BALTIMORE: The Orioles are a season-worst 13 games below .500. They have lost 31 of their last 47 road games. ... RHP Russ Ortiz is winless in five starts for the Orioles. He has allowed 25 earned runs in 15 innings, and nine homers in 19 1-3 innings. ... LHP Erik Bedard, who was scratched from his last scheduled start with food poisoning, is slated to start Wednesday's series finale against Roy Halladay. ... The Orioles planned to call up RHP Daniel Cabrera to start Tuesday.
TORONTO: OF Reed Johnson has reached base in 62 of his 67 starts this season. ... A fan who ran onto the field in the eighth inning was tackled by security just before reaching third-base umpire Ted Barrett. The fan was quickly removed from the field by security. ... The Blue Jays are 9-5 against the Orioles this season. ... The Blue Jays are 17-3 when CF Vernon Wells homers.
---
---
DETROIT: LF Craig Monroe extended his hitting streak to a career-best 14 games with a first-inning single. The hit also increased Monroe's career batting average against Minnesota to .348. ... The Tigers had averaged 38,462 fans in their last 19 home games, including 13 sellouts, and were expecting large crowds for all three games against Minnesota. Three years ago, the Tigers averaged only 17,103 fans while losing an AL-record 119 games.
MINNESOTA: DH Rondell White, who missed Minnesota's four-game sweep in Kansas City, was out of the lineup again, but he could face his former team Tuesday. ``We think Rondell will be out there tomorrow as the DH,'' manager Ron Gardenhire said. ``He should be ready.'' ... 1B Justin Morneau needs one homer to become the first Twins player to hit 30 in a season since Kent Hrbek, Tom Brunansky and Gary Gaetti all did it in 1987. Morneau would also become just the fourth Canadian to hit 30 homers in a season, joining Larry Walker, Matt Stairs and Jason Bay.
---
---
LOS ANGELES: Manager Mike Scioscia says the Angels will need both their catchers as they chase a playoff spot. But right now it's Jose Molina who's swinging the hot bat and rookie Mike Napoli who isn't. Napoli, who has started 52 games, was out of the lineup Monday night and is in a 3-for-37 skid with no RBIs in his last 17 games. Molina, who was getting his 49th start of the season, had batted .358 in his last 32 games to raise his average from .170 to .250. ``This will give Mike a chance to get in good work with (batting coach) Mickey (Hatcher) and relax a bit,'' Scioscia said. ``It will give Jose a chance to play and he's been playing well during this stretch. We're going to need them both.'' ... Maicer Izturis, who left Sunday's game in the second inning with a tight hamstring, was out of the lineup. Robb Quinlan got the start at third base with Chone Figgins making his sixth start of the season at second base and Juan Rivera starting in center. Rivera was one of the Angels' hottest hitters with 13 homers in his last 29 games and 45 RBIs in his past 45 starts. During that span, he raised his average from .229 to .300.
CHICAGO: SS Juan Uribe was out of the lineup for a second straight game with a stiff lower back. Manager Ozzie Guillen said he expected Uribe to be ready Tuesday, but if the problem lingers, might suggest putting him on the disabled list. ... 3B Joe Crede, who left Saturday's game with a sore back, returned to the lineup. ... Guillen said his problems with Angels starter Kelvim Escobar are over. He criticized the right-hander after he hit A.J. Pierzynski with a pitch in April.
---
---
TEXAS: Manager Buck Showalter hoped RHP Edinson Volquez would pitch well enough Monday night to earn a spot in the rotation. But Showalter would settle for a mere improvement from Volquez's numbers last season: 0-4 with a 14.21 ERA in six outings with the Rangers. ``It's an opportunity to put himself in the rotation,'' Showalter said. ... Volquez was recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma to replace Kip Wells, who stayed home in Dallas for precautionary tests on his arm. Wells will next throw on Friday, either for the Rangers or in rehab work. ... C Rod Barajas started Monday night and is expected to play against Oakland LHP Barry Zito on Wednesday. Barajas hits Zito well, Showalter said.
OAKLAND: LHP Joe Kennedy and LHP Scott Sauerbeck were scheduled to pitch for Triple-A Sacramento, with Kennedy expected to throw two innings as a starter. Kennedy has been on the disabled list with left shoulder tendinitis, while Sauerbeck has been on the DL with a strained right groin. ... Sauerbeck could come off the disabled list as soon as Friday, while RHP Jay Witasick (left ankle tendinitis) will be eligible Sunday. ... OF Mark Kotsay probably will miss the three-game series against Texas with a sore back. Kotsay walked around the clubhouse before the game with an electronic stimulus belt and ice on his back. Kotsay won't even be able to bowl in his own charity tournament Thursday, manager Ken Macha said.
---
---
TAMPA BAY: All-Star LHP Scott Kazmir is expected to come off the disabled list this week and start Friday night in Oakland. The left-hander has not pitched since July 23 because of inflammation in his throwing shoulder. Kazmir will be activated from the 15-day disabled list Tuesday, manager Joe Maddon said. ``Being able to take this time off and taking it slow, working out everything, I think it was a good idea,'' Kazmir said. ... LHP J.P. Howell was optioned to Triple-A Durham to clear a roster spot for Kazmir. Howell was 0-1 in two starts while filling in for Kazmir. Tampa Bay also activated RHP Dan Miceli, who had been out since May 5 with a right shoulder injury. ... Tampa Bay began its final trip to the West Coast, with three games in Seattle and three in Oakland. The Devil Rays went 3-3 in those cities in May.
SEATTLE: Manager Mike Hargrove insisted that last weekend's three-game sweep by Oakland won't linger, even though Seattle trailed the first-place Athletics by 6 1/2 games in the AL West entering Monday night. The Mariners have lost 12 straight to the A's. ``Oakland's not our problem today, Tampa is,'' Hargrove said. ... Tampa Bay is the only AL team that RF Ichiro Suzuki was hitting less than .300 against. He had hit .288 in his career against the Devil Rays. The next-lowest is the Angels, at .309. Suzuki's highest average is against Toronto at .373. ... Seattle's three-game series with Tampa Bay is its only break from the AL West for a while. Starting with last weekend's series against Oakland, the Mariners play 14 of 17 against their division rivals, including an 11-game trip to Texas, Oakland and the Los Angeles Angels beginning Thursday. Seattle has two 11-game trips in the final two months of the season.
---
---
---
PHILADELPHIA: Manager Charlie Manuel isn't surprised to find the Braves far back in the NL East and struggling to keep pace in the wild-card race. ``They've had trouble with their starting pitching, and they've had trouble with the back end of their bullpen,'' Manuel said. The Braves have settled their bullpen by acquiring Bob Wickman and Danys Baez, but John Smoltz has been the only effective starter. ``If they had two or three Smoltzes, I think their starting rotation would be pretty good,'' Manuel said. ... The Phillies are going with 13 pitchers and only four bench players. Manuel said he would be willing to use LHP Randy Wolf as a pinch-hitter early in games if there was a right-hander on the mound.
ATLANTA: 3B Chipper Jones took batting practice from the left side before the game. Jones has been on the 15-day disabled list since July 29 with a strained left oblique muscle. The switch-hitter reinjured his side while batting left-handed, forcing him onto the DL for the second time this season. ``It felt good,'' said Jones, who is eligible to come off the DL after Sunday's game against Milwaukee. ... 1B Adam LaRoche had a bandage on his left wrist, where he was struck with a pitch by Cincinnati's Bronson Arroyo on Saturday. ``He caught me good,'' said LaRoche, who was in the lineup. ... RHP Kyle Davies, who has been out since mid-May recovering from a torn groin muscle, still has a ways to go before he's back in the majors. He lasted five innings in his first two rehab starts with Double-A Mississippi, giving up five hits - including a homer - and four runs for an 7.20 ERA. Manager Bobby Cox said Davies will need at least three more starts in the minors, making it likely that he'll rejoin the Braves after the rosters expand on Sept. 1.
---
---
ST. LOUIS: SS David Eckstein stayed back in St. Louis with the club's permission to attend to a personal matter. He wasn't in the starting lineup, but was expected to rejoin the team sometime Monday. ... Aaron Miles made his first start of the season at shortstop, filling in for Eckstein. ... The Cardinals had their biggest first inning of the season, scoring five runs off Elizardo Ramirez. Their previous high was four runs in the first inning against Arizona on May 13. ... The Cardinals' season high for runs in an inning is eight, scored in the fourth inning against Philadelphia on April 3. ... OF Chris Duncan snapped an 0-for-8 slump with an RBI single in the first inning. He followed with a solo homer in the second.
CINCINNATI: RHP Elizardo Ramirez gave up seven runs - matching his career high - in only 1 2-3 innings. In his last two starts, Ramirez has given up 12 runs in 6 1-3 innings. ... RHP Ryan Franklin, acquired from the Phillies earlier in the day for a player to be named, took over for Ramirez in the second inning. Franklin will be the Reds' long reliever. ... RHP Gary Majewski went on the 15-day DL with a tired shoulder. A medical test found no significant damage. The Reds don't know when he might be able to pitch again. ... The Reds have obtained five relievers in four trades during the last four weeks. ``The main thing is learning as quick as we can what everybody does,'' manager Jerry Narron said.
---
---
SAN FRANCISCO: RHP Jason Schmidt entered Monday's start against Arizona with a 10-game winning streak against the Diamondbacks. ... 1B Shea Hillenbrand, traded from the Diamondbacks to Toronto after the 2004 season and recently acquired by the Giants from the Blue Jays, returned to Chase Field for the first time since leaving Arizona. ... With his 12 strikeouts Sunday, RHP Matt Cain joined Philadelphia's Cole Hamels and Minnesota's Francisco Liriano to become the first trio of rookies to record at least 12 strikeouts in a game in the same season since Dwight Gooden, Mark Langston, Roger Clemens and Ron Darling accomplished the feat in 1984. ... The Giants' five-game deficit in the NL West matches their largest of the season.
ARIZONA: RHP Brandon Webb, who missed his last start with soreness in his right elbow, played catch in the outfield before Monday night's game and will throw in the bullpen on Tuesday. Barring any setbacks, Webb is expected to make his scheduled start on Friday. ... RHP Livan Hernandez, acquired on Monday for a pair of minor-league pitchers, will report to the club on Wednesday and start either Friday or Saturday, depending on Webb's elbow. ... LF Luis Gonzalez hit his 535th career double in the first inning Monday, moving him past Lou Gehrig into 26th place on the career list. ... CF Jeff DaVanon, who sprained his left ankle stealing second base on Saturday, should be able to return to action by Wednesday, Arizona manager Bob Melvin said before the game.
---
---
COLORADO: Entering Monday night's game at Los Angeles, the Rockies led the majors with 81 sacrifice bunts. CF Cory Sullivan and SS Clint Barmes share the individual lead with 16 each. ``It's kind of a new thing with us. Some people in Denver have caught on to it and embraced it, and some people think we're crazy and that it'll never work. Time will tell, but it's the only option we have right now,'' manager Clint Hurdle said. ``If you don't have guys who can execute, you can't do it. Our guys understand that as we've gone through our rebuilding process, it's just old-fashioned baseball. You need to get a bunt down and move a runner over. We don't have the luxury of sitting on our hands and waiting for a three-run homer. And maybe for the first time ever, one run makes a difference now with us because of the pitching staff we have, the length we've been getting from our starters and the ability of our bullpen to put games away.''
LOS ANGELES: Monday marked two years since Greg Maddux got his 300th career victory. Tuesday night, the four-time Cy Young winner will pitch at Dodger Stadium for the first time since the July 31 trade that sent him from the Chicago Cubs to Los Angeles. Maddux is 6-5 with a 3.19 ERA and two complete games in 15 career starts at Chavez Ravine - including a 4-1 victory on April 17 when he allowed three hits over eight innings in his first start since turning 40 years old. ``Dodger Stadium is one of the few stadiums I went to as a kid, so it's always been kind of special to me,'' Maddux said. ``The look of it, the atmosphere, the feel of it, the weather - everything about it is special. I'm looking forward to being here for more than three days this time.'' ... Maddux made his Dodger Stadium debut on July 24, 1987. He gave up four runs and five hits over six innings - including two-run homers by Mike Marshall and Ken Landreaux - but beat Los Angeles 6-4 for his final victory of a 6-14 season. The Dodgers' starter that night was their current pitching coach - Rick Honeycutt. ... Both of Maddux's complete games at Dodger Stadium had an interesting twist. On April 29, 1990, he pitched the Cubs to a 4-0 win with a six-hitter - and set a major league record for pitchers with seven putouts. On May 3, 2000 with Atlanta, he went all the way in a 6-4 loss to Carlos Perez that ended a 15-game winning streak by the Braves.
SBR Top-Rated Sportsbooks
Notes from Monday's games
Reply With Quote