This is a huge deal,'' Guillen said. ``I'm going to do the best we can to win the game and I'm going to do the best we can to play everyone, but not everyone might be playing.'' ... RHP Dustin Hermanson was scheduled to start a rehab assignment on Wednesday night in Charlotte, but the game was rained out. He is scheduled to begin the rehab assignment Thursday night. Hermanson, has not pitched with the Sox this season, was a vital part of the White Sox bullpen in the 2005 season. He saved 34 games and is on the DL with lower back inflammation.
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TORONTO: RF Eric Hinske, who entered Thursday with a nine-game hitting streak, batted in the second slot for the first time this season. ``He's swinging good right now,'' bench coach Ernie Whitt said. ``I think he deserves to go there. He offers (leadoff hitter) Reed (Johnson) protection.'' Hinske, who leads the Blue Jays with a .452 on-base percentage, has batted primarily in the seventh and eight slots, making 21 starts there. ... Whitt is acting as the Blue Jays manager on Thursday and Friday, while John Gibbons is in San Antonio, visiting his father, who is ill. ``I'll make out the lineup and they'll go out and play, and I'll try to stay out of their way,'' Whitt said. ... RHP Brandon League, who had a 1.50 ERA and five saves in June, was selected the pitcher of the month for Triple-A Syracuse. Overall, he is 3-2 with a 2.18 ERA and seven saves in 30 games with Syracuse. League, a second-round pick in 2002, was 1-0 with a 6.56 ERA in 20 relief appearances last season with Toronto.
KANSAS CITY: C Paul Bako was a late scratch from the lineup with a strained right oblique muscle. John Buck replaced him and batted ninth. ... Manager Buddy Bell rested 2B Mark Grudzielanek on Thursday, while Tony Graffanino started at second for the sixth time. ``Graffanino will play shortstop tomorrow and somewhere on Saturday,'' Bell said. ``I don't like to have Graffanino out for more than a couple of days. ... Reserve IF Esteban German is 6-for-13 and three walks as a pinch hitter. His .462 average as a pinch hitter tops the majors. ... OF Shane Costa is hitting .441 with five doubles, three triples and four home runs since being sent to Triple-A Omaha.
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FLORIDA: Miguel Olivo's hitting streak reached 10 games Thursday when he hit an RBI ground-rule double. Olivo has hit .377 since June 1 (21 games). Florida's pitchers issued four intentional walks in the 11-inning game, tying the club record set against the Mets on June 2, 2001 in a nine-inning contest. ... LHP Jason Vargas took the loss, a few hours after he was recalled from Triple-A Albuquerque. ``I got here right before the national anthem, and just put my stuff on and went out into the bullpen,'' he said.
WASHINGTON: RF Jose Guillen was back in the lineup after being scratched Wednesday because of a sore right elbow. Still, manager Frank Robinson played it safe, removing Guillen in the middle of the 11th inning after the Marlins put a man on base with two out. ``I didn't want to take any chances of a ball hit in the gap and him not being able to make a strong throw,'' Robinson said. ... The Nationals have a four-day break during the All-Star break next week. ``I'm giving them the full four days off,'' Robinson said. ``What the players have become accustomed to is allowing them to take the days off, so if you do have a workout, you're always going to get three or four guys who don't show up, and that creates a little animosity among the players who do show up. I'd rather not have that problem, so I'm just giving them the days off.''
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SAN DIEGO: RF Brian Giles entered Thursday's game without a homer in his last 116 at_bats - the longest drought ht of any current Padre. ... Eleven-year-old Caden Williams, son of RHP Woody, was a star during batting practice. Caden, who was shagging fly balls in center field, caught basically everything that came his way and turned in several diving catches, much to the delight of fans in the outfield seats. C Mike Piazza also turned in a dazzling batting practice. The Norristown Pa. native launched several long home runs, including one into the rarely-hit upperdeck in left field. Piazza went into Thursday's game 10 hits shy of the 2,000-career mark. ... Woody Williams (3-1, 3.04) will start on Friday at Washington. He is 2-0 with a 4.58 ERA on the road this season.
PHILADELPHIA: The Phillies signed first-round pick (18th overall) right-handed pitcher Kyle Drabek. The son of former Cy Young Award winner Doug Drabek reported to rookie-level Gulf Coast League Clearwater on Thursday. ``We're going to go a little slow with him to begin with,'' Assistant General Manager of Scouting and Player Development Mike Arbuckle said. ``We want him to get in there, learn the program, learn what it's like to be a professional and get his feet on the ground. We feel he has a good future.'' ... LHP Randy Wolf, sidelined with ligament reconstructive surgery since last July, threw a bullpen session (40 pitches) before the game. ``Everything felt fine,'' he said. Wolf encountered a slight setback two weeks ago during a rehab start when he suffered a non-displacement fracture on his pitching hand after getting hit by a line drive.
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PITTSBURGH: RHP Victor Santos pitched five innings in a rehab assignment with Triple-A Indianapolis, throwing 65 pitches against Columbus and allowing only one hit and no runs. ... The Pirates lost their second straight game Wednesday in New York to drop to 9-33 on the road for the season. ... Jason Bay collected his 63rd RBI to become the first Pirate since Brian Giles in 2000 to have more than 62 before the All-Star break. Giles had 72 at the break during that season. ... Freddy Sanchez doubled in the first inning to hit safely in 17 of his last 19 games.
NEW YORK: OF Carlos Beltran was given a night off by manager Willie Randolph, who had rested 3B David Wright the night before. Beltran had appeared in 74 of the Mets' first 84 games. ... The Mets announced prior to the game that their ticket sales exceeded 3 million, making it the fastest time since 1989 that the team had reached that plateau. ... The Mets have 19 one-run victories in their first 50 wins, tied with the Milwaukee Brewers for the most one-run wins in the majors.
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CHICAGO: RHP Wade Miller will throw in the bullpen this weekend in Milwaukee. Miller who is coming back from arthroscopic surgery on his shoulder in late September, made his third rehab start on Monday for Class A Peoria. ... The Cubs have started rookie pitchers in 31 games this season, which is second highest in the majors behind Florida, which has 37 games started by a rookie pitcher.
MILWAUKEE: In the Brewers 28 home victories this season, they have come from behind in 23 games, including Wednesday's 6-5 win over Cincinnati in 13 innings. Manager Ned Yost said the team believes it can win any game at home, no matter the score. ``When we get to the seventh inning, you can hear guys in the dugout saying it is now our time of the game,'' he said. ``This team does not give up.''... Yost is confident that All-Star LF Carlos Lee will not taper off after the All-Star break as he did last season. ``I just don't see that happening this year,'' he said. ``Hes been in a good groove and I expect that to continue.'' Yost said he planned to use LHP Dana Eveland out of the bullpen. Eveland, who was recalled Wednesday from Triple-A Nashville, has started five games this season and has a 0-3 record with an 8.51 ERA.
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ST. LOUIS: Cincinnati, Milwaukee and Houston have closed the gap on the NL Central-leading Cardinals in recent weeks, but St. Louis manager Tony La Russa said he's only worried about his own team. ``What I was always told is you just try to take care of your own business,'' he said. ``You look around, everybody's going crazy. We just concentrate on the Cardinals.'' ... La Russa said RHP Jeff Weaver will join the team on Friday. The Cardinals acquired Weaver (3-10, 6.29 ERA) from the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday for minor-leaguer Terry Evans and cash. ``He competes, I think he's healthy and he's a good fit,'' La Russa said. ``I think we'll be good for each other.'' La Russa wouldn't say when Weaver would make his first start or who he would replace in the St. Louis rotation. Heading into Thursday's game, the Cardinals' starters had an 8.30 ERA in their last 15 games.
HOUSTON: 3B Morgan Ensberg dropped from No. 3 to No. 7 in the batting order as manager Phil Garner looks for more production from the slugger. Ensberg is batting .236 and hasn't homered since June 4. ``He'll find it,'' Garner said. ``He's been a traditionally streaky hitter. It'll all come together for him.'' Ensberg leads the team in walks, but Garner needs him to swing more. ``We expect him to drive in runs,'' Garner said. ``That's his job description.'' ... Garner benched C Brad Ausmus for Eric Munson one day after Ausmus ended an 0-for-40 slump with an infield single. Ausmus is batting .241, down 100 points from what he was hitting in mid-May. Munson is batting only .222, but is 6-for-16 with a homer and six RBIs in his last four games. ``Brad's struggling a little bit,'' Garner said. ``until he gets out of this, I'll use Munson.''
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SAN FRANCISCO: The Giants activated OF Moises Alou from the 15-day disabled list and optioned LHP Jack Taschner to Fresno of the Pacific Coast League. Alou had been sidelined with a sprained lower back since June 18. ``I feel a lot better,'' he said before the game. ``It's been very frustrating this season.'' Alou, who turned 40 last month, missed 28 games earlier this season with a sprained ankle. ... The Giants have five three-game winning streaks this season, but none longer than three. ... Jason Schmidt (6-4) is the Giants' lone All-Star. The Giants are just 9-8 in game's he's started this season. ``That's one of those things that's hard to explain,'' manager Felipe Alou said. ``It's just one of those things.'' Schmidt has an NL-leading 2.69 ERA.
LOS ANGELES: 2B Jeff Kent missed his third straight game with soreness in his left side. He took some swings in the batting cage before deciding he wouldn't play. ``No, not today,'' Kent said. ``I gave it a good try. It's a little better today than it was yesterday.'' Kent said he hoped to return to the lineup before the All-Star break. ... Rookie Russell Martin had played in only 50 of his team's 84 games entering Thursday night, but his 35 RBIs were tied for second among NL catchers. ... 1B Nomar Garciaparra, who won the final NL All-Star spot in Internet voting, entered with a .359 batting average. He's within range of having the highest average for a Dodgers player at the break since 1962. Mike Piazza's .363 mark in 1996 is first on the list, and Piazza's .357 average in 1997 currently ranks second.
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