Notes from Friday’s games

 

AMERICAN LEAGUE
Angels-Red Sox
LOS ANGELES: RHP Kelvim Escobar is expected to miss two starts with tendinitis in his right shoulder. Manager Mike Scioscia said Escobar experienced that when he was with Toronto, where he played from 1997 to 2003. … The Angels had just five errors in their first 10 games. “Last year the defense was a question mark and this year it’s an exclamation point,” Scioscia said. … RHP Jered Weaver is scheduled to start Monday’s finale of the four-game series and said he no longer feels discomfort in his forearm after a bout of tendinitis. He made his second rehabilitation start Wednesday, allowing two runs in 92 pitches over seven innings.
ay, the 60th anniversary of his major league debut with Brooklyn. They are David Ortiz, Coco Crisp and third base coach DeMarlo Hale. … Tim Wakefield, who made his 2007 debut at Fenway Park on Friday, is one of seven players with 13 continuous seasons with the Red Sox. Carl Yastrzemski’s 23 seasons are the most.
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White Sox-Indians
CHICAGO: Manager Ozzie Guillen has no problem with Saturday’s game being moved from 7:05 p.m. to 1:05 p.m because of concerns about possible snow and wintry weather. “I think it makes sense,” he said. “It’s going to be cold. It will help everyone.” … C Toby Hall (dislocated right shoulder) threw for the first time Friday since being injured in the final week of spring training. Hall is trying to rehab the shoulder instead of having season-ending surgery. “He’s made great progress, but I don’t want him to rush,” Guillen said. “Every time someone’s on the DL, you have a Plan B. If he comes back, it’s a luxury.”
. “Signing the national anthem at the Super Bowl without monitors, now that made me nervous.” Joel, who grew up on Long Island, N.Y., said he prefers sitting in the stands to being in a loge and away from the action. “You want to be with the maniacs,” he said.
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Royals-Orioles
KANSAS CITY: RHP Gil Meche, who left Thursday’s game after six innings with a tight right hamstring, did his running before Friday’s game and said he was fine. “It’s kind of a little bit sore, but no problem today,” said Meche, adding that his early exit was more a precaution than a requirement. “The max I would have gone was another inning, maybe another 15 pitches or so. Obviously, I’d have liked to have gone out. But looking back, it was probably the right decision.” … Manager Buddy Bell juggled the lineup Friday, loading up with right-handers against Baltimore LHP Erik Bedard. RF Reggie Sanders, LF Emil Brown and 1B Ryan Shealy all started and Esteban German moved to 3B after playing 1B Thursday. The shuffle enabled Bell to sit rookie 3B Alex Gordon, who was batting .093. Gordon was 2-for-14 in the first four games of the current road trip.
BALTIMORE: CF Corey Patterson will proudly wear No. 42 Sunday to honor Jackie Robinson. “I’m kind of surprised we’re having this day, but at the same time I’m glad,” he said. … 1B Aubrey Huff entered Friday’s game with a .220 batting average after going 0-for-5 with three strikeouts and stranding nine runners on Thursday. “He’s just anxious. He’s rushing to get to the ball, trying to pull everything now,” manager Sam Perlozzo said. Huff, however, hit a two-run double in his first at-bat Friday. … RHP Jeremy Guthrie will start in place of injured Jaret Wright (shoulder) Sunday if not used in long relief Friday, Perlozzo said.
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Tigers-Blue Jays
DETROIT: C Ivan Rodriguez returned to the lineup after a night off and batted third for the first time this season. Rodriguez is 10-21 with two career home runs against Toronto’s Roy Halladay. … Manager Jim Leyland said he was happy with the play of C Mike Rabelo, who played in Rodriguez’s place on Thursday. “He did a good job,” said Leyland. “He caught the ball extremely well.” … Leyland said RHP Joel Zumaya, who pitched two innings for his first save on Thursday, wouldn’t pitch Friday.
s at third base in Glaus’ absence.
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Devil Rays-Twins
TAMPA BAY: Manager Joe Maddon was pushing a positive attitude the day after Carl Crawford’s embarrassing baserunning mistake cost the Devil Rays a crucial opportunity in Thursday’s game. Crawford was running for a triple without looking up, but Ben Zobrist had stopped at third base. Both players were eventually tagged out in Minnesota’s 3-2 win. Maddon was especially pleased by Crawford’s accountability. “I hope as a group that we all take a lesson from him, especially the younger players,” Maddon said. … Lost a bit in the shuffle of Thursday’s wild finish was a strong start by LHP Casey Fossum, who went seven innings and allowed only two runs after a rough first outing. Fossum was consistently aggressive, one of the keys to his success. “He was in command from the first pitch last night,” Maddon said.
enhire said. … Unavailable for the last two games because of a sore shoulder, RHP Jesse Crain was ready to pitch Friday – giving Gardenhire a healthy seven-man bullpen for the first time this week.
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Yankees-Athletics
NEW YORK: RHP Carl Pavano was scratched from his scheduled start Saturday because of tightness in his forearm. Fellow New York starter Mike Mussina, meanwhile, is hopeful that his left hamstring will heal quickly enough to avoid a stint on the disabled list. “I think the next two days will probably tell us more than anything,” manager Joe Torre said. “By the time we get home we will probably make a decision.” Pavano was pushed back to Tuesday against the Cleveland Indians at Yankee Stadium as a precaution. He felt the problem in his throwing arm during his previous start Monday night and informed the Yankees afterward about it, then was told he’d be skipped upon arriving at the Oakland Coliseum on Friday. Right-hander Darrell Rasner will start Saturday in the middle game with the defending AL West champion Athletics. … Chien-Ming Wang is scheduled to pitch Saturday in an extended spring training game, his first action since injuring his right hamstring while running on March 23. … Another injured starter, Jeff Karstens, is slated to pitch for Class-A Tampa on Monday night. He has been sidelined since experiencing right elbow stiffness during a spring training start March 25.
OAKLAND: CF Milton Bradley sat out with a sore left hamstring and manager Bob Geren said it was “50-50” he would play Saturday night. “He strained it a little bit scoring the tying run Tuesday,” Geren said. Nick Swisher started in center for the second straight game and Todd Walker played 1B in Swisher’s usual spot. … The A’s will skip LHP Joe Kennedy’s turn next week around two off days, starting RHP Chad Gaudin on Tuesday. “We felt like it was a tough call,” Geren said. “Gaudin is throwing a bit better. We’re going to keep Kennedy as sharp as we can to pitch the 22nd or 24th.” Kennedy will be available out of the bullpen until the 22nd, when he might rejoin the rotation. … Injured RHP Esteban Loaiza, on the disabled list with tightness in his neck and shoulder blade area, saw orthopedist Dr. Robert Rovner but still isn’t ready to throw. … Injured 1B Dan Johnson (hip) did agility drills as part of his rehab.
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Rangers-Mariners
e. We’ve got to make sure we keep getting him some at bats to get him going.” … With starter Jamey Wright now on the disabled list with shoulder tightness, the Rangers will bring 2006 part-time starter Kameron Loe out of the bullpen to start on April 21 against Oakland. They don’t need Loe, who was 3-6 with a 5.86 ERA in 15 starts during an injury-plagued 2006, until then because they have a day off Monday. Washington said he hoped to get Loe an inning or two of relief work this weekend before moving him out of the bullpen.
opes of pitching later this season.
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NATIONAL LEAGUE
Reds-Cubs
CINCINNATI: SS Alex Gonzalez missed the Reds’ 6-5 win on Friday after being placed on the bereavement list Thursday. Gonzalez went back home to Venezuela to be with his family while his 7-month old son, Johan, is in the hospital. “Hopefully, Alex will be back shortly,” manager Jerry Narron said. “He just really wanted to get home and be with his wife and his family. Hopefully, their child’s going to be OK.” … INF Enrique Cruz was called up from Double-A Chattanooga to replace Gonzalez. Cruz played in 60 games in 2003 with Milwaukee and batted .085 with two RBIs in 71 at-bats. … OF Josh Hamilton, the first overall pick in 1999, made his first start at Wrigley Field and went 1-for-4 with two RBIs. Hamilton, who was taken in the Rule 5 draft by the Cubs and subsequently traded to the Reds for cash, is trying to resurrect a promising career sidetracked by a cocaine addiction. “God’s got a bigger purpose for all of this going on right now,” Hamilton said. “It’s not just about baseball. I hope to inspire people.”
uts, whatever. Just get some outs, I didn’t do it. Two at-bats, two walks. There is nothing more to say,” Ohman said. He had no problem with Piniella’s criticism. “What’s my job? Get people out. What is anybody’s job on the pitching staff? Get people out. I didn’t do it.” … After Ohman exited, the Cubs’ bullpen went on to retire 14 straight. … Derrek Lee has hit in all nine of the Cubs’ games. … The Cubs stole four bases, two by Ryan Theriot, who also had three hits and got the start at third base with Aramis Ramirez nursing a sore and swollen right wrist.
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Giants-Pirates
SAN FRANCISCO: Utilityman Mark Sweeney rejoined the club Friday from his rehabilitation assignment at the Giants’ extended spring training camp. INF Kevin Frandsen was optioned to Triple-A Fresno on Wednesday following the game against San Diego. … Barry Bonds will wear No. 42 in honor of Jackie Robinson on Sunday. … The Giants are wary of Sunday’s weather forecast in Pittsburgh that calls for rain early in the day followed by one to three inches of snow later. During the Giants’ only visit to PNC Park last season, a heavy rainstorm swamped both dugouts during the Pirates’ 2-1, 10-inning victory on July 30. The game was delayed for 2 hours, 5 minutes.
PITTSBURGH: The Pirates will retire Hall of Famer Paul Waner’s No. 11 on July 21 – or 80 years after he was the MVP of their 1927 NL championship team. Waner, who had 3,162 hits in his career, and brother Lloyd Waner were the stars of that team. … Not long after manager Jim Tracy said he planned to start left-hander Zach Duke every fifth day whenever possible, Duke gave up five innings in the first inning against the Giants. … The Pirates wore their new alternate jerseys – red sleeveless tops with gold and black trim – for the first time Friday night. Red and blue were the Pirates’ primary colors until 1948, when they switched to black and gold. Red was reincorporated into the organization’s color scheme for the 1994 All-Star game at Three Rivers Stadium and temporarily returned to their uniforms as part of the cap in 1997, but was never used before as a jersey color.
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Astros-Phillies
HOUSTON: RHP Jason Jennings will miss a start Saturday because of tendinitis in his right elbow. Jennings (0-1, 3.00) flew back to Houston for an MRI exam. Woody Williams and Wandy Rodriguez will move up a day and pitch the weekend games. The Astros haven’t chosen a starter for Monday against Florida. Chris Sampson will stay on schedule and pitch Tuesday. … The Astros entered this season with the best winning percentage (.889) of any visiting team at Citizens Bank Park.
PHILADELPHIA: RHP J.D. Durbin was claimed off waivers from Boston. Durbin didn’t pitch for the Red Sox after being claimed off waivers from Arizona on Monday. In one appearance with the Diamondbacks, Durbin allowed seven runs and seven hits in two-thirds of an inning. He was released by Minnesota last month before signing with Arizona. … Cole Hamels, who left with a lead only to get a no-decision in his first two starts, seeks his first win Saturday. Hamels has a 1.38 ERA. … LF Pat Burrell didn’t start against Roy Oswalt. He was 0-for-9 with three strikeouts against the right-hander. Jayson Werth took Burrell’s spot in the lineup.
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Nationals-Mets
WASHINGTON: The Nationals were the first major league team from 1900 on not to score in the first three innings of any of their first 10 games, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The most previously had been the 1931 Cincinnati Reds, who went scoreless in the first three innings of their first eight, and the 1962 Milwaukee Braves and the 1963 Philadelphia Phillies at seven each. Washington ended the streak Friday, scoring twice in the second inning on Brian Schneider’s run-scoring double-play grounder and Chris Snelling’s RBI single.
” Randolph said. … RHP Juan Padilla had surgery to repair a partial tear of the flexor tendon in his right elbow. He could miss the rest of the season. … Several Mets paused in the clubhouse to watch a live transmission of Cubs manager Lou Piniella’s angry postgame comments after Chicago wasted a five-run lead in a 6-5 loss to Cincinnati.
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Marlins-Braves
FLORIDA: LHP Taylor Tankersley was activated from the 15-day DL. He replaces RHP Lee Gardner, who was optioned to Triple-A Albuquerque on Wednesday. … Aaron Boone started at first base, his first start of the season. “We just need to get him some at-bats,” manager Fredi Gonzalez said. Boone is 3-for-5 as a pinch hitter this season. … Rookie OF Alejandro De Aza did not start Friday night because of an ankle injury and is listed as day-to-day. He has a hit in each of the first eight games for the Marlins. … The Marlins have made only two errors (both April 6 vs. Philadelphia) in the first eight games.
rding to the Elias Sports Bureau, the last major league pitcher to walk three batters in three consecutive appearances (with none of the appearances longer than 1 1-3 innings), was Milwaukee’s Rob Dibble in May 1995.
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Rockies-Diamondbacks
COLORADO: CF Willy Taveras was out of the lineup against Arizona Friday night. Taveras came into the series hitting .148 with 10 strikeouts in 27 at-bats, but manager Clint Hurdle said it’s too early to re-evaluate him as a leadoff hitter. He said Taveras would play Saturday and Sunday at Arizona. … RHP Aaron Cook faces Arizona on Saturday night. He’s 3-3 with a 5.17 career ERA against the Diamondbacks, and 1-1 with a 6.46 ERA in hitter-friendly Chase Field. … RHP Brian Lawrence, returning from shoulder surgery that sidelined him for the 2006 season, gave up 10 runs and 12 hits in a rehabilitation outing for Triple-A Colorado Springs on Tuesday.
e series against the Los Angeles Dodgers Monday, manager Bob Melvin said. … Friday night’s game against Colorado was the first of 19 straight against NL West rivals.
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Padres-Dodgers
SAN DIEGO: Greg Maddux, who notched his 334th career victory on Wednesday, turns 41 years old Saturday. Of the 22 pitchers with at least 300 wins, the oldest to record a victory was knuckleballer Phil Niekro, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Niekro got his 318th and final win 110 days after his 48th birthday. … The Padres played at Dodger Stadium for the first time since Sept. 18, when Jeff Kent, J.D. Drew, Russell Martin and Marlon Anderson hit consecutive homers in the ninth for Los Angeles to tie the game and Nomar Garciaparra won it in the bottom of the 10th with a two-run shot off current teammate Rudy Seanez. That victory temporarily put the Dodgers ahead of San Diego for the NL West lead, but the Padres finished tied with them for first place at the end of the regular season (88-74) and captured their second consecutive division title by virtue of a 13-5 edge in the season series. The Dodgers ended up with the wild card, and both lost in the division series.
on Repko. RHP Chin-hui Tsao was optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas to make room for Furcal on the 25-man roster. … CF Juan Pierre, a regular leadoff hitter with the Colorado Rockies who signed with the Dodgers in November as a free agent, started the first nine games in the leadoff spot during Furcal’s absence and was 8-for-38 with one RBI and three stolen bases. He was moved into the two hole in manager Grady Little’s lineup when Furcal returned to the roster. “Wherever Grady wants me to hit in the lineup, I’m OK with it,” Pierre added. “As long as I’m in the lineup, I’m happy. So it’s not a big deal. I never thought anything of it.”