Baseball Today
Arizona at Colorado (4:05 p.m. EDT). The Rockies swept the Diamondbacks in the NL championship series last year.
STARS
- Johnny Cueto, Reds, struck out 10 in his major league debut, allowing one hit in seven innings of Cincinnati's 3-2 win over Arizona.
- John Danks, White Sox, allowed one run and two hits in 6 2-3 innings to lead Chicago over Cleveland 2-1.
- Scott Hairston, Padres, went 3-for-3 and scored two runs while batting leadoff in San Diego's 3-2 win over Houston.
- Brad Thompson, Cardinals, had a career-high six strikeouts in 6 2-3 innings and also had his first career RBI as St. Louis beat Colorado 3-0.
- Xavier Nady, Pirates, drove in Nyjer Morgan with a 10th-inning single and Pittsburgh beat Atlanta 4-3.
- Kevin Kouzmanoff, Padres, hit a two-run homer in the first inning and San Diego beat Houston 3-2.
OUCH!
Gary Sheffield became the latest Tigers star with an injury, tearing a tendon in his ring finger while trying unsuccessfully to stretch a single into a double in the eighth inning. Tigers manager Jim Leyland said he didn't know how serious the injury was, but noted Sheffield couldn't bend the finger. Sheffield said he would try to play through the injury, but he wouldn't know his status until the swelling subsided.
HAMPTON OUT
Mike Hampton, scheduled to make his first start since Aug. 19, 2005, strained his left pectoral muscle while warming up in the bullpen before Atlanta's game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. He was scratched and will be placed on the disabled list, retroactive to March 30. Left-hander Jo-Jo Reyes will be called up from Triple-A Richmond and will be available on Friday.
AILING
Pirates shortstop Jack Wilson strained his left calf while running out a single and had to leave Pittsburgh's game against the Atlanta Braves. Wilson will likely miss Friday's game at Florida and was listed day to day. Wilson pulled up about halfway down the first-base line and hopped the rest of the way on his right leg. The 30-year-old had difficulty putting weight on the leg and needed help walking off the field.
TRIUMPHANT RETURN
Former Twins center fielder Torii Hunter homered leading off the seventh inning of the final game of his emotional return to the Metrodome, leading the Los Angeles Angels to a 5-4 win over Minnesota. Hunter, who signed a $90 million, five-year deal with the Angels in the offseason, got a standing ovation from the small crowd.
DARING DASH
Reigning NL MVP Jimmy Rollins never hesitated rounding second base and advanced from first to third on a sacrifice in the 10th inning of Philadelphia's 8-7 win over Washington. After Chase Utley and Ryan Howard were intentionally walked to load the bases, Jayson Werth walked on four pitches to force in Rollins with the winning run. ``That's just heads-up baseball,'' manager Charlie Manuel said. ``You have to be heads-up to make a play like that and have confidence in your speed.''
SWITCHEROO
Converted closer Ryan Dempster was solid as a starter and got the win and one-time ace Kerry Wood, now called on to finish games, earned his first career save in Chicago's 6-3 win over Milwaukee. Surviving a shaky first when the Brewers scored twice, Dempster settled down and allowed just three hits in six innings with two walks and five strikeouts. He won as a starter for the first time since April 16, 2005.
SEESAW SAVIOR
Trevor Hoffman pitched a perfect ninth to earn a save in the Padres' 3-2 win over the Astros, less than 24 hours after blowing the save and taking the loss by giving up four runs in the ninth inning of a 9-6 defeat, including Lance Berkman's two-out, three-run homer. It was Hoffman's second save in three chances, extending his big league record to 526. Hoffman blew chances in the final three games last year, including a 13-inning loss at Colorado in the wild-card tiebreaker game on Oct. 1.
SLIPPING
The Detroit Tigers managed just five runs in getting swept in a three-game series by the Kansas City Royals. The highly touted Tigers hit .206 with 24 strikeouts.
SLUMPING
The defending NL champion Colorado Rockies managed five runs in losing two of three games in St. Louis. The Rockies went 3-for-25 with runners in scoring position in the series.
SPEAKING
``Nobody's more disappointed than I am. As hard as it was for me to say, I had to tell them I couldn't go,'' Braves pitcher Mike Hampton said after he was scratched from his start because of a strained pectoral muscle. He will be placed on the 15-day disabled list.
``We expected to win at least one game this year,'' White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said after Chicago defeated Cleveland 2-1. The Indians scored 17 runs in winning the first two games of the series.