Baseball Today - May 10
Thu, May 10, 2007
By Associated Press
Boston at Toronto (7:07 p.m. EDT). Knuckleballer Tim Wakefield looks to lower his 2.11 ERA for the Red Sox.
STARS Wednesday
-Aubrey Huff, Orioles, hit a walkoff homer in the 10th inning and Baltimore beat Tampa Bay 1-0.
-Jason Marquis, Cubs, threw a three-hitter, retiring the first 16 batters he faced, and Chicago edged Pittsburgh 1-0.
-Ryan Howard, Phillies, hit a pinch-hit grand slam to lead Philadelphia past Arizona 9-3.
-Cha Seung Baek, Tigers, pitched a six-hitter to lead Detroit to a 9-2 victory over Seattle.
-Geoff Jenkins, Brewers, homered and singled in the go-ahead run in the eighth in a 3-1 victory over Washington.
SWEET 16
Jason Marquis retired the first 16 batters he faced before finishing with a three-hitter Wednesday night, winning his fifth straight start and sending the Chicago Cubs to a 1-0 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Marquis (5-1) walked none and struck out five in his second career shutout and fourth complete game.
OLDSTERS
In the Phillies' 9-3 win over the Diamondbacks on Wednesday night, Jamie Moyer (4-2) won a matchup of the oldest lefties in history - the 44-year-old Moyer against 43-year-old Randy Johnson. At a combined 88 years and 48 days, the two broke a record set April 24 for oldest lefties when Johnson faced San Diego's David Wells. Johnson and Wells were a combined 87 years and 300 days.
STREAKS
Torii Hunter extended his hitting streak to 23 games with an infield single in Minnesota's 6-3 loss Wednesday night to Chicago. Hunter's streak is tied for the fourth-longest in team history. ... Alfonso Soriano's leadoff homer in the Cubs' 1-0 victory over the Pirates extended his hitting streak to 17 games. ... Lance Berkman homered for the third game in a row in a 3-2 win over Cincinnati.
SNAPPED
Seattle snapped Detroit's eight-game winning streak with a 9-2 victory Wednesday night. ... J.J. Hardy's 19-game hitting streak ended in Milwaukee's 3-1 win over Washington.
SLUMPING
The Nationals have dropped eight straight after a 3-1 loss to Milwaukee on Wednesday, their longest skid since moving to Washington. ... The Reds fell into last place in the NL Central with their seventh loss in eight games following a 3-2 loss to Houston. ... Boston defeated Toronto 9-2 to hand the Blue Jays their eighth straight loss.
SPEAKING
''I may have been the old Randy for six innings. Then I just got old.'' - Arizona lefty Randy Johnson, on pitching six scoreless innings before being removed in the seventh inning of a 9-3 loss to Philadelphia. The 43-year-old Johnson combined with 44-year-old Jamie Moyer to break the record set April 24 of the oldest lefties to square off in history when Johnson faced San Diego''s David Wells.
LHP Milton goes on DL with sore elbow
Wed, May 9, 2007
By Associated Press
CINCINNATI -- Left-hander Eric Milton went on the 15-day disabled list with an inflamed elbow Wednesday, the second year in a row that the Cincinnati Reds starter has been hampered by elbow problems.
Milton told the team about his sore elbow after he pitched 5 1-3 innings in a 7-6 loss to the Houston Astros on Tuesday night. A medical test on Wednesday detected inflammation.
The Reds reinstated right-handed reliever Jared Burton off the disabled list to take his spot. Burton has been sidelined since April 8 with a strained hamstring. The move leaves the Reds with eight relievers for now.
General manager Wayne Krivsky said the Reds would wait until the weekend to decide who will start in Milton's spot on Sunday in Los Angeles. Several starters are pitching well at Triple-A Louisville.
The Reds had hoped the 31-year-old Milton would finally put together a solid season in his last year under contract. Former general manager Dan O'Brien signed him to a three-year, $25.5 million deal before the 2005 season.
Milton is 0-4 with a 5.17 ERA in six starts this season. In his three years with Cincinnati, the left-hander is 16-27.
Milton had season-ending surgery to clean out the left elbow last Sept. 22. He had given no indication of a problem until after the game Tuesday.
''His velocity looked the same to me,'' Krivsky said. ''He just went in after the game and complained that it hurt a little bit. We'll probably shut him down for seven to 10 days.''
Milton opened the season on the disabled list after having back spasms before his final scheduled start of spring training. When he came off the DL, manager Jerry Narron demoted him to the fifth spot in the rotation.
Narron has seen improvement in Milton this season - only four homers allowed in six starts. The home run has been Milton's biggest problem the last two seasons. He gave up an NL-leading 40 homers in 2005.
''I think he has actually pitched better than he has the last two years,'' Narron said. ''He's really worked on sinking the ball, changing speeds and keeping the ball down.
''I also know he has not gotten the complete results he has wanted. I'm not trying to make it sound like he's 6-0. He's not. But he's pitching better than he has in the past.''
Louisville's Bobby Livingston would be on schedule to start Sunday. The left-hander allowed five runs in 6 1-3 innings for Louisville on Tuesday night, leaving him 0-3 with a 3.22 ERA.
Livingston was in the competition for the final spot in the rotation until the Reds made their final roster moves in spring training.
Right-hander Homer Bailey, the franchise's top draft pick in June 2004, is 3-1 with a 1.83 ERA in six starts for Louisville. Although Krivsky didn't rule out a promotion, he noted that Bailey's pitching schedule wouldn't coincide with Sunday's opening.
''He just turned 21,'' Krivsky said. ''He's still learning.''
Royals' Hudson to start on Thursday
May 9th, 2007
Kansas City, MO (Sports Network) - The Kansas City Royals will get two of their pitchers back in the next couple of days as Luke Hudson and Scott Elarton are both expected to come off the disabled list.
Hudson, who has been suffering from shoulder stiffness since spring training, is expected to start Thursday's game against Oakland.
He made four rehab starts with Triple-A Omaha and Double-A Wichita, going 0-2 with a 4.41 earned-run average in 16 1/3 innings.
Brian Bannister, who was supposed to start on Thursday, will be optioned to Omaha.
Elarton had shoulder surgery last August and in five rehab starts he went 2-3 with a 4.78 ERA. He is coming back ahead of schedule and is expected to start Saturday in Chicago.
The Royals will make another roster move on Saturday to make room for Elarton.
Marlins 1B Mike Jacobs is not expected to start.
Dodgers LF Luis Gonzalez and 1B Nomar Garciaparra are not expected to start.
B.J. Ryan done for season
May 10th, 2007
Toronto, ON (Sports Network) - Toronto Blue Jays closer B.J. Ryan will be lost for the remainder of the season after undergoing surgery on Thursday to repair the ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow.
Ryan has been sidelined since April 14 because of pain in the elbow. He had also complained of soreness in the elbow back in spring training, but it was recommended at that time that he rest and rehab it for a couple of weeks.
The 31-year-old hurler was apparently pain free at the beginning of the season, but recorded two blown saves in just five opportunities. Last year, the left-hander only had four blown saves in 42 chances.
Dr. James Andrews in consultation with Dr. Timothy Kremchek, who performed the operation, agreed the best course of action was four weeks of rest. Ryan was tested after the third week, but the pain was still there, making the procedure known as Tommy John surgery necessary.
Ryan, who should be ready for spring training next season, was 0-2 with three saves and a 12.46 earned run average this season after saving 38 games a year ago with a 1.37 ERA in the first year of a five-year, $47 million contract.
A 17th-round selection by the Cincinnati Reds in the 1999 draft, Ryan has compiled an 18-23 record with a 3.28 ERA and 83 saves in 475 appearances. He has also pitched for the Orioles.
Setup man Jason Frasor is expected to continue in the closer role the remainder of the season.