Baseball Today
N.Y. Yankees at Kansas City (8:10 p.m.) Andy Pettitte makes his first road start of the season after a dreadful winter in which he was named in the Mitchell Report, admitted using HGH and gave a deposition and affidavit to a House committee contradicting Roger Clemens' testimony.
STARS
- Zack Greinke, Royals, allowed six hits over eight innings in a rainy, 4-0 victory over the Yankees. Greinke has won his first two starts, lowering his ERA to 0.60.
- Jason Kubel, Twins, hit a grand slam and had six RBIs in a 12-5 rout of the White Sox.
- Mike Napoli, Angels, hit his first career grand slam in a 9-5 victory over the Indians. The four RBIs were a career high.
- Corey Patterson, Reds, hit his second homer in as many days in a 12-4 victory over the Brewers. Patterson finished 3-for-5 with two doubles, two RBIs and two runs scored.
- Albert Pujols, Cardinals, homered twice and drove in three runs to help St. Louis to a 6-4 victory over the Astros.
- Jarrod Washburn, Mariners, gave up one run on six hits in seven innings in a 7-1 victory over the Rays.
- Ryan Dempster, Cubs, gave up one hit in seven scoreless innings in a 6-4, 15-inning win over the Pirates. Dempster also struck out five.
- Mike Jacobs, Marlins, homered twice and had four RBIs in a 10-4 win over the Nationals.
- Bobby Crosby, Athletics, went 3-for-5 with a pair of doubles and drove in three runs, helping Oakland to a 6-3 victory over the Blue Jays.
- Edgar Renteria, Tigers, went 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles and two RBIs in a 7-2 victory over the Red Sox.
AILING
Orlando Hernandez is out indefinitely with a strained tendon in his right foot, another blow to the New York pitching staff. The Mets also are missing No. 2 starter Pedro Martinez, who strained his left hamstring in his first start and is expected to miss four to six weeks. ... The Braves placed closer Rafael Soriano on the 15-day DL with right elbow tendinitis. Soriano picked up his only save of the season Sunday against the New York Mets, pitching a scoreless ninth in a 3-1 win. He has appeared in four games this season, giving up a run and two hits in four innings. Soriano's move to the DL is retroactive to Monday.
REHABBING
The Twins are undecided on whether to call up Francisco Liriano or give him another minor league start. The lefty missed last season recovering from elbow surgery. He threw 88 pitches, allowing three runs on five hits and walking three for Triple-A Rochester on Tuesday night. ... Blue Jays closer B.J. Ryan finished his rehab assignment with Class-A Dunedin on Wednesday night with a perfect inning against Tampa. He struck out two and threw 10 of his 13 pitches for strikes. Ryan moves to Triple-A Syracuse, where he expects to pitch Friday.
KUBEL CLUBS 'EM
The Twins' Jason Kubel hit a grand slam and drove in six runs in a 12-5 win over the White Sox. It was the third slam of Kubel's career, and the first since he hit a grand slam in the front-end of a doubleheader against the White Sox last July. He had a career-high seven RBIs in that game, a 20-14 Twins victory.
TIGERS TRYING
Detroit beat the Red Sox 7-2 after scoring just 15 runs in losing its first seven games. Marcus Thames and Carlos Guillen homered, Edgar Renteria had three hits and Ivan Rodriguez got the 2,500th hit of his career. Still, no team has made the postseason after an 0-7 start.
TAKE THAT!
Travis Hafner, whose two-run homer in the ninth off Justin Speier gave the Indians a 4-3 victory over the Angels on Tuesday night, was plunked by Speier with two out in the ninth and went straight to first base. Hafner downplayed the incident: ``Who knows if it was intentional?''
BYE, BYE BYRDIE
Paul Byrd gave up Mike Napoli's first career grand slam, and homers to Garret Anderson and Casey Kotchman in the Angels' 9-5 win over the Indians. Byrd (0-2), whose name was in the Mitchell Report, had his $7.5 million option picked up by the Indians after capping off a 15-8 season. His ERA is 11.05.
EXTRA, EXTRA
Pittsburgh has played four extra-inning games out of eight this season, going 2-2. The Pirates were forced to use seven pitchers in a 6-4, 15-inning loss to the Cubs. That came one day after using eight in a 10-8, 10-inning loss.
ROCKIES THAWING
Matt Holliday had a triple and two RBIs and Ryan Spilborghs went 3-for-5 with a home run and five RBIs for the Rockies, who tripled their previous high run total of the young season in a 12-6 rout of Atlanta. Their previous high was just four runs, in a win Tuesday night against the Braves.
STREAK SNAPPED
Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins sat out against the New York Mets with a sprained left ankle, missing his first game since July 30, 2006, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Rollins had played in 230 consecutive games entering Wednesday, the third-longest streak in the major leagues behind Cleveland's Grady Sizemore (366) and Atlanta's Jeff Francoeur (334). Rollins said he didn't expect the soreness in his ankle to linger long.
SPEAKING
``We practice this stuff all the time. If you catch 'em in practice, you have to catch 'em in the game. You just have to catch the ball.'' - Phillies manager Charlie Manuel, after Philadelphia had four errors in an 8-2 loss to the Mets.
Rays' Floyd placed on 15-day DL
April 9, 2008
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) -Rays outfielder Cliff Floyd will have surgery on Friday to repair a meniscus tear in his right knee.
The injury was discovered by an MRI exam Wednesday. Floyd has been slowed by a sore knee, and hasn't played since being scratched from the starting lineup Monday.
Floyd is hitting .333 with two homers and five RBIs in four games. There was no immediately word on how long he will be sidelined.
Tampa Bay placed him on the 15-day disabled list. The Rays also recalled outfielder Justin Ruggiano from Triple-A Durham.
Mets RHP Orlando Hernandez out indefinitely; 2B Luis Castillo sits with sore knee
April 9, 2008
NEW YORK (AP) -Orlando Hernandez is out indefinitely with a strained tendon in his troublesome right foot, another blow to the New York Mets' pitching staff.
Hernandez will wear a protective boot for two weeks and then be re-evaluated, manager Willie Randolph said Wednesday.
El Duque is eligible to come off the disabled list Sunday, but won't be ready for a while. The Mets also are missing No. 2 starter Pedro Martinez, who strained his left hamstring in his first start of the season and is expected to miss four to six weeks.
In other injury news, second baseman Luis Castillo sat out Wednesday night against Philadelphia because of soreness in his surgically repaired right knee.
Castillo left Tuesday's home opener after the fourth inning and said he thought the cold weather probably contributed to the stiffness he felt in his knee. He received treatment Wednesday and said he felt better.
``I'm fine. A couple days, I'll be ready,'' he said. ``I don't feel the pain like I did last year.''
Damion Easley started at second base in place of Castillo.
``I think all year long he's been moving kind of gingerly anyway,'' Randolph said. ``There's been times where he's kind of saved it a little bit, which means that he's not 100 percent.
``I would hope, assume that he's going to get stronger and better. Knees are different for different guys,'' the manager added.
Hernandez had toe surgery in the offseason and tried changing his signature, high-kick delivery during spring training to alleviate pressure from a bunion.
He went back to his familiar windup for a rehab start with Class-A St. Lucie last week, but still felt discomfort afterward and was scratched from his scheduled minor league outing this week.
``My hope is that once the two weeks are over, he's got to find a niche there somewhere that's going to be able to work for him,'' general manager Omar Minaya said.
The 42-year-old Hernandez had an MRI, and the Mets aren't sure when he might return. Randolph said it was too soon to know whether the right-hander could need more surgery.
``Usually when you put a boot on like that it's for rest,'' Randolph said. ``We haven't really addressed surgery or anything like that.''
The injuries to Martinez and Hernandez, two-fifths of New York's projected rotation, make Mike Pelfrey's performance especially important.
The right-hander was set to make his first start of the year Wednesday night after compiling an 8.14 ERA in 21 innings during spring training. His previous outing was March 28 against Baltimore.
Selected ninth overall in the 2005 amateur draft, Pelfrey was 3-8 with a 5.57 ERA for the Mets last season. Now, he has a chance to secure a regular turn in the rotation for a while - if he pitches well.
Asked if it was time for Pelfrey to establish himself in the majors, Randolph said: ``This kid's got a lot of talent. It's been time. ... I think he's just about there. I believe in him. I think he's going to be a good major league pitcher.''
Nelson Figueroa, pitching in the big leagues for the first time since 2004, is slated to start for the Mets on Friday night against Milwaukee.
Minaya said reliever Duaner Sanchez is close to returning. Sanchez has had two shoulder operations and hasn't pitched in the majors since getting hurt in a July 2006 taxi accident. He is slated to pitch on back-to-back days for Triple-A New Orleans on Friday and Saturday, a major step in his recovery.
Gonzalez to be brought up by Yanks
April 9, 2008
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -While the New York Yankees awaited the return of Derek Jeter and news on Jorge Posada's shoulder, they put Alberto Gonzalez in the starting lineup at shortstop against the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday night.
Gonzalez was on an optional assignment to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said the team would make moves by game time to put Gonzalez on the active roster.
Gonzalez was 1-for-14 (.071) in 12 games with the Yankees last September, playing shortstop and third base.
Jeter strained his left quadriceps Monday and is not expected back until at least Friday's series opener at Boston.
Posada allowed five steals in Tuesday's 5-2 loss to Kansas City and left in the sixth inning with a ``dead arm.'' Cashman said he had an MRI exam in Kansas City and that Yankees doctors were awaiting the scans to evaluate them.
Giants Dave Roberts considering surgery to left knee after going on DL
April 9, 2008
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -Giants outfielder Dave Roberts is considering knee surgery that could sideline him indefinitely.
A day after being placed on the 15-day disabled list, Roberts said he had a torn meniscus and is also suffering from a softening of the joint cartilage behind his left kneecap.
Roberts was checked by Giants team orthopedist Dr. Ken Akizuki and will meet with Angels orthopedist Dr. Lewis Yocum on Thursday for a second opinion. But the 35-year-old outfielder sounds resigned to the likelihood of having surgery.
``I'm not going to say it's 100 percent but it's pretty (certain) I'm going to have to get it done,'' Roberts said Wednesday in the Giants' clubhouse. ``The training staff has done everything they can possibly do to keep me out there but I just don't think I'm doing myself a service or this team a service by trying to go out there on one leg.''
Roberts, who has been hurt since early in spring training, hoped the pain in his knee would subside with rest and rehabilitation. He took five days off when the team was in Arizona but the soreness returned once he resumed playing in the exhibition season.
By Roberts' own account, he's had three cortisone shots and had his knee drained three times, in addition to taking anti-inflammatory medications.
``We tried all these different drastic measures but I'm still at square one right now,'' Roberts said. ``It's like, what else can we do?''
Roberts has not played since going 0-for-3 against the San Diego Padres on Monday, lowering his batting average to .118 (2-for-17) through San Francisco's first eight games.
One of the questions Roberts is hoping to get answered before making a decision is how long he might be out. Typical arthroscopic surgeries require 4-6 weeks of rehab but Roberts' situation is more severe.
``If surgery does take place it's going to be a little more extensive than the typical scope,'' Roberts said. ``As far as a timetable, I don't even know.''
The Giants are taking a wait-and-see approach before deciding on what they'll do.
``It's hard to say how long it's going to be,'' manager Bruce Bochy said. ``I think we can answer it better after he gets his second opinion.''
The Giants placed Roberts on the disabled list before Tuesday's game with the Padres and called up outfielder Clay Timpner from Triple-A Fresno. Timpner played as a defensive replacement later that night.
San Francisco now must decide what to do until Roberts return. Randy Winn was in the leadoff spot Tuesday while Eugenio Velez was there Wednesday. Defensively, the Giants used rookie Daniel Ortmeier, Fred Lewis and Timpner to fill Roberts' absence.
Roberts was also on the disabled list between May 10-June 8 last year because of left elbow surgery.