Rangers' Blalock to have surgery
May 18th, 2007
Houston, TX (Sports Network) - Rangers third baseman Hank Blalock is scheduled to undergo surgery on his right shoulder on Monday and is expected to be sidelined 10-12 weeks.
Blalock is suffering from Thoracic Outlet Syndrome, which has been causing him pain in his right arm. He was examined by Dr. Keith Meister in Dallas on Friday and it was determined he would need surgery.
Blalock has appeared in 39 games this season and is hitting .285 with five home runs and 16 RBI.
To take Blalock's place on the roster, Texas recalled third baseman Travis Metcalf from Double-A Frisco.
Metcalf is hitting .294 with six home runs and 25 RBIs at Frisco.
Nationals place Bergmann on DL
May 18th, 2007
Viera, FL (Sports Network) - The Washington Nationals placed right-handed pitcher Jason Bergmann on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to May 15, with right elbow inflammation.
Bergmann, who is expected to miss two starts, is 1-3 with a 2.76 ERA. He owns a career record of 3-5 with a 4.66 ERA in 52 games, including 15 starts.
Washington also transferred right-handed pitcher Luis Ayala from the 15- to the 60-day disabled list. Tomorrow, the Nationals are expected to select the contract of left-handed pitcher Mike Bacsik from Triple-A Columbus.
Bacsik has gone 1-3 with a 4.00 ERA in nine games (five starts) for the Clippers this season. Bacsik, who last pitched in the big leagues in 2004, is 5-5 with a 5.88 ERA in 22 career games (15 starts) with Cleveland (2001), the New York Mets (2002-03) and Texas (2004).
Yankees: Giambi loses DH this weekend
Joe Torre doesn't expect Jason Giambi to play first base at Shea Stadium at least until Sunday night and probably not at all unless the new orthotics for his left heel deliver quick relief from a bone spur, according to the New York Post.
Crain out for season with shoulder injury
Fri, May 18, 2007
By Associated Press
MILWAUKEE -- Minnesota Twins reliever Jesse Crain will miss the rest of the season with a right shoulder injury.
Crain was examined by team doctors Thursday, one day after he allowed six unearned runs in a 15-7 loss in Cleveland. A follow-up exam by a specialist in New York on Friday confirmed that Crain has a torn labrum and rotator cuff, leaving him unavailable for at least eight months.
New York Mets team orthopedist Dr. David Altcheck recommended that the 25-year-old Crain undergo surgery.
Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said the exam confirmed the team's diagnosis.
Crain was 1-2 with a 5.51 ERA in 18 appearances this season. In 2006, he went 4-5 with a 3.25 ERA in 68 outings.
A team spokesman said Crain will take a couple of days to consider his options before making a decision about surgery.
Baseball Today - May 19
Sat, May 19, 2007
By Associated Press
Kansas City at Colorado (8:05 p.m. EDT).
Gil Meche looks to lower his 1.91 ERA for the Royals.
STARS
Friday
-Grady Sizemore, Indians, had four hits, including a two-run homer, and Cleveland beat Cincinnati 9-4.
-Boof Bonser, Twins, struck out a career-high 11 while giving up one run in seven innings in Minnesota''s 8-1 victory over Milwaukee.
-Andrew Miller, Tigers, pitched six scoreless innings in his first major league start and Detroit defeated St. Louis 14-4.
-Brian Roberts, Orioles, tied a career high with four hits in Baltimore''s 5-4 win over Washington.
-Emil Brown, Royals, hit a three-run homer to lift Kansas City over Colorado 5-2.
CHANGING OF THE GUARD?
The nine-time defending AL East champion Yankees fell 10 games behind division-leading Boston after a 3-2 loss to the crosstown-rival Mets on Friday night. The Yankees had not been double digits back in the AL East since before Joe Torre was their manager, when they trailed the Red Sox by 10 games after play on Sept. 22, 1995, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The Mets entered the series with a record 7 1/2 games better than that of the Yankees - before this year, the biggest margin the Mets had held was 3 1/2 games in July 2000, according to Elias.
PROUD NEW PAPA
Brandon Duckworth is on top of the world. First he witnessed his daughter''s birth and then he returned to the Royals and picked up his first win in almost a year. Duckworth pitched 1 2-3 scoreless innings and also had a single in Kansas City''s 5-2 win over Colorado on Friday night. Duckworth was given the scorecard after the game and said he plans to hang it up in the nursery of Sophia Duckworth, who was born Wednesday morning.
WITH THE SACKS FULL
Mark Ellis hit his second career grand slam in the Giants'' 15-3 victory over the Athletics on Friday night. ... Torii Hunter hit his second grand slam of the season in Minnesota''s 8-1 victory over Milwaukee.
MEMORY LANE
Colorado''s interleague meeting with Kansas City brought back good memories for a pair of former Royals currently residing in the Rockies'' dugout. Manager Clint Hurdle was a first-round draft pick of the Royals in 1975. In addition, the Royals selected current Colorado bench coach Jamie Quirk with a first-round pick in 1972. He spent 11 seasons with Kansas City. The Royals defeated the Rockies 5-2.
STREAKS
Brandon Phillips extended his career-best hitting streak to 20 games in Cincinnati''s 9-4 loss to Cleveland on Friday. The Indians have won eight in a row at home following the win. ... Randy Winn extended his hitting streak to 17 games in San Francisco''s 15-3 loss to Oakland. ... Jorge Posada extended his hitting streak to 13 games in the Yankees'' 3-2 loss to the Mets.
SNAPPED
Baltimore snapped a five-game losing streak by beating Washington 5-4 on Friday.
FUTILITY
The eight runs for the Padres in an 8-1 win over the Mariners Friday night were an offensive eruption. San Diego is 11th in the National League in runs scored and scored three runs or less nine times this month.
MAJOR ROUT
Lake Elsinore - the San Diego Padres'' minor league affiliate - put on a record-setting performance, beating Lancaster, Boston''s farm team, 30-0 Friday night in the Class-A California League. Lake Elsinore posted the most-lopsided victory ever against Lancaster. The Storm came close to the league mark for runs, set by Fresno with 34 in 1947.
SPEAKING
''I really didn''t want to go, but the ball was hit pretty well. My legs felt like Jell-O for two innings after that.'''' - Twins third baseman Jeff Cirillo, after hitting his first triple of the season in the Twins'' 8-1 victory over Milwaukee on Friday night. Cirillo, who played for the Brewers the past two seasons, also hit a two-run homer and had three RBIs in his first trip back to Miller Park.
Twins recall RHP Baker for spot start
May 18, 2007
MILWAUKEE (TICKER) -- The Minnesota Twins recalled righthander Scott Baker from Class AAA Rochester after Friday's 8-1 win over the Milwaukee Brewers.
Baker will make a spot start on Saturday in place of Sidney Ponson, who was released Sunday.
Baker is 3-2 with a 3.16 ERA with 41 strikeouts and just four walks in 42 1/3 innings for Rochester this season. The 25-year-old has gone 8-11 with a 5.19 ERA in 25 career starts for the Twins.
In a corresponding move, Minnesota optioned utilityman Garrett Jones to Rochester. Jones, who was recalled Tuesday, hit just .125 (1-for-8) in four games with the Twins.
Brewers 2B Rickie Weeks (wrist) is doubtful
A's RF Milton Bradley (hamstring) has been downgraded to doubtful for tonight's
game.