Baseball Today
San Diego at L.A. Dodgers (10:40 p.m.) The Padres send Jake Peavy (2-0, 0.56) to the mound against the Dodgers' Brad Penny (1-1, 2.84 ERA) in a West Division showdown of two of baseball's top pitchers.
STARS
- Edwin Jackson, Rays, gave up two hits over eight innings in a 7-0 rout of the Mariners. Jackson struck out six and walked four in winning his second game of the season.
- Edwin Encarnacion, Reds, went 2-for-3 with a homer and a pair of RBIs in a 4-1 victory over the Brewers. Encarnacion also scored twice.
- Angel Pagan, Mets, went 3-for-5 with a double and drove home Jose Reyes with the winning run in a 4-3, 12-inning victory over the Phillies.
- Geovany Soto, Cubs, went 4-for-5 with a homer, two doubles and two RBIs in a 7-3 win over the Pirates. It was Soto's second career four-hit game.
- Mark Hendrickson, Marlins, pitched seven innings to match his longest outing since June 2006 in a 4-3 win over Washington. Hendrickson (2-1) gave up one run and three hits.
- J.D. Drew, Red Sox, went 3-for-3 with two runs and two RBIs to lead Boston to a 12-6 victory over the Tigers. Drew has a hit in all seven games in which he's played this season.
- Travis Buck, Athletics, doubled home two runs in the 12th inning as Oakland completed a three-game sweep of the Blue Jays. Buck went 3-for-6 with three RBIs, matching an Oakland record with three doubles.
- Melky Cabrera, Yankees, homered and drove in a pair of runs in a 6-1 victory over the Royals that helped New York avoid a series sweep.
- Kevin Correia, Giants, carried a shutout into the eighth inning of a 5-1 win over the Cardinals. He scattered five hits in 7 2-3 innings, striking out four and walking two.
AILING
Mike Lowell was placed on the 15-day disabled list by the Red Sox because of a sprained left thumb. He was injured on the first at-bat of the game Wednesday night when he fielded Ivan Rodriguez's grounder and threw him out. X-rays were negative. ... Cubs right-hander Jason Marquis won't make his scheduled start Friday against the Phillies because of the flu, so right-hander Carlos Zambrano is moving up a day to start in his place. Ted Lilly starts Saturday against the Phillies, with Marquis or Sean Marshall going Sunday.
REHABBING
Giants shortstop Omar Vizquel could begin testing his surgically repaired left knee in minor league rehab games as soon as next week. The 11-time Gold Glove winner, on the 15-day DL after arthroscopic knee surgery on Feb. 27, did light baseball activity and manager Bruce Bochy expects him to go through extensive pregame work including batting practice Friday.
SIGNED AND DELIVERED
Fausto Carmona, a surprising 19-game winner last season, agreed to a $15 million, four-year contract with the Indians, a deal that potentially can earn him $48 million. It's the highest guarantee to a pre-arbitration eligible starter. ... Claudio Vargas and the Mets agreed to a minor league contract, giving New York another option for its injury-riddled rotation.
LINEUP SHUFFLE
Yankees manager Joe Girardi shook up his lineup before Thursday night's game against the Royals, moving Alex Rodriguez to third and placing Jorge Posada in the cleanup spot. Rodriguez had hit cleanup in the first nine games, and in 156 of the 158 games he started last year.
NOMO SITTIN' AROUND
Hideo Nomo appeared in relief in the seventh inning for the Royals against the Yankees, his first appearance in the majors since July 15, 2005. Nomo gave up two runs - back-to-back homers by Alex Rodriguez and Jorge Posada - and four hits with two walks in three innings.
WINNING DEBUT
The A's Joey Devine worked two innings and picked up his first victory in a 3-2, 12-inning win over the Blue Jays. He pitched a few hours after being recalled from Triple-A Sacramento when Rich Harden landed on the 15-day disabled list. Devine almost missed the start of the game after his connecting flight to Toronto was delayed by a snowstorm in Denver. He finally arrived at Rogers Centre about 20 minutes before the first pitch.
GROUNDED
A Vermont Air National Guard pilot who took part in a flyover of Fenway Park during opening day ceremonies was grounded for making an improper maneuver near the park. The F-16 pilot flew under and over the other three F-16s in the formation at about 1,200 feet over Boston on Tuesday afternoon because he was going too fast and was late joining the formation.
SPEAKING
``I want to be the guy up in that situation. I just didn't get it done.'' - Nationals catcher Paul Lo Duca, who grounded into a game-ending double play with two on in a 4-3 loss to Florida.
``When you throw a game like that to snap a four-game losing streak, it does a lot for your own self confidence. I'm almost eager to see how he comes out on his next start.'' - Rays manager Joe Maddon, after Edwin Jackson yielded two hits in eight innings in a 7-0 rout of Seattle.