Mariners and Indians cancelled again
April 8th, 2007
Cleveland, OH (Sports Network) - Sunday's scheduled doubleheader between the Seattle Mariners and Cleveland Indians was postponed due to inclement weather.
Sunday marked the third straight day the Mariners and Indians were snowed out in Cleveland.
Seattle is now scheduled to play a doubleheader in Cleveland on Monday, April 9,
The Indians began their home opener after a delay on Friday despite persistent snow and got into the fifth inning with a 4-0 lead. However, play was halted with two outs in the inning and the game was eventually postponed and rescheduled for Saturday afternoon.
Hideki Matsui strains his hamstring
Sat, Apr 7, 2007
By Associated Press
NEW YORK -- Hideki Matsui strained his left hamstring during the New York Yankees' 10-7 win over Baltimore on Saturday and could be sidelined until next weekend.
Matsui was hurt running out a squibber in the second inning on a 39-degree day, then was pinch hit for in the fourth by Miguel Cairo. With the Yankees headed to Minnesota for a three-game series that starts Monday, Yankees manager Joe Torre said the left fielder might not play until the start of a series in Oakland on Friday.
''Hopefully, it's only a few days,'' Torre said. ''It's not a full-blown hamstring, but again, it's something you have to keep an eye on.''
After playing in 1,768 consecutive games with the Yomiuri Giants (1,250) and the Yankees (518), Matsui was sidelined from May 11 to Sept. 12 last year with a broken left wrist. He said he would wait to hear his prognosis from the team's medical staff on Sunday.
Cairo took over from Matsui in left field in the fifth inning - just his fifth outfield appearance since 2003. Johnny Damon, still recovering from a strained right calf, pinch hit for Cairo in the eighth and went to center field, with Melky Cabrera shifting to left.
Bobby Abreu, the right fielder, was hit on the inside of a knee by a pitch in the ninth. Torre expected Abreu to play in Sunday's series finale.
''He'll get ice and stuff to keep the swelling down,'' Torre said. ''Hopefully, that's all it is.''
New York doesn't have many outfield alternatives.
''We're thin right now,'' Torre said. ''The only way we can get some help is to sacrifice a pitcher or put somebody on the DL, and we're not really prepared to do either one of those things right now.''
Blue Jays Troy Glaus (heel) is questionable for Sunday's game.
Giants Barry Bonds (rest) should return to the starting lineup Sunday.
Pirates Freddy Sanchez (knee) should return to the starting lineup Sunday.
Baseball Today - April 8
Sun, Apr 8, 2007
By Associated Press
STARS
Saturday
-Alex Rodriguez, Yankees, homered twice, including a game-winning grand slam to lead New York to a 10-7 victory over Baltimore.
-Adrian Gonzalez, Padres, hit an RBI double with one out in the ninth to give San Diego a 3-2 win over Colorado.
-Derek Lowe, Dodgers, pitched seven innings, giving up four hits and one run, to lead Los Angeles to a 4-1 win over San Francisco.
-Javier Vazquez, White Sox, gave up one hit over 6 2-3 scoreless innings to lead Chicago to a 3-0 victory over Minnesota.
-Roy Oswalt, Astros, pitched a complete game, giving up one run and five hits, in leading Houston to a 5-1 win over St. Louis.
-Brandon Webb, Diamondbacks, struck out eight, allowed seven hits and one run over seven innings to lead Arizona over Washington 7-1.
KING FOR A DAY
Alex Rodriguez hit a grand slam off Chris Ray with two outs in the ninth inning, giving the Yankees a memorable 10-7 victory over Baltimore on Saturday. Rodriguez homered twice, doubled and drove in six runs. Rodriguez has 14 slams and three of them ended games, tying the major league mark shared by Vern Stephens (1946, 1949, 1950) and Cy Williams (1924 and twice in 1926).
SNOW DAYS
A holiday weekend snowstorm and a forecast for more snow caused the postponement of Saturday's day-night doubleheader between the Cleveland Indians and Seattle Mariners. The doubleheader had been scheduled after Friday's home opener at Jacobs Field was postponed following 2 hours, 53 minutes of delays. The teams played four innings in blustery and brutally cold weather before the game was finally called.
OLD FRIENDS
John Smoltz outpitched former teammate Tom Glavine to help the Atlanta Braves beat the New York Mets 5-3 on Saturday. It was the second time Smoltz had faced Glavine after 15 years as teammates and golf buddies. Smoltz went six innings and allowed two runs, seven hits, walked four and struck out four. The Atlanta right-hander also won on July 15, 2005. Glavine fell to 3-10 against the Braves since signing a free agent contract with the Mets in 2003.
SAMMY SLAMS ONE
Sammy Sosa hit his first home run since Aug. 4, 2005 on Saturday night, a two-run shot for the Texas Rangers against the Boston Red Sox. The 409-foot drive was the 589th homer of his career, fifth on the all-time list. It was Sosa's first homer at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, the 43rd different stadium where he has homered. That tied Ken Griffey Jr. and Fred McGriff for the most stadiums with a homer.
VLAD THE IMPALER
Vladimir Guerrero drove in his major league-leading 10th run for Los Angeles in a 2-1 win over Oakland Saturday night. He went 2-for-3 and is hitting .524 (11-for-21) this season. The Angels are off to their best start since 1991 when they also won five of their first six.
RETURNING CHAMP
The Pittsburgh Pirates activated NL batting champion Freddy Sanchez off the 15-day disabled list following Saturday's 7-5 loss to Cincinnati. Sanchez, who hit .344 last season, sprained his right knee while turning a double play in a spring training game March 6.
SPEAKING
''I was so excited, I felt like a fool running around the bases, like it was Little League.'' - Alex Rodriguez on his game-winning grand slam with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning to give New York a 10-7 win over Baltimore on Saturday.
O's Hernandez goes on DL
Sun, Apr 8, 2007
By Associated Press
NEW YORK -- Catcher Ramon Hernandez was put on the 15-day disabled list Sunday by the Baltimore Orioles because of a strained left oblique, and left-hander Kurt Birkins was recalled from Triple-A Norfolk before the Orioles game on Sunday against the New York Yankees.
Hernandez was scratched from last Monday's opener, and the DL move was made retroactive to March 31, one day after his last spring training game.
Blue Jays Troy Glaus is not in the probable starting lineup.
Yankees Hideki Matsui and Johnny Damon are not in the probable starting lineup.