MLB News and Notes 8-12

Notes from Saturday's AL games
August 11, 2007

DETROIT: 2B Placido Polanco was a late scratch because of a sore thumb. Polanco needs one more errorless game at second base to tie Luis Castillo's major-league record of 143 straight. Polanco's last error came on July 1, 2006, at Pittsburgh. ... Detroit starting pitchers entered Saturday with a 1-11 record in the last 23 games, dating back to July 19. Jordan Tata picked up the only win on July 30 in Oakland. ... With the Tigers bullpen exhausted after Detroit gave up 37 runs in four games, Tata and Macay McBride were optioned to Triple-A Toledo before Saturday's game, and Eulogio De La Cruz and Aquilino Lopez were recalled from the Mud Hens.

OAKLAND: Oakland's 16 runs against the Tigers on Friday matched the most they have scored against Detroit since moving to California. The Philadelphia Athletics beat the Tigers 24-2 on May 18, 1912, when all of Detroit's regular players went on strike because of a suspension issued to Ty Cobb. ... Huston Street retired Magglio Ordonez to end Friday's game. The last time the teams met at Comerica Park, in Game 4 of the American League Championship Series, Ordonez hit a series-ending three-run homer off Street to put the Tigers in the World Series.

NEW YORK: C Jorge Posada was out of the lineup for the second consecutive day with a stiff neck. He hopes to play on Sunday. ``It's a lot better than it was,'' he said after getting treatment. ... RHP Jim Brower left the team to be with his wife, Jessica, who gave birth to the couple's first child in Minnesota. Manager Joe Torre wasn't sure when he would return. ... LHP Andy Pettitte, who starts the final game of the series on Sunday, has 157 wins as a Yankee, tied with Waite Hoyt for eighth place on the franchise list. ... Torre likes the way the Yankees' young players have sparked the team's resurgence from its poor start. ``No question what youth does for the personality of the team, especially youth that contributes on a regular basis,'' Torre said. ``I think it's really done a great deal for us. These kids seem to be resilient in going out there and having fun.'' Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain, a pair of 21-year-old pitchers, led New York to a 6-1 win in the series opener on Friday.

CLEVELAND: The Indians scored in the first inning for the first time since July 17, a streak of 23 games. ... DH Travis Hafner swung in the indoor batting cages. Hafner strained his left knee while sliding into second base Tuesday night and is expected to be out of the lineup a few more days. ``It feels better than it did yesterday,'' he said. ``I want to test it out and see how it goes.'' ... RHP Fausto Carmona angrily threw a towel into a laundry cart and left without speaking to reporters after getting the loss Friday night. He allowed four runs in seven innings. ``I didn't talk to you guys because I was mad at myself for giving up those runs,'' he said. The Indians have scored three runs in Carmona's last four starts. ... Manager Eric Wedge said INF Chris Gomez, claimed on waivers from Baltimore on Thursday, will play mostly against left-handed pitching. ... LHP Jason Stanford, designated for assignment on Aug. 4, has accepted an outright assignment to Triple-A Buffalo. He was 1-1 with a 4.78 ERA in two starts and six relief appearances.

BOSTON: RHP Josh Beckett is 8-1 with a 1.65 ERA in nine road starts, and 3-0 with a 1.90 ERA in three career starts in Baltimore. ... 2B Dustin Pedroia is hitting .474 (18-for-38) with six RBIs in his last 10 games. ... DH David Ortiz has gone 2-for-17 in his last four games. ... Friday's loss dropped the Red Sox to 49-7 when they score at least five runs. ... Kevin Youkilis has handed a team-record 1,324 consecutive errorless chances at 1B since his last error, on July 4, 2006.

BALTIMORE: The Orioles scored two ninth-inning runs Satruday to remain the only major league that hasn't been shut out this season. ... OF Nick Markakis is hitting .364 (8-for-22) with seven RBIs in his last five games. ... OF Corey Patterson has batted .348 (39-for-112) since the All-Star break. ... LHP Erik Bedard leads the majors with 199 strikeouts, and is 19 shy of Mike Mussina's club record of 218 set in 1997. ... Saturday's game drew a crowd of 49,242 - sixth largest in the 16-year history of Camden Yards. Five of the top six crowds have come in games against Boston.

TORONTO: The Blue Jays entered Saturday night 6 1/2 games out in the wild-card standings. ``It could be a fun month and a half,'' Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. ``That's what is nice about the wild card. It gives everybody a chance.'' ... Toronto has a 3.62 ERA with five shutouts since July 1, but is just 19-15 in that stretch. ``Ideally, you'd expect to win more with an ERA that low,'' Gibbons said. ``We've lost some one-run games.'' The Blue Jays are 7-15 in one-run decisions on the road this season. ... RHP Shaun Marcum is 6-1 with a 2.62 ERA while holding hitters to a .216 average on the road.

KANSAS CITY: Although 1B Ryan Shealy was optioned Saturday to Triple-A Omaha, manager Buddy Bell belives he will be an impact player for the Royals in the future. ``I still think he's going to be an everyday first baseman, absolutely,'' Bell said. ... RHP Brandon Duckworth, who is on the disabled list with a strained left oblique, was roughed up in his second rehab start with Class-A Wilmington, giving up four runs on four hits and two walks in 1 2-3 innings in a loss to Frederick in the Carolina League on Friday. ... RHP Brian Bannister, who starts Sunday, is 3-0 with a 1.61 ERA in his past four starts. ... C Jason LaRue is 1-for-31 since a three-hit game on July 3.

SEATTLE: Before Saturday's game against the White Sox, 1B Richie Sexson had not hit a home run since July 26. He is tied for the team lead in home runs with 3B Adrian Beltre with 17. ... OF Raul Ibanez was 3-for-4 with a homer on Friday against the White Sox. He has four home runs in as many days after going 116 at_bats without one. ... Rookie reliever Brandon Morrow has not allowed a run in his last 10 outings. The right-hander, who has been with the club the entire season, is second among AL rookie relievers with 53 strikeouts and fourth with a 2.91 ERA.

CHICAGO: If White Sox closer Bobby Jenks can pitch one more perfect inning he will tie San Francisco's Jim Barr for the major league record of most consecutive batters retired. Barr set the record at 41 in 1972. ``To do what he does is amazing,'' said manager Ozzie Guillen. ``I don't think Bobby is thinking about it. Maybe he thinks about it when you ask him about it, but when he is on the mound he just wants to save the game. He doesn't care if he's got people on base or not. Every time he comes in to pitch there is no drama.'' ... Guillen gave 1B Paul Konerko the night off. ... The White Sox rank second in the AL with 39 home runs.

TAMPA BAY: The Devil Rays are on pace to finish slightly better than last year, when they were 61-101. But manager Joe Maddon said the players are significantly better than they were last August. He pointed to an improved on-base percentage, better hitting with men on base from the heart of the order, and reliable starting pitching from Scott Kazmir and James Shields. ... Maddon rested left-handed-hitting 1B Carlos Pena, with Greg Norton filling in against starting LHP John Rheinecker. Maddon said Pena would be back in Sunday's lineup against LHP Kason Gabbard, who has had more success against right-handed batters. ... CF B.J. Upton was the DH, with Delmon Young in CF and Jonny Gomes in RF. ... LF Carl Crawford greeted players from two teams of 9- and 10-year-olds he sponsors in the Houston area. Crawford is a Houston native.

TEXAS: C Jarrod Saltalamacchia and LHP Kason Gabbard were a high school battery in their hometown of Royal Palm Beach, Fla., and they'll reunite as starters for the Rangers for the first time since high school on Sunday night. Saltalamacchia was a freshman when Gabbard was a senior for a team that went deep into the Florida high school playoffs, and each later moved on to pro careers, Saltalamacchia with the Atlanta Braves and Gabbard with the Boston Red Sox. They came to the Rangers in separate trades on July 31. ...Former OF Rusty Greer, a key member of the franchise's only three playoff teams, became the 10th inductee into the Rangers Hall of Fame in pre-game ceremonies. Injuries ended Greer's career in 2002. ...Utility man Jerry Hairston has a stress fracture in a rib and could miss most of the rest of the season. Manager Ron Washington said the injury must heal on its own. No surgery is planned. ...RHP Kameron Loe will have a rehab start for Double-A Frisco on Monday night. Loe, out since Aug. 4 with back stiffness, had a 24-pitch bullpen session on Saturday and was able to throw pain free. If the rehab start goes well, Loe projects to return to the rotation later next week.

MINNESOTA: It may have just seemed like a routine ``4-3'' in the scorecard, but when Tommy Watkins grounded out against LHP Darren Oliver as a pinch-hitter for DH Jason Kubel in the eighth inning of Friday night's 10-1 loss at Angel Stadium, it marked the culmination of more than 9 1/2 frustrating seasons in the minor leagues for the 27-year-old infielder. ``From the time I was 4 years old, all I wanted to do was to play baseball,'' said Watkins, a 38th-round draft pick by the Twins in June 1998. ``People down there have talked about me being a coach one day, and I would love to do that - but I just felt like I still can play. And as long as you've got a uniform on, you always have a chance. The last couple of days have been like a blur.'' ... Slumping RF Michael Cuddyer was dropped to sixth in the batting order for the first time this season, after hitting either third or cleanup in his first 98 games.

LOS ANGELES: CF Gary Matthews Jr. was limited to DH duty for the second straight night because of inflammation in the patella tendon in his left knee, the result of a collision at first base with Boston's Kevin Youkilis in Wednesday's 9-6 loss. He feels pain when he breaks out of the batter's box and when he tries to slow down. ``I don't want to injure myself further, so we just want to do whatever it takes to get it under control right now and get it right so it doesn't become a lingering issue and it won't be affecting me and the team down the stretch,'' said Matthews, who has started only one other game as a DH since joining the Angels. ... 2B Howie Kendrick is scheduled to begin a minor league rehab assignment on Sunday, playing one game with Class-A Rancho Cucamonga before moving on to Triple-A Salt Lake. He could be activated next weekend while the team is in Boston. Kendrick has missed 27 games because of broken left index finger.

Notes from Saturday's NL games
August 11, 2007

FLORIDA: SS Hanley Ramirez singled in the first inning to extend his hitting streak to nine games. ... The Marlins had homered in 12 of their last 13 games. ... Florida has faced three 300-game winners in franchise history (Tom Glavine, Greg Maddux and Roger Clemens).

NEW YORK: CF Carlos Beltran was held out of the starting lineup. The switch-hitter came off the DL on Friday after sitting out with a strained muscle on his left side. Manager Willie Randolph said Beltran isn't where he wants to be when he bats right-handed so he decided to rest him against Marlins LHP Scott Olsen. Beltran is expected to play Sunday. ... RHP Pedro Martinez, working his way back from shoulder surgery, probably will make his second minor league rehab start Tuesday in Florida. ... Randolph said utility player Marlon Anderson probably will rejoin the team Tuesday. Anderson went on the bereavement list Friday. He traveled to Alabama for his grandmother's funeral.

SAN DIEGO: Manager Bud Black described C Michael Barrett as ``a little fuzzy'' after Friday's game, which Barrett left with concussionlike symptoms. Barrett, who was hit in the mask with a foul tip last Sunday and had a CT scan before Friday's game, was kneed in the head by Reds SS Alex Gonzalez while sliding into second in the sixth inning Friday night. ``We're going to follow the protocol for concussion-related incidents,'' Black said. ... The Padres placed Barrett on the 15-day disabled list and optioned RHP Jack Cassel to Triple-A Portland. They also recalled RHP Mike Thompson from Portland and purchased the contract of C Pete Laforest. ... Sunday's starter, RHP Jake Peavy, is 4-0 with a 1.99 ERA in his career against Cincinnati, including 2-0 and 2.89 at Great American Ball Park.

CINCINNATI: RHP Matt Belisle was ``disappointed'' about being optioned to Triple-A Louisville, manager Pete Mackanin said. Belisle was 6-8 overall and 1-4 in his last 12 starts. Opposing batters were hitting .308 against him this season. ``He's got the stuff to be successful,'' Mackanin said. ``He can't make as many mistakes as he's been making. It's all about command.'' The Reds are off Monday, which means they won't need a fifth starter until Saturday at Milwaukee. ... LHP Bill Bray was recalled from Louisville, where he was 1-2 with a 4.26 ERA in 18 games. Bray spent almost the first four months of the season on the disabled list with a broken left index finger and shoulder tendinitis.

ATLANTA: The Braves were leading the NL in road batting average. ... RHP Peter Moylan led all rookies with a 1.84 ERA and a .199 opponents batting average. ... 3B Chipper Jones is one of six players to hit at least 19 homers in fewer than 100 games. ... After having his 10-game hitting streak snapped in a pinch-hitting appearance on Friday, 2B Willie Harris doubled leading off the game.

PHILADELPHIA: CF Aaron Rowand was back in the lineup after leaving Friday's game with blurred vision in his right eye. Rowand said doctors told him eye drops had irritated a previously undetected scratch on the eye. Rowand said his vision was fine for the game against the Braves. ... The Phillies honored longtime PR man Larry Shenk for his 44 years of service. Shenk was feted with gifts in a pregame ceremony, including a congratulatory letter from commissioner Bud Selig. Former Phillies such as Mike Schmidt, Steve Carlton and Dick Allen attended. Shenk told the crowd he had one request: ``Don't boo so much.'' The crowd promptly booed.

MILWAUKEE: J.J. Hardy, who has batted second in 93 games this season, hit in the No. 8 hole for the first time Friday and homered for the first time in more than six weeks. So he was back at No. 8 again Saturday. Is that a permanent move? ``He helped us win the game there last night,'' manager Ned Yost said. ``So we'll see.'' Hardy's last two home runs have come against Houston's Jason Jennings - 35 games apart. Hardy's homer Friday ended a string of 139 at_bats without one. His previous homer came June 25 against Jennings in Milwaukee. ... The Brewers were trying to win a road series for the first time since June 15-17 at Minnesota. They hadn't taken a road series against a National League opponent since April 27-29 against the Astros. They entered 8-2 against Houston this season and appeared headed toward winning the season series for the first time since 1997.

HOUSTON: Rookie OF Hunter Pence took batting practice indoors for the second consecutive day as he continued his rehab from a right wrist sprain sustained July 23. Pence is scheduled to take BP on the field Monday before the Astros play at Los Angeles. ``I'm getting stronger every day,'' Pence said. ``My throwing is a lot better, too.'' The latter concerns the Astros the most. ``He was getting pain when he was trying to bend his wrist when he threw,'' manager Phil Garner said. ``But he's doing better on that, too.'' Pence is expected back later this month. ... Chad Qualls has struck out eight in his last three outings, a total of four innings, and hasn't allowed a run in his last 11 innings, dating to July 26. ``His arm angle on his delivery has been a little more on top,'' Garner said. ``It has helped his sinker sink better and his slider moves better.'' Qualls also has moved from his role in the seventh inning to the eighth since Dan Wheeler was traded. ``I take the eighth just like I take the ninth,'' Qualls said. ``Three outs are three outs.''

LOS ANGELES: RHP Derek Lowe said his lack of work the past two weeks contributed to the single and home run he gave up to the first two batters he faced in a 6-1 loss to St. Louis. Lowe injured his left hip while warming up for a relief appearance July 23 at Houston. He pitched four innings in a start two days later and five innings on Aug. 4 against Arizona. ``This is my second time pitching in 17 days. That has a lot to do with it. I'm used to kind of pitching every five days, so you're a little rusty,'' Lowe said. ... SS Rafael Furcal's two errors marked the 13th time he's committed multiple errors in a game and the first time since June 13, 2006, at San Diego. He's never had more than two errors in a game. ... Roberto Hernandez pitched the seventh inning and is three games shy of becoming the 12th pitcher with 1,000 appearances.

ST. LOUIS: RHP Braden Looper is 6-0 in afternoon starts this season. He lowered his NL-leading day ERA to 1.84. He gave up one run and four hits over six innings against the Dodgers. ... Cardinals starters have given up earned runs in two of their past 36 innings and have combined for a 2.76 ERA in their past 10 games. ... Manager Tony La Russa, who has held out Juan Encarnacion the past three games, said the outfielder will start on Sunday. ... La Russa gave left-handed hitting Rick Ankiel, who has started in Encarnacion's usual right field spot the past three games, a ``50-50'' shot at starting Sunday against LHP Mark Hendrickson. Ankiel homered twice Saturday.

CHICAGO: 3B Aramis Ramirez (sore right wrist) was not in the starting lineup. He has not played since Monday, and manager Lou Piniella said Ramirez's return is up to the player. ``When he's ready, we'll get him back in there. He'll make that decision,'' Piniella said. ... Piniella said RHP Ryan Dempster, the team leader in saves with 17, will be used in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings to get him more work. ``We'd like to get him back to where he was prior to the oblique problem. Sometimes in that closer's role you don't get work, and you need work,'' Piniella said.

COLORADO: 1B Todd Helton (back spasms) was out of the starting lineup for the second consecutive game. Garrett Atkins started at 1B and recently recalled Ian Stewart made his major league debut, starting at 3B. ... RHP Elmer Dessens pitched three scoreless innings for Triple-A Colorado Springs. Manager Clint Hurdle said Dessens could be an option as another starter or out of the bullpen. ... Hurdle has not announced who will take RHP Jason Hirsh's start Sunday against the Cubs. Hirsh broke his right leg when he was hit by a line drive against Milwaukee on Tuesday.

WASHINGTON: The 11 runs allowed by the Nationals on Friday night were the most by the team since a 13-0 loss at Atlanta on June 27. ... When Felipe Lopez, Ryan Zimmerman and Austin Kearns homered in the sixth inning Friday, it was the first three-homer inning for the franchise since Brad Wilkerson, Vladimir Guerrero and Cliff Floyd connected for the Montreal Expos on July 13, 2002. ... 1B Dmitri Young was out of the lineup for the third game in a row with a sore hamstring.

ARIZONA: CF Chris Young was batting .311 in the leadoff spot. ... 1B Conor Jackson's two-homer game Friday was the third of his young career. ... The Diamondbacks were 41-18 when scoring first. ... Arizona was 19-6 against the NL East. ... The Diamondbacks' 66 victories were the most in the NL. The New York Mets began the night with 64 wins. ... Despite being 15 games over .500, Arizona had been outscored by 21 runs.

PITTSBURGH: After watching former Pirate Rajai Davis have a big day against his club, manager Jim Tracy expressed his admiration for the young outfielder. ``He's obviously lightning quick,'' Tracy said after Davis scored four runs, singled, doubled and tripled Friday. ``He has the capability of being a legitimate top-of-the-order-type guy. If you add up all the games he's played in the major leagues it's not a ton, but he's a good kid, a very coachable kid.'' ... LHP Zach Duke has thrown a pair of bullpen sessions and reported no setbacks as he recovers from left shoulder tendinitis. There is no timetable for his return. ... OF Xavier Nady (left hamstring strain) came out of his at-bat on Friday night in good shape. ``He said he feels a little better than he did yesterday,'' Tracy said. ... LHP Damaso Marte allowed his first hit to a lefty in 33 at_bats on Ryan Klesko's bloop double that LF Jason Bay lost in the sun in the eighth inning.

SAN FRANCISCO: LHP Noah Lowry came out of his Friday throwing session well and will start the second game of Monday's makeup doubleheader at Pittsburgh. ``I feel good and I bounced back today after that bullpen,'' Lowry said. ``I'll continue to move forward and get back into action.'' ... CF Dave Roberts is still nursing a bruised right knee after a collision at the plate Thursday. He was available off the bench again and drew a bases-loaded walk in the seventh. He is hoping to be ready to return to the starting lineup for one of the games in the doubleheader at Pittsburgh. After Roberts had a pinch-hit infield single Friday night in the ninth inning, manager Bruce Bochy lifted him for pinch-runner Lowry - marking the first time in the speedy Roberts' life he'd been replaced on the bases at first. ``Lowry is better and faster,'' Bochy joked before the game, then subbed in Lowry at first for Roberts again. ... RHP Russ Ortiz came out of his start Friday with no problems and is on track to take his next turn Wednesday at Atlanta. He was activated Friday from the disabled list after recovering from a right forearm strain that shelved him for two months.

Reds activate OF Hamilton
August 12th, 2007

Cincinnati, OH (Sports Network) - The Cincinnati Reds reinstated outfielder Josh Hamilton from the 15-day disabled list Sunday.

Hamilton, the number one overall pick in the 1999 Major League Baseball Draft by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, was on the shelf since July 12 with a sprained right wrist.

Hamilton is batting .279 with 14 homers and 30 RBI in 63 games for the Reds this season, his first in the majors. His journey to the big leagues has been a long and arduous one, with a substance-abuse problem that led to multiple suspensions by MLB.

To make room for Hamilton on the roster, the Reds designated infielder Mark Bellhorn for assignment.

Cards place Kennedy on 15-day DL
August 12th, 2007

St. Louis, MO (Sports Network) - The St. Louis Cardinals placed infielder Adam Kennedy on the 15-day disabled list on Sunday with a torn medial meniscus in his right knee.

In 87 games this season, Kennedy is hitting just .219 with three home runs and 18 runs batted in.

To take Kennedy's spot on the roster, the Cardinals recalled infielder Brendan Ryan from Triple-A Memphis.