lots of interesting things happen on sunday. carp,perdo,and randy's teams all lost.
Notes from Sunday's games
May 14, 2006
DETROIT: Manager Jim Leyland tried to keep in perspective the Tigers' first three-game sweep in Cleveland in 16 years. ``It's three games, but it's history,'' he said after a 3-2 win Sunday. ``We're off Monday and have an extra day to enjoy it, but come Tuesday we have to be ready to play.'' ... SS Carlos Guillen broke an 0-for-8 skid by going 2-for-4 Sunday. He has hit safely in 21 of his last 30 games, batting .324 (34-for-105) with 18 RBIs over that stretch. ... 1B Chris Shelton went 6-for-12 in the three-game series in Cleveland and is hitting .423 (11-for-26) with three homers against the Indians this season. ... C Vance Wilson has hit .500 (8-for-16) over his last six games.
CLEVELAND: RHP Rafael Betancourt struck out two in a scoreless inning at Double-A Akron in a rehab assignment. Sidelined since straining a muscle in his upper back on April 19, Betancourt could be activated by the Indians on Tuesday. ... RF Casey Blake is hitting .442 (19-for-43) with four homers and eight RBIs during a 12-game hitting streak. ... SS Jhonny Peralta has hit in 12 of 16 games, going 20-for-63 (.317) with 14 runs. ... DH Travis Hafner has 17 RBIs in his last 15 games, batting .300 (18-for-60) over that stretch.
---
---
OAKLAND: OF Milton Bradley remained on the disabled list after having a setback in the batting cage Saturday. He felt some pain on his fourth swing, manager Ken Macha said. Bradley has a sprained right knee and strained muscle on his right side. ... In a minor league trade, the Athletics acquired RHP Steve Karsay from Cleveland for cash. Karsay goes from Triple-A Buffalo to Triple-A Sacramento. ... 2B Mark Ellis made a terrific play in the fourth, lunging over the tarp and into the stands to catch Alex Rodriguez's popup. ``One of the better plays I've seen all year,'' winning pitcher Dan Haren said. ... Oakland improved to 2-6 in games started by left-handed pitchers, ending a five-game skid in such games. ... Nick Swisher has reached base safely in 32 straight games. ... The Athletics went 2-4 on their six-game road trip. ... Haren has given up 11 homers this season - at least one in each of his eight starts.
NEW YORK: RHP Tanyon Sturtze is expected to have an MRI on his sore pitching shoulder in the next couple of days. Sturtze, placed on the 15-day disabled list Saturday with tendinitis, hopes rest and perhaps a cortisone shot will fix the problem. He had been pitching with discomfort since spring training. ``I just figured it would go away,'' Sturtze said. ``I still would rather keep pitching now, but it was starting to get to a point where it was starting to hurt the team so it was time to say something.'' ... With Hideki Matsui and Gary Sheffield injured, New York's starting outfield was LF Melky Cabrera, CF Bubba Crosby and RF Bernie Williams. That trio made up the bottom third of the batting order and combined to go 1-for-9 with four strikeouts. Johnny Damon was the DH. ... 2B Robinson Cano batted fifth for the first time in his career. ... Manager Joe Torre said he received a letter informing him of his fine for getting ejected April 30 against Toronto. In that game, Torre caught the attention of plate umpire Adam Dowdy from the dugout and held up three fingers, indicating he thought Dowdy missed three pitches. ``One finger gets you thrown out. Three fingers I thought was safe,'' Torre joked.
---
---
TORONTO: LHP Gustavo Chacin (elbow and forearm strain) made 60 throws during a nine-minute session on flat ground. He is not expected to be ready when the Blue Jays have an open spot in the rotation next Saturday. ``That might be a little quick,'' manager John Gibbons said. ... RHP Josh Towers, who snapped a personal seven-game losing streak Sunday, said the toughest thing during the skid was ``looking people in the face.'' ... The Blue Jays have opened the season by playing 24 of 37 games against the AL East, posting a 13-11 mark with their divisional foes.
TAMPA BAY: SS Julio Lugo, who missed 28 games with an abdominal injury, hit his first homer of the season. ``I feel fine,'' said Lugo, who is 6-for-33 since returning to the lineup. ``I'm seeing the ball good.'' It was also Lugo's first homer at home since May 25, 2004. All six of his home runs last season came on the road. ... The Devil Rays left three runners on base - including one each in the eighth and ninth innings Sunday - during the past three games. ... The Devil Rays bullpen has allowed at least one run in 14 of the past 17 games.
---
---
KANSAS CITY: The 12 walks received by the Royals in their 8-7 loss to Baltimore on Sunday was the most since they received 12 base on balls on June 12, 1995 in Seattle. ... Kansas City fell to 9-1 when leading after eight innings. ... The Royals are 0-9 against the AL East. ... Kansas City had its seventh straight errorless game but ended its run of games with a home run at six. ... The Royals have been outscored 123-53 while losing 17 of 19 road games.
BALTIMORE: 2B Brian Roberts (groin), who is eligible to come off the 15-day disabled list on Monday, will likely not be activated until Friday. ``We need him healthy. We can't let him go out there if he's not ready to go and lose him for an extended period,'' manager Sam Perlozzo said. ... Danial Cabrera left Sunday's game after four innings with tightness in his right shoulder. He is scheduled for an MRI on Monday. Cabrara walked seven to bring his AL-high total to 39. ... Kevin Millar's game-winning single Sunday was the Orioles' first hit by a pinch hitter this season in seven at-bats.
---
---
TEXAS: The Rangers, who beat the Red Sox 6-0 Friday night in a game shortened to 5 1/2 innings because of rain, have won five of their last six road series. ... 2B Ian Kinsler went 1-for-3 on Saturday night in the third game of his rehab assignment with Triple-A Oklahoma. Kinsler left the game with a sore back after running into a fence while chasing a foul ball, but was expected to play on Sunday. ... 1B Erubiel Durazo is expected to file for free agency Monday. Durazo, on assignment in Oklahoma to rehab an injured hamstring, has a clause in his contract that allows him to become a free agent if not called up by May 15.
BOSTON: LHP David Wells is schedule to pitch a stimulated game in Baltimore on Monday. Wells was supposed to throw Sunday, but the rainout delayed the stimulated game a day. ... OF Dustan Mohr's wife is scheduled to have her labor induced Monday. Mohr will miss Monday's game. ... OF Coco Crisp will remain in Boston to rehab rather than travel with the Red Sox on their six-game road trip. Crisp, who has been sidelined since April 9 with a fracture in his left index finger, suffered a setback in his recovery when he got sick last week. He is expected to return to the lineup in late May.
---
---
SEATTLE: The Mariners' four homers Sunday were a season high. ... Jose Lopez has hit safely in 17 of his past 22 games and is hitting .833 against Angels RHP Jeff Weaver. ... After an off-day Monday, the Mariners open a three-game series Tuesday at Oakland. RHP Felix Hernandez (1-4) will start. He is 1-1 in three previous starts against the A's.
LOS ANGELES: RHP Chris Bootcheck, who has a strained left hamstring, will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Salt Lake on Monday. ... After Sunday's game, INF Howie Kendrick was optioned to Salt Lake. Effective Tuesday, INF Erick Aybar will be recalled from there. ... Manager Mike Scioscia said he, pitching coach Bud Black and the catchers will sit down with pitcher Jeff Weaver to figure out the right-hander's problems. Weaver gave up seven runs on seven hits in 3 2-3 innings Sunday. ``We have to try to get him in some kind of a groove to hit spots and repeat pitches and get his breaking ball where it needs to be,'' Scioscia said. ``He's out of sync.''
---
---
CHICAGO: Even with Detroit winning on Sunday afternoon to move into a virtual tie for first place in the AL Central with the Sox, manager Ozzie Guillen said it's way too early to get worked up. ``I'll worry about Detroit when we face them,'' Guillen said. ``I don't see the standings until the last couple games of the season.'' ... Having lost three straight games by a combined 30-10, Guillen was looking to LHP Mark Buehrle to stem the tide. After a strong start to the season, the staff ace has struggled recently though, going 0-2 with a 6.27 ERA in his last two starts. ``He needs to get better,'' Guillen said.
MINNESOTA: The organization mourned the passing of Jim Lemon, one of the original Minnesota Twins. Lemon spent 26 years in the Senators/Twins organization as a player, coach, scout, minor league hitting instructor and manager. He died on Sunday at his Mississippi home after a long battle with cancer. He was 78. ... After saying he wouldn't swing the pink bat for Mother's Day as part of a breast cancer awareness program, RF Michael Cuddyer did an about-face and planned to use it on Sunday after getting a new one that morning. ``This one feels much better so I figured, why not?'' Cuddyer said.
MINNESOTA: The organization mourned the passing of Jim Lemon, one of the original Minnesota Twins. Lemon spent 26 years in the Senators/Twins organization as a player, coach, scout, minor league hitting instructor and manager. He died on Sunday at his Mississippi home after a long battle with cancer. He was 78. ... After saying he wouldn't swing the pink bat for Mother's Day as part of a breast cancer awareness program, RF Michael Cuddyer did an about-face and planned to use it on Sunday after getting a new one that morning. ``This one feels much better so I figured, why not?'' Cuddyer said.
MINNESOTA: The organization mourned the passing of Jim Lemon, one of the original Minnesota Twins. Lemon spent 26 years in the Senators/Twins organization as a player, coach, scout, minor league hitting instructor and manager. He died on Sunday at his Mississippi home after a long battle with cancer. He was 78. ... After saying he wouldn't swing the pink bat for Mother's Day as part of a breast cancer awareness program, RF Michael Cuddyer did an about-face and planned to use it on Sunday after getting a new one that morning. ``This one feels much better so I figured, why not?'' Cuddyer said.
WASHINGTON: LF Alfonso Soriano went 3-for-5 and is now hitting .404 (19-of-47) in his career against the Braves, with eight homers and 18 RBIs. ``I feel comfortable at home plate, not just against Atlanta,'' Soriano said. ``I have a very good swing right now.'' ... C Wiki Gonzalez returned to the Nationals with a flourish, going 3-for-5 after being recalled from Triple-A New Orleans. ``I felt good,'' he said. ``My adrenaline was still going.'' Gonzalez also threw out Jeff Francoeur attempting to steal in the second inning, addressing a major concern for the Nationals. Their other active catcher, Matthew LeCroy, is 0-for-13 when it comes to throwing out runners. ``I knew I could do it,'' Rodriguez said. ``I'm ready for anybody.''
ATLANTA: RHP Kyle Davies was a logical candidate to catch the ceremonial first pitch Sunday as the Braves joined the rest of baseball in the fight against breast cancer. Davies' mother, Carolyn, was diagnosed with the disease a year ago. She walked around the field before the game as part of a ceremony honoring breast cancer survivors. ``It was nice that she was able to get out there and be part of it,'' the pitcher said. ``I almost had to beg her to come out. She likes watching everybody else do things.'' Carolyn Davies underwent surgery, which apparently removed all the cancer. But she won't consider herself a survivor until she goes five years with no sign of a recurrence. ... As part of ``Breast Cancer Awareness Day,'' 2B Marcus Giles, CF Andruw Jones and RF Jeff Francoeur used pink bats. ... Francoeur extended his hitting streak to a career-best 12 games, but 3B Chipper Jones went 0-of-4 to snap his own 12-game run. ... Atlanta IF Wilson Betemit hit his fourth homer of the season in the ninth inning, equaling his career high.
---
---
PHILADELPHIA: Bobby Abreu sat out a second straight game because of mild back spasms. He had a streak of 203 consecutive games snapped when he had to be scratched from the lineup on Saturday. ... Ryan Howard's pinch-hit homer was the third of his career and the first by the Phillies this season. Howard's last pinch-hit homer was Sept. 18, 2004 against Montreal. ... His homer in the 12th gave him his third two-homer game of the season. ... The Phillies are 2-0 in extra innings. ... Right-hander Brett Myers had to run hard to first base on his third-inning single to avoid getting thrown out by right fielder Austin Kearns. ``I was running on 87 octane in there,'' Myers said. ``I had to kick it to 93.''
CINCINNATI: LHP Eric Milton is expected to start Monday against Pittsburgh in the Hall of Fame game in Cooperstown. Manager Jerry Narron plans to let his regulars get one at-bat, then pull most of them from the game. ... INF Rich Aurilia, on the DL with a strained groin, is feeling better and might be ready to return when he's eligible on Friday. ``I've been hitting, taking ground balls. I ran a little bit two days ago,'' he said Sunday. ``We'll see how it gets when we get to Friday.'' He will accompany the Reds on their road trip, which takes them to Detroit on Friday. ... The Reds fell to 1-1 in extra innings. Their three-game losing streak is their longest of the season.
---
---
FLORIDA: Rookie Hanley Ramirez ran his hitting streak to 11 games with an infield single in the first inning Sunday in Pittsburgh. He had eight hits with a pair of three-hit games in the three-game series to jump his average to .345. ... Manager Joe Girardi was delighted left-hander Scott Olsen struck out three batters in a row with a runner on third to preserve a 4-3 lead in the sixth inning of Saturday's game, which ended with that score. Girardi said, ``What he was able to do was great. I like giving the starters a chance to win their own games.''
PITTSBURGH: SS Jack Wilson (tight right hamstring) hasn't started since May 7 and hadn't played since Wednesday until grounding out as a pinch-hitter Sunday. The Pirates aren't planning to put him on the disabled list. The same goes for C Ryan Doumit, who has started only one game since April 11 due to a pair of hamstring injuries. The first such injury kept him out from April 11 to May 3, but he has only 10 at-bats since then. ... Among the minor leaguers joining the Pirates for the Hall of Fame game in Cooperstown, N.Y., on Monday will be C Neil Walker, their first-round draft pick two years ago. Walker has been in the extended spring training camp since the season start as he recovers from offseason wrist surgery. ... RHP Kip Wells, out all season after having surgery two months ago to correct a blocked artery, will be evaluated Tuesday in Pittsburgh. He has been throwing at the extended camp in Bradenton, but is at least several weeks away from a possible rehabilitation assignment.
---
---
NEW YORK: RHP Pedro Martinez has allowed a team-high seven home runs this season. ... Martinez struck out 10 Sunday and moved into first place in the NL with 64 strikeouts. .... The Mets' top four batters in their lineup Sunday were 3-for-20. ... The Mets stranded a runner in every inning but the first Sunday. Overall, the Mets stranded 13 runners and were 2-for-12 with runners in scoring position. ... Mets are 8-3-2 in series this season, but have lost their last two series. ``We're going through a tough test right now,'' Martinez said. ``Hopefully, we'll bounce back.'' ... Mets pitching staff leads the majors with 314 strikeouts.
MILWAUKEE: LHP Doug Davis walked five Sunday, raising his NL-leading walk total to 37. ... C Damian Miller has a 10-game hitting streak, tying the longest streak of his career, and 17 of his 33 hits this season have been for extra bases (four home runs, 13 doubles). ... Milwaukee is 7-2 when Davis starts, 12-17 when he doesn't start. ... The top five batters in Milwaukee's lineup were 3-for-19 with eight strikeouts, and two of the hits were home runs, including the game-winning homer from SS Bill Hall in the 10th inning. ... LHP Brian Shouse made his debut Sunday after being acquired in a trade with Texas on Saturday. Shouse faced one batter, Carlos Delgado, who reached base on an error.
---
---
ROCKIES: Colorado left fielder Matt Holliday went 0-for-3 Sunday to end an eight-game hitting streak. ... Rockies manager Clint Hurdle started Eli Marrero at catcher for the first time this season on Sunday in an effort to generate more offense. But Marrero was also 0-for-3. ...Sunday's loss marks Colorado's first losing road trip of the season as they went 2-4.
ASTROS: Houston rookie Taylor Buchholz is scheduled to start against San Francisco on Monday as Barry Bonds continues his pursuit of Babe Ruth's mark of 714 home runs. He faced him earlier this season and didn't allow a homer, so he said he'll try not to change anything this time. ``I'm just going to try to act like it's a normal at-bat,'' Buchholz said. ``I guess if it happens I'll be the answer to a trivia question. But I'm not going to let him have it if I can stop him.'' ... With their 2-1 series win over Colorado, the Astros have now won all seven home series' this season.
---
---
ARIZONA: RHP Brandon Webb goes for his seventh straight victory Monday night in the first game of a nine-game homestand. Webb, who leads the NL in victories, has one walk and 20 strikeouts in 30 innings in his last four starts. ... Tony Clark, who struck out as a pinch hitter in the seventh, is in an 0-for-23 slump. ... Shawn Green singled in four at-bats and is batting .429 (30-for-70) in his last 18 games. ... Orlando Hudson was 1-for-15 on the five-game trip.
ST. LOUIS: RHP Adam Wainwright hadn't allowed a run in nine innings covering seven appearances before giving up two runs in one-third of an inning in the seventh and taking his first career loss. ``You're not going to be perfect every time,'' Wainwright said. ``You don't like to give up runs any time, but especially in that situation.'' ... Jim Edmonds had three hits and is 15-for-33 (.455) during a 10-game hitting streak. ... The Cardinals have four three-error games. ... Albert Pujols has a five-game RBI streak, totaling 10, and leads the major leagues with 48 RBIs, although he was 0-for-3 with a sacrifice fly and walk to end an eight-game hitting streak.
---
---
CHICAGO: Cubs manager Dusty Baker has had a tough time after losses during the club's recent downfall. ``I take them all home good and bad. You take them home with you and tell yourself, 'OK its over,' but its not really over, sometimes you take them to your sleep a lot of times, but you got to forget about it,'' said Baker, who was happy to see his family come in on Saturday night. ``Its really been tough when you hear about yourself, when you go home by yourself and you watch TV, you watch Sportscenter.. ... My little boy (Darren) came in and just jumped on me and gave me a hug and I finally went to sleep, a deep sleep. It's great to have my family here to help me deal with this stuff too, that's the hardest part, to me is going home by yourself or going out in the public, people telling you stuff and you hear stuff and you tend not to want to go out because you are bombarded by negatives and some of it is justified because we haven't been playing good.'' ... 3B Aramis Ramirez broke his 34-game errorless streak in the seventh inning. RHP Jae Kuk Ryu made his major league debut on Sunday. He allowed one run on one hit. He struck out one and walked two. ... The Cubs suffered their fifth shutout in the last 15 games.
SAN DIEGO: RHP Woody Williams was seen walking around on crutches with a boot on his left foot. He was placed on the disabled list on Saturday after straining his left calf during Friday's game in Chicago. ... Vinny Castilla, Josh Barfield and Adrian Gonzalez played Sunday with a pink bat to commemorate Mothers Day and raise awareness for breast cancer. ``Anyway you can honor Mothers Day and all the mothers, it's a nice gesture,'' manager Bruce Bochy said. ... Padres starter Clay Hensley struck out five times, tying a Major League record in a nine-inning game. It was most recently done by Houston's Preston Wilson on April 17 against Milwaukee. ... The Padres went undefeated against an opponent for the first time in club history when playing a team more than seven times. The Padres went 7-0 against the Cubs this season.
---
---
LOS ANGELES: LHP Odalis Perez, making his first relief appearance since 2001, got the win despite allowing the tying run in the seventh inning. Perez, who signed a three-year, $24 million contract before last season, said it felt ``weird'' to enter in the middle of the game and hoped the switch was temporary. ``When you make a lot of money to be a starter I don't think it's reasonable to be making that much money and be throwing only one inning out of the bullpen,'' he said. ... Closer Eric Gagne (elbow) threw 20-25 pitches in a bullpen session before the game. Manager Grady Little said the reports on Gagne were positive. ... LHP Joe Beimel pitched two innings for his first career save, getting the chance to close the game out because the Dodgers scored in the top of the ninth to take a four-run lead and give closer Danys Baez a day off. ``It's pretty cool. I actually came in here and didn't realize it was a save until Gagne told me,'' Beimel said. ``I forgot I came in with a three-run lead.''
SAN FRANCISCO: RHP Brad Hennessey will start the first game at Houston on Monday as the Giants skip rookie Matt Cain's turn in the rotation so he can work on his mechanics. The 21-year-old Cain, in his first full big league season after being called up from Triple-A Fresno on Aug. 26, is 1-5 and lost his third straight start and fifth in six Wednesday night against the Chicago Cubs. ... RHP Brian Wilson, on the disabled list since April 24 with a strained muscle in his left side, pitched a rehab start for Triple-A Fresno on Sunday and will likely be activated Tuesday. Struggling RHP reliever Scott Munter is a candidate to be sent down. ... C Mike Matheny blooped a tying RBI single off Perez in the seventh. Matheny was the first player on either team to get a hit using the pink bats brought out for Mother's Day, a move by Major League Baseball and the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation to create awareness about breast cancer. The Giants' catcher used the bat as a sign of support for his grandmother, Luella Kieffer, diagnosed with breast cancer two months ago.
May 14, 2006
DETROIT: Manager Jim Leyland tried to keep in perspective the Tigers' first three-game sweep in Cleveland in 16 years. ``It's three games, but it's history,'' he said after a 3-2 win Sunday. ``We're off Monday and have an extra day to enjoy it, but come Tuesday we have to be ready to play.'' ... SS Carlos Guillen broke an 0-for-8 skid by going 2-for-4 Sunday. He has hit safely in 21 of his last 30 games, batting .324 (34-for-105) with 18 RBIs over that stretch. ... 1B Chris Shelton went 6-for-12 in the three-game series in Cleveland and is hitting .423 (11-for-26) with three homers against the Indians this season. ... C Vance Wilson has hit .500 (8-for-16) over his last six games.
CLEVELAND: RHP Rafael Betancourt struck out two in a scoreless inning at Double-A Akron in a rehab assignment. Sidelined since straining a muscle in his upper back on April 19, Betancourt could be activated by the Indians on Tuesday. ... RF Casey Blake is hitting .442 (19-for-43) with four homers and eight RBIs during a 12-game hitting streak. ... SS Jhonny Peralta has hit in 12 of 16 games, going 20-for-63 (.317) with 14 runs. ... DH Travis Hafner has 17 RBIs in his last 15 games, batting .300 (18-for-60) over that stretch.
---
---
OAKLAND: OF Milton Bradley remained on the disabled list after having a setback in the batting cage Saturday. He felt some pain on his fourth swing, manager Ken Macha said. Bradley has a sprained right knee and strained muscle on his right side. ... In a minor league trade, the Athletics acquired RHP Steve Karsay from Cleveland for cash. Karsay goes from Triple-A Buffalo to Triple-A Sacramento. ... 2B Mark Ellis made a terrific play in the fourth, lunging over the tarp and into the stands to catch Alex Rodriguez's popup. ``One of the better plays I've seen all year,'' winning pitcher Dan Haren said. ... Oakland improved to 2-6 in games started by left-handed pitchers, ending a five-game skid in such games. ... Nick Swisher has reached base safely in 32 straight games. ... The Athletics went 2-4 on their six-game road trip. ... Haren has given up 11 homers this season - at least one in each of his eight starts.
NEW YORK: RHP Tanyon Sturtze is expected to have an MRI on his sore pitching shoulder in the next couple of days. Sturtze, placed on the 15-day disabled list Saturday with tendinitis, hopes rest and perhaps a cortisone shot will fix the problem. He had been pitching with discomfort since spring training. ``I just figured it would go away,'' Sturtze said. ``I still would rather keep pitching now, but it was starting to get to a point where it was starting to hurt the team so it was time to say something.'' ... With Hideki Matsui and Gary Sheffield injured, New York's starting outfield was LF Melky Cabrera, CF Bubba Crosby and RF Bernie Williams. That trio made up the bottom third of the batting order and combined to go 1-for-9 with four strikeouts. Johnny Damon was the DH. ... 2B Robinson Cano batted fifth for the first time in his career. ... Manager Joe Torre said he received a letter informing him of his fine for getting ejected April 30 against Toronto. In that game, Torre caught the attention of plate umpire Adam Dowdy from the dugout and held up three fingers, indicating he thought Dowdy missed three pitches. ``One finger gets you thrown out. Three fingers I thought was safe,'' Torre joked.
---
---
TORONTO: LHP Gustavo Chacin (elbow and forearm strain) made 60 throws during a nine-minute session on flat ground. He is not expected to be ready when the Blue Jays have an open spot in the rotation next Saturday. ``That might be a little quick,'' manager John Gibbons said. ... RHP Josh Towers, who snapped a personal seven-game losing streak Sunday, said the toughest thing during the skid was ``looking people in the face.'' ... The Blue Jays have opened the season by playing 24 of 37 games against the AL East, posting a 13-11 mark with their divisional foes.
TAMPA BAY: SS Julio Lugo, who missed 28 games with an abdominal injury, hit his first homer of the season. ``I feel fine,'' said Lugo, who is 6-for-33 since returning to the lineup. ``I'm seeing the ball good.'' It was also Lugo's first homer at home since May 25, 2004. All six of his home runs last season came on the road. ... The Devil Rays left three runners on base - including one each in the eighth and ninth innings Sunday - during the past three games. ... The Devil Rays bullpen has allowed at least one run in 14 of the past 17 games.
---
---
KANSAS CITY: The 12 walks received by the Royals in their 8-7 loss to Baltimore on Sunday was the most since they received 12 base on balls on June 12, 1995 in Seattle. ... Kansas City fell to 9-1 when leading after eight innings. ... The Royals are 0-9 against the AL East. ... Kansas City had its seventh straight errorless game but ended its run of games with a home run at six. ... The Royals have been outscored 123-53 while losing 17 of 19 road games.
BALTIMORE: 2B Brian Roberts (groin), who is eligible to come off the 15-day disabled list on Monday, will likely not be activated until Friday. ``We need him healthy. We can't let him go out there if he's not ready to go and lose him for an extended period,'' manager Sam Perlozzo said. ... Danial Cabrera left Sunday's game after four innings with tightness in his right shoulder. He is scheduled for an MRI on Monday. Cabrara walked seven to bring his AL-high total to 39. ... Kevin Millar's game-winning single Sunday was the Orioles' first hit by a pinch hitter this season in seven at-bats.
---
---
TEXAS: The Rangers, who beat the Red Sox 6-0 Friday night in a game shortened to 5 1/2 innings because of rain, have won five of their last six road series. ... 2B Ian Kinsler went 1-for-3 on Saturday night in the third game of his rehab assignment with Triple-A Oklahoma. Kinsler left the game with a sore back after running into a fence while chasing a foul ball, but was expected to play on Sunday. ... 1B Erubiel Durazo is expected to file for free agency Monday. Durazo, on assignment in Oklahoma to rehab an injured hamstring, has a clause in his contract that allows him to become a free agent if not called up by May 15.
BOSTON: LHP David Wells is schedule to pitch a stimulated game in Baltimore on Monday. Wells was supposed to throw Sunday, but the rainout delayed the stimulated game a day. ... OF Dustan Mohr's wife is scheduled to have her labor induced Monday. Mohr will miss Monday's game. ... OF Coco Crisp will remain in Boston to rehab rather than travel with the Red Sox on their six-game road trip. Crisp, who has been sidelined since April 9 with a fracture in his left index finger, suffered a setback in his recovery when he got sick last week. He is expected to return to the lineup in late May.
---
---
SEATTLE: The Mariners' four homers Sunday were a season high. ... Jose Lopez has hit safely in 17 of his past 22 games and is hitting .833 against Angels RHP Jeff Weaver. ... After an off-day Monday, the Mariners open a three-game series Tuesday at Oakland. RHP Felix Hernandez (1-4) will start. He is 1-1 in three previous starts against the A's.
LOS ANGELES: RHP Chris Bootcheck, who has a strained left hamstring, will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Salt Lake on Monday. ... After Sunday's game, INF Howie Kendrick was optioned to Salt Lake. Effective Tuesday, INF Erick Aybar will be recalled from there. ... Manager Mike Scioscia said he, pitching coach Bud Black and the catchers will sit down with pitcher Jeff Weaver to figure out the right-hander's problems. Weaver gave up seven runs on seven hits in 3 2-3 innings Sunday. ``We have to try to get him in some kind of a groove to hit spots and repeat pitches and get his breaking ball where it needs to be,'' Scioscia said. ``He's out of sync.''
---
---
CHICAGO: Even with Detroit winning on Sunday afternoon to move into a virtual tie for first place in the AL Central with the Sox, manager Ozzie Guillen said it's way too early to get worked up. ``I'll worry about Detroit when we face them,'' Guillen said. ``I don't see the standings until the last couple games of the season.'' ... Having lost three straight games by a combined 30-10, Guillen was looking to LHP Mark Buehrle to stem the tide. After a strong start to the season, the staff ace has struggled recently though, going 0-2 with a 6.27 ERA in his last two starts. ``He needs to get better,'' Guillen said.
MINNESOTA: The organization mourned the passing of Jim Lemon, one of the original Minnesota Twins. Lemon spent 26 years in the Senators/Twins organization as a player, coach, scout, minor league hitting instructor and manager. He died on Sunday at his Mississippi home after a long battle with cancer. He was 78. ... After saying he wouldn't swing the pink bat for Mother's Day as part of a breast cancer awareness program, RF Michael Cuddyer did an about-face and planned to use it on Sunday after getting a new one that morning. ``This one feels much better so I figured, why not?'' Cuddyer said.
MINNESOTA: The organization mourned the passing of Jim Lemon, one of the original Minnesota Twins. Lemon spent 26 years in the Senators/Twins organization as a player, coach, scout, minor league hitting instructor and manager. He died on Sunday at his Mississippi home after a long battle with cancer. He was 78. ... After saying he wouldn't swing the pink bat for Mother's Day as part of a breast cancer awareness program, RF Michael Cuddyer did an about-face and planned to use it on Sunday after getting a new one that morning. ``This one feels much better so I figured, why not?'' Cuddyer said.
MINNESOTA: The organization mourned the passing of Jim Lemon, one of the original Minnesota Twins. Lemon spent 26 years in the Senators/Twins organization as a player, coach, scout, minor league hitting instructor and manager. He died on Sunday at his Mississippi home after a long battle with cancer. He was 78. ... After saying he wouldn't swing the pink bat for Mother's Day as part of a breast cancer awareness program, RF Michael Cuddyer did an about-face and planned to use it on Sunday after getting a new one that morning. ``This one feels much better so I figured, why not?'' Cuddyer said.
WASHINGTON: LF Alfonso Soriano went 3-for-5 and is now hitting .404 (19-of-47) in his career against the Braves, with eight homers and 18 RBIs. ``I feel comfortable at home plate, not just against Atlanta,'' Soriano said. ``I have a very good swing right now.'' ... C Wiki Gonzalez returned to the Nationals with a flourish, going 3-for-5 after being recalled from Triple-A New Orleans. ``I felt good,'' he said. ``My adrenaline was still going.'' Gonzalez also threw out Jeff Francoeur attempting to steal in the second inning, addressing a major concern for the Nationals. Their other active catcher, Matthew LeCroy, is 0-for-13 when it comes to throwing out runners. ``I knew I could do it,'' Rodriguez said. ``I'm ready for anybody.''
ATLANTA: RHP Kyle Davies was a logical candidate to catch the ceremonial first pitch Sunday as the Braves joined the rest of baseball in the fight against breast cancer. Davies' mother, Carolyn, was diagnosed with the disease a year ago. She walked around the field before the game as part of a ceremony honoring breast cancer survivors. ``It was nice that she was able to get out there and be part of it,'' the pitcher said. ``I almost had to beg her to come out. She likes watching everybody else do things.'' Carolyn Davies underwent surgery, which apparently removed all the cancer. But she won't consider herself a survivor until she goes five years with no sign of a recurrence. ... As part of ``Breast Cancer Awareness Day,'' 2B Marcus Giles, CF Andruw Jones and RF Jeff Francoeur used pink bats. ... Francoeur extended his hitting streak to a career-best 12 games, but 3B Chipper Jones went 0-of-4 to snap his own 12-game run. ... Atlanta IF Wilson Betemit hit his fourth homer of the season in the ninth inning, equaling his career high.
---
---
PHILADELPHIA: Bobby Abreu sat out a second straight game because of mild back spasms. He had a streak of 203 consecutive games snapped when he had to be scratched from the lineup on Saturday. ... Ryan Howard's pinch-hit homer was the third of his career and the first by the Phillies this season. Howard's last pinch-hit homer was Sept. 18, 2004 against Montreal. ... His homer in the 12th gave him his third two-homer game of the season. ... The Phillies are 2-0 in extra innings. ... Right-hander Brett Myers had to run hard to first base on his third-inning single to avoid getting thrown out by right fielder Austin Kearns. ``I was running on 87 octane in there,'' Myers said. ``I had to kick it to 93.''
CINCINNATI: LHP Eric Milton is expected to start Monday against Pittsburgh in the Hall of Fame game in Cooperstown. Manager Jerry Narron plans to let his regulars get one at-bat, then pull most of them from the game. ... INF Rich Aurilia, on the DL with a strained groin, is feeling better and might be ready to return when he's eligible on Friday. ``I've been hitting, taking ground balls. I ran a little bit two days ago,'' he said Sunday. ``We'll see how it gets when we get to Friday.'' He will accompany the Reds on their road trip, which takes them to Detroit on Friday. ... The Reds fell to 1-1 in extra innings. Their three-game losing streak is their longest of the season.
---
---
FLORIDA: Rookie Hanley Ramirez ran his hitting streak to 11 games with an infield single in the first inning Sunday in Pittsburgh. He had eight hits with a pair of three-hit games in the three-game series to jump his average to .345. ... Manager Joe Girardi was delighted left-hander Scott Olsen struck out three batters in a row with a runner on third to preserve a 4-3 lead in the sixth inning of Saturday's game, which ended with that score. Girardi said, ``What he was able to do was great. I like giving the starters a chance to win their own games.''
PITTSBURGH: SS Jack Wilson (tight right hamstring) hasn't started since May 7 and hadn't played since Wednesday until grounding out as a pinch-hitter Sunday. The Pirates aren't planning to put him on the disabled list. The same goes for C Ryan Doumit, who has started only one game since April 11 due to a pair of hamstring injuries. The first such injury kept him out from April 11 to May 3, but he has only 10 at-bats since then. ... Among the minor leaguers joining the Pirates for the Hall of Fame game in Cooperstown, N.Y., on Monday will be C Neil Walker, their first-round draft pick two years ago. Walker has been in the extended spring training camp since the season start as he recovers from offseason wrist surgery. ... RHP Kip Wells, out all season after having surgery two months ago to correct a blocked artery, will be evaluated Tuesday in Pittsburgh. He has been throwing at the extended camp in Bradenton, but is at least several weeks away from a possible rehabilitation assignment.
---
---
NEW YORK: RHP Pedro Martinez has allowed a team-high seven home runs this season. ... Martinez struck out 10 Sunday and moved into first place in the NL with 64 strikeouts. .... The Mets' top four batters in their lineup Sunday were 3-for-20. ... The Mets stranded a runner in every inning but the first Sunday. Overall, the Mets stranded 13 runners and were 2-for-12 with runners in scoring position. ... Mets are 8-3-2 in series this season, but have lost their last two series. ``We're going through a tough test right now,'' Martinez said. ``Hopefully, we'll bounce back.'' ... Mets pitching staff leads the majors with 314 strikeouts.
MILWAUKEE: LHP Doug Davis walked five Sunday, raising his NL-leading walk total to 37. ... C Damian Miller has a 10-game hitting streak, tying the longest streak of his career, and 17 of his 33 hits this season have been for extra bases (four home runs, 13 doubles). ... Milwaukee is 7-2 when Davis starts, 12-17 when he doesn't start. ... The top five batters in Milwaukee's lineup were 3-for-19 with eight strikeouts, and two of the hits were home runs, including the game-winning homer from SS Bill Hall in the 10th inning. ... LHP Brian Shouse made his debut Sunday after being acquired in a trade with Texas on Saturday. Shouse faced one batter, Carlos Delgado, who reached base on an error.
---
---
ROCKIES: Colorado left fielder Matt Holliday went 0-for-3 Sunday to end an eight-game hitting streak. ... Rockies manager Clint Hurdle started Eli Marrero at catcher for the first time this season on Sunday in an effort to generate more offense. But Marrero was also 0-for-3. ...Sunday's loss marks Colorado's first losing road trip of the season as they went 2-4.
ASTROS: Houston rookie Taylor Buchholz is scheduled to start against San Francisco on Monday as Barry Bonds continues his pursuit of Babe Ruth's mark of 714 home runs. He faced him earlier this season and didn't allow a homer, so he said he'll try not to change anything this time. ``I'm just going to try to act like it's a normal at-bat,'' Buchholz said. ``I guess if it happens I'll be the answer to a trivia question. But I'm not going to let him have it if I can stop him.'' ... With their 2-1 series win over Colorado, the Astros have now won all seven home series' this season.
---
---
ARIZONA: RHP Brandon Webb goes for his seventh straight victory Monday night in the first game of a nine-game homestand. Webb, who leads the NL in victories, has one walk and 20 strikeouts in 30 innings in his last four starts. ... Tony Clark, who struck out as a pinch hitter in the seventh, is in an 0-for-23 slump. ... Shawn Green singled in four at-bats and is batting .429 (30-for-70) in his last 18 games. ... Orlando Hudson was 1-for-15 on the five-game trip.
ST. LOUIS: RHP Adam Wainwright hadn't allowed a run in nine innings covering seven appearances before giving up two runs in one-third of an inning in the seventh and taking his first career loss. ``You're not going to be perfect every time,'' Wainwright said. ``You don't like to give up runs any time, but especially in that situation.'' ... Jim Edmonds had three hits and is 15-for-33 (.455) during a 10-game hitting streak. ... The Cardinals have four three-error games. ... Albert Pujols has a five-game RBI streak, totaling 10, and leads the major leagues with 48 RBIs, although he was 0-for-3 with a sacrifice fly and walk to end an eight-game hitting streak.
---
---
CHICAGO: Cubs manager Dusty Baker has had a tough time after losses during the club's recent downfall. ``I take them all home good and bad. You take them home with you and tell yourself, 'OK its over,' but its not really over, sometimes you take them to your sleep a lot of times, but you got to forget about it,'' said Baker, who was happy to see his family come in on Saturday night. ``Its really been tough when you hear about yourself, when you go home by yourself and you watch TV, you watch Sportscenter.. ... My little boy (Darren) came in and just jumped on me and gave me a hug and I finally went to sleep, a deep sleep. It's great to have my family here to help me deal with this stuff too, that's the hardest part, to me is going home by yourself or going out in the public, people telling you stuff and you hear stuff and you tend not to want to go out because you are bombarded by negatives and some of it is justified because we haven't been playing good.'' ... 3B Aramis Ramirez broke his 34-game errorless streak in the seventh inning. RHP Jae Kuk Ryu made his major league debut on Sunday. He allowed one run on one hit. He struck out one and walked two. ... The Cubs suffered their fifth shutout in the last 15 games.
SAN DIEGO: RHP Woody Williams was seen walking around on crutches with a boot on his left foot. He was placed on the disabled list on Saturday after straining his left calf during Friday's game in Chicago. ... Vinny Castilla, Josh Barfield and Adrian Gonzalez played Sunday with a pink bat to commemorate Mothers Day and raise awareness for breast cancer. ``Anyway you can honor Mothers Day and all the mothers, it's a nice gesture,'' manager Bruce Bochy said. ... Padres starter Clay Hensley struck out five times, tying a Major League record in a nine-inning game. It was most recently done by Houston's Preston Wilson on April 17 against Milwaukee. ... The Padres went undefeated against an opponent for the first time in club history when playing a team more than seven times. The Padres went 7-0 against the Cubs this season.
---
---
LOS ANGELES: LHP Odalis Perez, making his first relief appearance since 2001, got the win despite allowing the tying run in the seventh inning. Perez, who signed a three-year, $24 million contract before last season, said it felt ``weird'' to enter in the middle of the game and hoped the switch was temporary. ``When you make a lot of money to be a starter I don't think it's reasonable to be making that much money and be throwing only one inning out of the bullpen,'' he said. ... Closer Eric Gagne (elbow) threw 20-25 pitches in a bullpen session before the game. Manager Grady Little said the reports on Gagne were positive. ... LHP Joe Beimel pitched two innings for his first career save, getting the chance to close the game out because the Dodgers scored in the top of the ninth to take a four-run lead and give closer Danys Baez a day off. ``It's pretty cool. I actually came in here and didn't realize it was a save until Gagne told me,'' Beimel said. ``I forgot I came in with a three-run lead.''
SAN FRANCISCO: RHP Brad Hennessey will start the first game at Houston on Monday as the Giants skip rookie Matt Cain's turn in the rotation so he can work on his mechanics. The 21-year-old Cain, in his first full big league season after being called up from Triple-A Fresno on Aug. 26, is 1-5 and lost his third straight start and fifth in six Wednesday night against the Chicago Cubs. ... RHP Brian Wilson, on the disabled list since April 24 with a strained muscle in his left side, pitched a rehab start for Triple-A Fresno on Sunday and will likely be activated Tuesday. Struggling RHP reliever Scott Munter is a candidate to be sent down. ... C Mike Matheny blooped a tying RBI single off Perez in the seventh. Matheny was the first player on either team to get a hit using the pink bats brought out for Mother's Day, a move by Major League Baseball and the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation to create awareness about breast cancer. The Giants' catcher used the bat as a sign of support for his grandmother, Luella Kieffer, diagnosed with breast cancer two months ago.