MLB News and Notes August - 20

Notes from Sunday's AL games
August 19, 2007

BALTIMORE: Kevin Millar drew a four-pitch walk in the ninth inning of Sunday's 3-2 loss and has reached base safely in his last 46 games. Ken Singleton set the Orioles' team record in 1977, reaching safely in 49 straight. ... OF Corey Patterson was held out of the starting lineup Sunday but came in to play defense in the tenth. Manager Dave Trembley said he'll try to give OF Nick Markakis a day off as the Orioles return home Monday to begin a 10-game homestand, their longest of the season. ... Baltimore is 27-20 against American League East opponents this season. The Orioles have not had a winning season against the AL East since 1997.

TORONTO: Aaron Hill's tenth-inning sacrifice fly gave the Blue Jays a 3-2 win over Baltimore on Sunday, Toronto's first walk-off victory since a 1-0 victory over Cleveland on July 8. ... Toronto has won 13 of its past 17 home games and seven of its past eight series at Rogers Centre. ... Starting Monday, Toronto players will wear a shoulder patch in memory of Sam Pollock, the former Montreal Canadiens and Blue Jays executive who died last Wednesday. Pollock was 81.

DETROIT: DH Gary Sheffield reached 20 stolen bases, becoming the fifth player in Tigers history to have 20 homers and 20 steals in a season - and the first since Damion Easley in 1997. It's the second time Sheffield has accomplished the feat. He also did it in 1998 with the Marlins and Dodgers. ... Hard-throwing reliever Joel Zumaya (finger) is expected to come off the disabled list before Tuesday night's game against Cleveland. Zumaya went on the DL on May 3. ... All-Star 2B Placido Polanco (flu) missed his sixth straight game as he tries to regain his strength. The Tigers hope to have him back Tuesday. ... Sheffield finished 3-for-15 in his return to Yankee Stadium, where he was booed loudly all weekend. All three hits came Saturday against Roger Clemens.

NEW YORK: The Yankees avoided using reliever Luis Vizcaino, as they hoped. Vizcaino's arm felt tired. ... New York is 29-11 in its past 40 home games. ... RHP Chien-Ming Wang has lasted six innings or more in 14 of his last 15 starts and 21 of 23 this season. ... First-round draft pick Andrew Brackman's contract calls for his $3.35 million bonus to be payable through Jan. 15, 2012, and for major league salaries of $380,000 this year, $425,000 next year, $450,000 in 2009 and $750,000 in 2010. His minor league salaries would be $300,000 annually. The Yankees have options for 2011 ($400,000 in minors, $1 million in majors), 2012 ($500,000 in minors and $1 million in majors) and 2013 ($600,000 in minors, $1.25 million in majors). The right-hander gets a $1 million bonus for each option that is exercised. Brackman can also earn performance and roster bonuses.

LOS ANGELES: Vladimir Guerrero broke out of a slump during the four-game series with Boston. He went 8-for-17 after going 3-for-23 in his six previous games. ... RHP Justin Speier worked in three of the four games of the series. He struck out the only batter he faced Sunday after allowing four runs in one inning on Saturday. ... The Angels went hitless in six of the nine innings. ... Chone Figgins singled leading off the game and has hit safely in 31 of his last 34 games.

BOSTON: C Kevin Cash went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts in his first game with the Red Sox. He was called up from Triple-A Pawtucket on Friday when Doug Mirabelli went on the disabled list because of a calf injury. ... With 38 games left, Mike Lowell has surpassed his RBI total of 80 from last season. He is tied for the team lead with Manny Ramirez with 82. ... RHP Tim Wakefield will start in Tampa Bay on Monday night after getting an extra day of rest. He is 8-0 in his career at Tampa Bay and is 18-2 overall against the Devil Rays, the most wins against them by any pitcher. ... Struggling reliever Eric Gagne struck out the side in the ninth.

CLEVELAND: Manager Eric Wedge doesn't believe that DH Travis Hafner's sore knee and hamstring will be a problem for the rest of the season. ``I don't think so,'' Wedge said. ``I think he'll separate from it.'' ... The Indians still expect Josh Barfield, who lost his starting spot at second base last week, to do big things in the future. ``I think he's got a long career ahead of him,'' Wedge said. ... Closer Joe Borowski has allowed seven earned runs in his last nine outings. Three of his five blown saves have come during the second half of the season.

TAMPA BAY: The Devil Rays will face Boston knuckleballer Tim Wakefield, who is 18-2 all-time against Tampa Bay, in the first game of a three-game series Monday. The 18 victories is the most by any Tampa Bay opponent. ``It's unfortunate they didn't pitch him (Sunday),'' Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon said with a smile. ... The Devil Rays scheduled starter Monday, LHP Scott Kazmir, is 5-5 with a 2.37 ERA in 14 starts against Boston. The 2.37 ERA is the lowest career ERA by a left-hander with 75 or more innings against Boston since 1957.

TEXAS: Texas starters have posted a 1.18 ERA in the last five games. ... The 1-0 loss Sunday, was the team's first since June 27, 2004, against Houston. ... RHP Edinson Volquez is scheduled to be called up to start Tuesday's game at Baltimore. Wednesday's starter is still to be announced. ... Manger Ron Washington said it is likely that either Kameron Lowe or John Rheinecker would be sent to the bullpen once Volquez arrives. ... The Rangers struck out 19 times Sunday, becoming the first team since 1950 to strike out at least that many times on three different occasions in a season. ... Ian Kinsler is 0-for-13 in his last three games. Gerald Laird in 7-for-46 in his last 12, including 15 strikeouts.

MINNESOTA: Johan Santana finished with a franchise-record 17 strikeouts in eight innings to lead the Twins past Texas 1-0 Sunday. Joe Nathan struck out two batters in the ninth. The team total of 19 is a new record, surpassing the 18 last done May 22 in Texas. Santana had 13 strikeouts that night. ... Minnesota has scored just four runs in its last five home games, yet is 3-2 in that span. ... SS Jason Bartlett missed his third straight game because of a strained hamstring. Manager Ron Gardenhire said Bartlett is expected to miss the next two or three days. ... Gardenhire said INF Brian Buscher, on the 15-day disabled list since Aug. 7 because of an infection in his right leg, is expected to come off the list as scheduled.

KANSAS CITY: LHP Jorge De La Rosa, on the disabled list since Aug. 1 because of an elbow strain, threw a bullpen session under the watchful eye of pitching coach Bob McClure. ... RHP John Thomson, who went on the disabled list July 16 with lower back spasms, was moved from Double-A Wichita to Triple-A Omaha for his next rehab outing. He is slated to start Tuesday. ... RHP Brandon Duckworth will start for Triple-A Omaha on Monday night. He went on the 15-day DL on June 14 due to a left rib cage strain and the Royals have hoped to add him to the rotation by the end of this month. ... DH Mike Sweeney, who had surgery July 5 on his right knee, will likely join those two injured teammates to begin his rehab assignment in the coming days. Sweeney was scheduled to travel with the team to Chicago first. ... OF Reggie Sanders, on the DL since Aug. 1 with an injured left hamstring, is expected to meet the club in Chicago.

OAKLAND: Shannon Stewart tripled for the first time since May 6 of last year while with Minnesota. ... A's DH Mike Piazza had the day off, and manager Bob Geren said he could wind up playing every day during the team's upcoming seven-game road trip to Toronto and Tampa Bay. That way, Geren can rest LF Stewart on the turf to help him avoid injury. ... RHP Esteban Loaiza threw a side session and is on schedule to start Wednesday at Toronto, which will be his first appearance of the year after a pair of injuries. ... OF Travis Buck, who injured his left hamstring during Friday's 9-2 loss to Kansas City, hoped to start testing his leg by doing some running Monday.

CHICAGO: The White Sox dropped their eighth straight game on Sunday, their first eight-game skid since May 15-23, 2001. They also lost their sixth straight at Safeco Field and went 0-7 on their road trip. ``This road trip shows us what kind of ball we've been playing all year long - really inconsistent,'' manager Ozzie Guillen said. ... Chicago signed veteran LHP Mike Myers on Sunday. Myers, who was designated for assignment by the Yankees earlier this month, will join the team in Chicago on Monday. ... 3B Josh Fields hit his 14th homer on Sunday and leads all AL rookies in home runs. Four of his homers have come against Seattle.

SEATTLE: DH Jose Vidro continued his impressive streak over the last month, going 2-for-4 on Sunday. Since the All-Star break, Vidro is leading the league hitting .409 and raising his average for the season to .320. ... Monday could be the last chance for LHP Horacio Ramirez to remain in the Mariners rotation. Ramirez has given up 24 earned runs in his last three starts. On the road he is 1-3 with a 13.50 ERA. ``The frustrating thing is I feel like I have good stuff,'' Ramirez said. ``I don't feel like I'm that far off.'' ... Seattle had 10-or-more hits for the third straight game on Sunday and has reached double figures in hits 65 times this season. They are 43-22 in those games.

Notes from Sunday's NL games
August 19, 2007

ST. LOUIS: C Yadier Molina started his sixth straight game Sunday. Molina missed most of June (left wrist fracture) but has started 37 of 45 games since returning from the DL on June 28. Despite the heavy work load, manager Tony La Russa doesn't plan on easing up. ``I know how much he's playing,'' La Russa said. ``But you take care of a guy in the first half so that you can play him a lot in the second half.'' ... OF Chris Duncan has struggled in August, batting .150 (6-for-40) with no home runs and one RBI, but the 6-foot-5 lefty might be close to turning the corner. ``He's starting to look better at the plate,'' La Russa said. ``I think he's got a couple things he's been working on and he's looking more like himself.'' Duncan is batting .271 with 20 homers and 60 RBIs on the season coming into Sunday. ... When he managed Sunday night against the Cubs, La Russa moved into a tie with Bucky Harris for third on the all-time games managed list at 4,408 games. La Russa has managed 1,901 games for the Cardinals.

CHICAGO: When Alfonso Soriano returns from the disabled list (quadriceps) he'll be back in the leadoff spot, despite the effectiveness of Ryan Theriot at the top of the order. In the 12 games he's hit leadoff since Soriano went out Aug. 6, Theriot is batting .340 with five doubles, 11 runs, five RBIs, three walks and two stolen bases. Soriano is expected to return early next month. ... OF Cliff Floyd was scheduled to be taken off the seven-day bereavement list and put on a restricted list until he returns to the team following the death of his father. Services were held Saturday. Manager Lou Piniella said he expects Floyd to rejoin the team for its upcoming road trip beginning Tuesday night in San Francisco. Floyd was at Wrigley Field on Sunday. ... Through 122 games the Cubs were 63-59 compared to 53-69 a year ago. At the same time last season, the Cubs were in fifth place and 12 games behind. ... Since being activated off the disabled list Aug. 3, Kerry Wood has made five appearances and pitched 5 2-3 innings.

CINCINNATI: The Reds beat the Brewers 7-6 on Sunday for their first winning road trip in more than a year. Cincinnati was 2-1 against both Milwaukee and Chicago in the six-game trip. The last time the Reds had a winning road trip was June 19-26, 2006, when they went 4-3. ``We're all going home happy,'' said manager Pete Mackanin. ... LHP Phil Dumatrait (0-1) will pitch Monday night when the Reds open a home series against Atlanta. ... Adam Dunn hit his 34th home run in the fourth inning. The 417-foot blast to straight-away center kept him four homers behind NL-leading Prince Fielder, who hit his 38th in the same game.

MILWAUKEE: LHP Chris Capuano started Sunday's loss to Milwaukee. He got a no-decision, but it was Capuano's 16th straight start that the club lost - a team record. He has six no-decisions and 10 losses. Manager Ned Yost isn't sure if Capuano will get another start. Capuano gave up five runs and a pair of homers on his 29th birthday. ... RHP Ben Sheets (10-4, 3.39 ERA) has been on the DL since July 16 (right middle finger). He will throw a simulated game in Arizona Monday. If Sheets feels good, he will probably make a minor-league rehabilitation start on Saturday in his comeback bid.

SAN FRANCISCO: LF Daniel Ortmeier, who started at Barry Bonds' usual position so the slugger could have a day off, responded with his fifth multi-hit game of the year. ... The Giants are 5-1 against the Marlins this year and have won nine of the last 11 season series with Florida. ... Miami native Vinnie Chulk, who got the win in relief Sunday, hasn't allowed an earned run in three appearances at Dolphin Stadium.

FLORIDA: C Miguel Olivo (strained groin) did some pregame running Sunday and should be in Monday's lineup. ... LF Josh Willingham had his 13th three-hit game of the year, three off SS Hanley Ramirez's team lead. ... LHP Dontrelle Willis, who logged six innings Sunday, has thrown 352 pitches in his last three starts and at least 106 pitches in five of his last six appearances. ... The Marlins are 19-45 when opponents score first, but lost for only the 12th time in 53 games when out-hitting opponents. San Francisco had nine hits to Florida's 10 on Sunday.

NEW YORK: The Mets placed INF Damion Easley on the 15-day DL with a sprained left ankle. INF Anderson Hernandez. was recalled from Triple-A New Orleans. Easley hurt his ankle while advancing to second on a wild pitch in the sixth inning of Saturday's game. He was batting .280 with 10 home runs and 26 RBIs. ... 1B Carlos Delgado sat out his fourth straight game with a hyperextended left knee. Manager Willie Randolph thinks he'll be fine for Tuesday's game with San Diego. ``He's feeling better. He's going to take advantage of the extra day.''

WASHINGTON: RHP Jesus Colome rejoined the Nationals after being reinstated from the 15-day DL. He was placed on the DL on June 25 with an infection in his right buttock. ``Another fresh arm,'' manager Manny Acta says of Colome. Acta is hoping to take pressure off Jon Rauch and Saul Rivera, who are first and second in the majors in appearances with 68 and 66. ... 2B Ronnie Belliard did not start and grounded out as a pinch hitter to end the game. He's mired in a 4-for-39 slump (.103). ``When you're hot, you're hot. When you're not, you're not. They're just not falling for base hits,'' Belliard said. ... Austin Kearns played his first game of the season in center field. Wily Mo Pena, who was acquired from Boston on Friday, played right field after playing left field on Saturday. He hit his first home run for the Nationals.

PHILADELPHIA: The Phillies are off Monday after going 3-3 at Washington and Pittsburgh, losing the final two games in PNC Park after leading by four runs in each. They won their first four games against the Pirates this season before losing those final two. Upcoming is a 10-game homestand against the Dodgers, Padres and Mets. Aaron Rowand said, ``We'll go home, recharge the battery a little bit and come back out again on Tuesday.'' ... RHP Yoel Hernandez was brought up from Triple-A Ottawa to replace LHP Mike Zagurski, who was placed on the 15-day DL with a strained right hamstring. Hernandez gave up a run in the eighth inning. ... The Phillies are hoping the day off benefits a slumping Ryan Howard, who was 0-for-3 Sunday and is 3-for-24 with no homers in his last six games. Howard has 33 homers but only one in 11 games.

PITTSBURGH: LHP John Grabow (elbow tightness) was held out Sunday. ... C Carlos Maldonado made his first start since being brought up from Triple-A Indianapolis last week, going 0-for-1 with a walk. He was 2-for-19 with the Pirates last season. ... RHP Matt Morris, winless with a 6.87 ERA in his first three starts with the Pirates, pitches Monday night against Colorado. ... RF Xavier Nady started again Sunday, even though he was out for 2 1/2 weeks with a sore hamstring before returning to the lineup Saturday night. Nady had two more hits Sunday after having two hits and scoring three times Saturday.

COLORADO: Manager Clint Hurdle had planned on having his team take batting practice before a day game for only the second time this season. But that idea was scrapped after Saturday night's 14-inning victory - a game that ended at 12:16 a.m. local time. Most of the players returned to the ballpark 11 hours later, an hour after Hurdle and his coaches did. ... Cory Sullivan had a 17-pitch at-bat against All-Star Brad Penny, fouling off 12 in a row before flying out to left field. His next time up, he flied out to left on the first pitch. ... LHP Jeff Francis, who allowed two runs and six hits in a no-decision against the Dodgers, has allowed only one home run in 51 career innings against them - a solo shot by pitcher Jason Schmidt on April 9 at Los Angeles.

LOS ANGELES: RHP Brad Penny, going on three days' rest between starts for the first time in his eight-year career, allowed a run and two hits over five innings in a no-decision against Colorado and lowered his ERA to 2.59 - fourth-best in the majors behind Chris Young, Jake Peavy and Dan Haren. ... The Dodgers started five players who played all 14 innings of Saturday night's 7-4 loss to Colorado - including C Russell Martin, who has caught all 26 of Penny's starts this season and 52 of 53 since Martin's promotion from Triple-A Las Vegas on May 5, 2006. ... 3B Shea Hillenbrand, coming off his first four-hit game for the Dodgers, batted in the cleanup spot for the first time since July 2, 2006, with Toronto. He was 0-for-4. ... Matt Kemp drove in the first run in the Dodgers' victory, which made them 44-11 when they've scored first - the best percentage in baseball.

ARIZONA: RHP Yusmeiro Petit made his shortest start of the season, lasting only 3 2-3 innings while giving up three homers and six runs. ... Chris Young stole home on a delayed double steal in the third. ... LF Jeff Salazar made his second straight start, this time allowing Eric Byrnes to have a rare off day. Salazar was 1-for-4 with a double. ... Relievers Juan Cruz, Edgar Gonzalez, Doug Slaten and Tony Pena combined for 4 1-3 scoreless innings. ... Dave Edwards, the team's assistant athletic trainer, was admitted to an Atlanta hospital with an infection in his right knee. He remained in the hospital Saturday night while being given antibiotics intravenously.

ATLANTA: The Braves' first seven hits were for extra bases. The team's first single, by Brian McCann, came in the fifth, following three homers, three doubles and a triple. ... LF Willie Harris hit his seventh triple. ... 1B Mark Teixeira has hit seven homers, including two Sunday, in his first 17 games with the Braves. ... RHP John Smoltz beat Arizona for the first time since June 18, 1999.

HOUSTON: Roy Oswalt said it's possible he'll miss his next scheduled start because of a strained left oblique sustained in Saturday night's game. Asked how it felt Sunday, Oswalt said ``not great.'' Oswalt said he'll know more after throwing on flat ground, probably on Monday after the team returns to Houston. ... Carlos Lee (strained right hip flexor) missed his first start of the season. He pinch-hit in the ninth and popped out.

SAN DIEGO: Brian Giles went 3-for-4 on Sunday against Houston, his fourth straight multihit game and the seventh in his last nine games. He's gotten at least one hit in 10 of his last 11 games. ... Greg Maddux earned his 342nd win, tying him with Tim Keefe for ninth on the career list. ... Adrian Gonzalez hit his 20th homer, making him the 12th Padres player to have multiple 20-homer seasons. He had 24 last year. It's the 57th time a Padres player has hit 20 in a season.

Baseball Today - August 20
ASSOCIATED PRESS

SCOREBOARD Monday, Aug. 20

N.Y. Yankees at L.A. Angels (10:05 p.m. EDT) Phil Hughes looks to win his third straight decision.

STARS Sunday

-Johan Santana, Twins, finished with a franchise-record 17 strikeouts in eight innings to help Minnesota edge Texas 1-0.

-Mark Teixeira, Braves, drove in four runs with two homers to help Atlanta top Arizona 6-2.

-Aaron Hill, Blue Jays, hit a sacrifice fly in the 10th inning to lift Toronto over Baltimore 3-2.

-Joel Guzman, Devil Rays, hit a game-winning RBI single in his first at-bat with Tampa Bay, sending the Devil Rays past Cleveland 4-3 in 12 innings.

-Carlos Beltran, Mets, homered twice and drove in four runs to help the New York Mets finish a three-game sweep of Washington with an 8-2 win.

SANTANA SPOT-ON

Johan Santana finished with a franchise-record 17 strikeouts in eight innings to lead Minnesota past Texas 1-0 on Sunday. Santana's 17 strikeouts were the most in the majors since Ben Sheets fanned 18 for Milwaukee on May 16, 2004, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. He broke the Minnesota record of 15, accomplished four times - the last by Bert Blyleven on Aug. 1, 1986. Joe Nathan struck out two in the ninth and the Twins finished with 19 strikeouts for the game, also a team record.

SMOLTZ

John Smoltz struck out a season-high 12 and became the Braves' strikeout leader as Atlanta beat Arizona 6-2 on Sunday. Smoltz, 40, passed Phil Niekro as the Braves' franchise strikeout leader. He gave up five hits, three walks and two runs in eight innings to win for only the second time since June.

SLUMP

Cincinnati edged Milwaukee 7-6 on Sunday to hand the Brewers their 16th consecutive loss in games started by Chris Capuano. Manager Ned Yost had threatened to pull him from the rotation unless he pitched better against the Reds, and the left-hander went 6 1-3 innings, giving up five runs and nine hits with a walk and eight strikeouts. The last time the Brewers won when Capuano pitched was May 7 in a 3-0 win over Washington. ... Chicago lost its eighth straight, 11-5 at Seattle. The White Sox have lost eight straight for the first time since May 15-23, 2001, and went winless on a road trip of more than six games for the first time since the 1991 season.

STREAKS

Lenny DiNardo worked a career-long eight innings to win his third straight start and fifth consecutive decision in Oakland's 6-1 victory over Kansas City on Sunday. The left-hander hasn't lost since July 13.

WASHED OUT

Sunday night's game between the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs was postponed following a 1-hour, 48-minute rain delay in the bottom of the third inning. A makeup date was not immediately announced.

SPEAKING

''I said 'Groove? You're completely unhittable. Nobody stands a chance.''' - Atlanta's Bobby Cox after John Smoltz told his manger he was in a groove. Smoltz struck out a franchise record 12 in a 6-2 win over Arizona on Sunday.

Phillies call up Yoel Hernandez to replace injured Mike Zagurski
By ASSOCIATED PRESS

PITTSBURGH -- The Philadelphia Phillies recalled right-hander Yoel Hernandez from Triple-A Ottawa on Sunday to replace left-hander Mike Zagurski, who was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a strained right hamstring.

Zagurski (1-0, 5.91 ERA) was injured while trying to field a ground ball in the eighth inning of the Phillies' 11-6 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday night.

Hernandez was 1-3 with a 3.94 ERA, 16 strikeouts and 14 walks in 22 games at Ottawa. He had no record and a 5.02 ERA in 13 games with the Phillies earlier this season, striking out 13 and walking one in 14 1-3 innings.

Angels activate Kendrick; disable Aybar
August 20th, 2007

Anaheim, CA (Sports Network) - The Angels activated second baseman Howie Kendrick from the 15-day disabled list and placed infielder Erick Aybar on the 15-day DL with a strained left hamstring on Monday.

Kendrick, 24, was placed on the 15-day DL July 14 (retro to July 9) for a second time this season with a fracture in his left index finger. missing the club's last 35 games. He also missed 32 games during his first DL stint (April 18-May 22) with a middle finger fracture on his left hand.

With the Angels, Kendrick has hit safely in 22 of his last 26 games, batting .349 with 25 runs scored in his last 26 games. For the season, he is batting .297 (58/195) with four home runs and 18 RBI in 51 games for the Halos.

Aybar, 23, left Sunday's game at Boston in the sixth inning after diving to make a play at second base in the second inning. This marks the second DL stint for Aybar this season as underwent right wrist surgery to remove the hook of the hamate and was out of action from July 2 - August 5.

Mets acquire Conine from Reds
August 20th, 2007

Flushing, NY (Sports Network) - The New York Mets have acquired infielder/outfielder Jeff Conine from the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for minor leaguers Jose Castro and Sean Henry on Monday.

Conine hit .265 with six homers and 32 RBI in 80 games with the Reds this season. In 215 at-bats, he also had 11 doubles and scored 23 runs.

Conine, 41, will add depth to the Mets bench and can play both corner infield positions as well as the corner outfield spots. A bulk of his action this season came at first base.

A career .285 hitter with 214 homers and 1,066 RBI, Conine entered the league in 1990. In 120 career at-bats as a pinch-hitter, he has an average of .292 with three homers and 21 RBI.

Castro, a 20-year-old infielder, was hitting .318 with two homers and 25 RBI in 77 games at Single-A St. Lucie.

Henry, 22, had a .298 average with 11 homers and 57 RBI, serving as catcher for St. Lucie.

Athletics place OF Buck on DL
August 20th, 2007

Toronto, ON (Sports Network) - The Oakland Athletics place outfielder Travis Buck on the 15-day disabled list with a strained left hamstring. The move is retroactive to August 18.

Buck left the team's game against Kansas City last Friday in the sixth inning, when he tweaked the hamstring running the bases. Buck doubled to lead off the sixth but felt pain in his leg. Manager Bob Geren and a trainer escorted him off the field as pinch-runner Jeff DaVanon took over on the basepaths.

Buck finished the game 1-for-3 and is batting .288 with seven home runs, 34 runs batted in and a team-leading 22 doubles this season.

To replace Buck on the roster, the A's recalled infielder J.J. Furmaniak from Triple-A Sacramento.