AMERICAN LEAGUE
Red Sox-Yankees
BOSTON: CF Coco Crisp returned to the lineup after missing five starts with abdominal tightness. “I told him last night I would call him today. I wanted to check with him,” Red Sox manager Terry Francona said. “He said he feels great. If he has any apprehension, we’ll get him out of there.” … Wily Mo Pena, who hit a grand slam in Thursday’s 5-2 win at Baltimore, didn’t start. “It’s a big outfield and when you have Dice-K pitching, you need defense,” Francona said. … Boston’s 14-7 start was the best for the Red Sox since 2004 (15-6). … Daisuke Matsuzaka needed 28 pitches to get the first out of the Yankees’ fourth. He threw 42 pitches in the first three innings and 41 in the fourth.
NEW YORK: SS Derek Jeter returned to the starting lineup after missing Thursday’s game with a sore left thigh, an injury sustained when he was hit by Scott Kazmir’s pitch Tuesday at Tampa Bay. “It feels great today,” said Jeter, who probably would have said that even if the thigh hurt. He singled in the first inning, extending his hitting streak to 15 games.
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Twins-Tigers
MINNESOTA: Sharon Robinson, daughter of Jackie Robinson, was at the game to honor two winners of baseball’s Breaking Barriers essay contest. In a pregame news conference, she singled out Twins CF Torii Hunter as someone she felt was honoring her father’s legacy. “Torii has organized other players and done a lot of good things for inner-city baseball,” she said. “He’s not someone who just talks the talk, he backs it up with his actions, and he’s someone I’m glad to have on our side.” … Hunter played despite getting hit in the mouth with a pitch by Kansas City’s Zach Greinke on Thursday. Hunter joked before the game that he would need collagen implants on the other side of his face to match his swollen lip.
d all season by a blood clot, rejoined the team and hopes to be able to pitch before the All-Star break. “I think trying to put a specific timetable on myself is not a great idea,” he said. “My timetable is as soon as possible.”
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Orioles-Indians
BALTIMORE: RHP Jaret Wright (0-2, 6.14 ERA) is expected to come off the disabled list Sunday and start against the Indians. He tested his sore shoulder by pitching into the fifth inning in a rehab start Tuesday at Class-A Frederick, then threw on the side Thursday and reported no problems. It would be Wright’s first appearance against the Indians. Drafted by Cleveland in the first round in 1994, he pitched for Cleveland from 1997-2002. … Manager Sam Perlozzo said he remains confident in RHP Chris Ray as the team’s closer. Ray gave up an eighth-inning grand slam to Wily Mo Pena on Thursday in a 5-2 loss to Boston. It was the second homer he has allowed in 11 1-3 innings. Ray yielded 10 homers in 66 innings last season. “That’s more of a command issue,” Perlozzo said. … RHP Jeremy Guthrie, who pitched in the Indians organization from 2003 through last season, returned to Jacobs Field. He is 1-1 with a 2.77 ERA in four appearances.
CLEVELAND: OF David Dellucci didn’t start again. He has appeared only once, as a pinch-hitter, since straining his left calf last Saturday. … OF Jason Michaels started in left field in Dellucci’s place despite RHP Steve Trachsel pitching for Baltimore. “It’s a case of numbers,” manager Eric Wedge said. “Jason’s had some success against him.” Michaels came in hitting .375 (3-for-8) in his career against Trachsel. … Wedge said 3B Andy Marte, on the disabled list with a strained left hamstring, likely would begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A Buffalo on Sunday. … DH Travis Hafner entered play hitting .486 (18-for-37) with four homers and 10 RBIs over his last 10 games.
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Rangers-Blue Jays
TEXAS: The Rangers entered play batting .234 as a team, the third-lowest average in the major leagues. Manager Ron Washington tried to spark the offense by shaking up the batting order, moving 2B Michael Young into the second slot, 1B Mark Teixeira into the third slot, Sammy Sosa to cleanup and 3B Hank Blalock to fifth. “As a team, we’re trying too hard,” Washington said. “I just want them to relax.” … Washington said OF Kenny Lofton will still get chances to steal with the new-look lineup. Lofton leads the AL with nine stolen bases. … Washington said he’ll start Teixeira at DH on Saturday and Young at DH on Sunday to give them a rest.
TORONTO: 3B Troy Glaus (sore heel) ran and took batting practice for the second straight day. Glaus is eligible to come off the disabled list Saturday, but no decision had been made on when he’ll return to the lineup. Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said Glaus will not come back as a DH, but will go straight back to the infield. … Rookie OF Adam Lind will continue to bat second when Glaus returns. Lind is hitting .278 in 11 games since being called up to replace OF Reed Johnson (herniated disk). … C Sal Fasano is expected to make his Blue Jays debut on Saturday. Fasano was called up from Triple-A Syracuse on Wednesday to replace C Gregg Zaun (broken thumb).
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Angels-White Sox
today,” Scioscia said. “I don’t think there’s any more concern than there would normally be.” … The Angels have a major league-best 11 wins at home but have struggled away from Angel Stadium of Anaheim, compiling the worst road record in the majors at 1-7.
CHICAGO: CF Darin Erstad, who played all 11 seasons with the Angels before signing with the White Sox in the offseason, played against his former team for the first time. Erstad said he would treat it as a normal game. “I’m going to try my best to do the same thing I always do, treat everybody exactly the same. I respect all opponents exactly the same and I just kind of take it as it goes and see what happens,” Erstad said. “I have been through a lot of great times, great memories when I was with the Angels. I have absolutely no hard feelings, whatsoever, but that time is done. I’m a White Sox now and now is the time to try to win.” Erstad hit .286 with 279 doubles, 114 home runs, 625 RBIs and 818 runs scored with the Angels and was a member of the 2002 World Series championship team. … RF Jermaine Dye was back in the lineup after missing a game with a sore lower back. … DH Jim Thome was back in the lineup after missing two games with mild irritation of his right rib cage.
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Royals-Mariners
KANSAS CITY: RHP Gil Meche will make his first start against his former team Saturday night. Meche signed a five-year, $55 million deal with the Royals in the offseason after spending his entire career in the Mariners organization. He won 55 games, but battled arm problems early in his career. Meche said there were very limited contract discussions with the Mariners in the offseason and he quickly realized he wouldn’t return to Seattle. “I wanted to come in here and show the Royals they made a good decision,” he said. Meche is 1-1 with a 2.55 ERA in five starts for the Royals. “Getting Ichiro out is going to be a fun challenge,” he said. … RHP Octavio Dotel played catch again and remains on schedule to return early next month from a strained oblique muscle. … The Royals’ 1-0 loss in 11 innings to Minnesota on Thursday was their longest 1-0 loss since 1992, when they lost 1-0 to Cleveland in 14 innings.
to be yanked from the rotation, citing his 13.91 ERA, he was encouraged by his last start, when he gave up three runs and seven hits. “I got back to where I wanted to be, getting groundballs and working ahead of hitters, and my command is where it should be,” Weaver said. “That’s what I was lacking the first couple of games.” … Seattle completed a two-game sweep in Oakland on Thursday, giving the Mariners four wins over the A’s this season. That’s double Seattle’s win total against Oakland from all of last year.
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Devil Rays-Athletics
Maddon said. “I’m not surprised he’s surfaced and done well here.”
OAKLAND: CF Mark Kotsay, on the 60-day disabled list recovering from lower back surgery in early March, is in town for the weekend doing some on-field work as part of his rehab. He did some throwing and told manager Bob Geren he sprinted at close to 100 percent. Kotsay planned to track some balls in the outfield Saturday. “He feels really good,” Geren said. “That’s nice to hear.” … OF Bobby Kielty (strained left calf) was on schedule to start Saturday. … The A’s acquired OF Chris Denorfia from Cincinnati for two players to be named and cash, a move the A’s had been interested in for about a year. While the A’s could use an extra body in their injury-depleted outfield, it won’t be the 26-year-old Denorfia. He had Tommy John surgery on his right elbow April 3 after tearing a ligament during an exhibition game March 23 and isn’t expected to play until 2008. Denorfia was batting .264 with one home run and six RBIs in 20 games with Cincinnati this spring before the injury.
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NATIONAL LEAGUE
Reds-Pirates
CINCINNATI: OF Chris Denorfia, expected to miss this season after needing reconstructive right elbow surgery earlier this month, was traded to Oakland for cash and two players who will be identified later. Denorfia, a 19th-round draft pick by Cincinnati in 2002, hit .278 with two homers and nine RBIs in 77 games the last two seasons. … RHP Todd Coffey agreed to a $925,000, one-year contract extension through the 2008 season. Coffey had an NL-leading 14 appearances in the Reds’ first 22 games. … OF Ken Griffey Jr. was out of the Reds’ lineup for the second day in a row because of soreness in his chest. He recently missed four games with an inflamed colon. He was used as a pinch hitter in the seventh inning against the Pirates, drawing a walk before being replaced by a pinch runner.
PITTSBURGH: The Pirates were hopeful OF Xavier Nady might start Friday for the first time since injuring a hamstring last Saturday, but he was held out again. With Nady still out, Brad Eldred made his fifth consecutive start in RF. … Manager Jim Tracy seems determined to make sure the Pirates never run out of outfielders. Eldred, strictly a first baseman until this season, began working out in the outfield during spring training. This week, INF Jose Castillo also has begun shagging fly balls. Now, C-1B Ryan Doumit is working out in the outfield, too. Doumit has played the outfield three times in the majors, all in 2005. … All the Pirates players wore No. 42 on Friday in honor of Jackie Robinson. The team’s scheduled tribute to Robinson on April 15 was rained out.
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Mets-Nationals
NEW YORK: Minor league OF Lastings Milledge is expected to miss four to six weeks with a right foot injury that landed him on the disabled list at Triple-A New Orleans. “I don’t know what caused it,” general manager Omar Minaya said. “It’s just something that happened over time.” Milledge was optioned to New Orleans this month, when the Mets called up RHP Mike Pelfrey. … Minaya and manager Willie Randolph both said Pelfrey still has a spot in the rotation despite his previous outing. He allowed six runs in three innings in an 11-5 loss to Colorado on Wednesday. Pelfrey is 0-2 with a 7.90 ERA this season. “Just because he struggled a bit doesn’t mean he’s on trial,” Randolph said. “He’s my fifth starter. That’s the way it is, plain and simple.” Minaya, though, wouldn’t guarantee Pelfrey more than one more start. “There’s no guarantee with young players,” the general manager said.
is nine-year major league career. King, out with left shoulder tendinitis, threw 22 pitches over 1 1-3 innings at Double-A Harrisburg on a rehab assignment Thursday. “Everything felt good,” King said Friday.
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Marlins-Phillies
FLORIDA: 3B Miguel Cabrera snapped a 5-for-28 slump with a solo homer in the first inning off Freddy Garcia. It tied him with Cliff Floyd for fifth on the team’s career list with 110 homers. … The Marlins had 13 homers in their first 15 games. It took them only seven more games to match that total.
PHILADELPHIA: Manager Charlie Manuel flip-flopped Wes Helms and Aaron Rowand in the Nos. 6-7 spots in the lineup. The hot-hitting Rowand entered with a .364 batting average and extended his career-best hitting streak to 15 games with a second-inning homer. Helms was at .301. … C Carlos Ruiz has a six-game hitting streak and has a hit in 11 of his 13 starts.
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Brewers-Astros
ntatively scheduled to throw on the side Saturday. “I’m not worried about (Saturday), I’m worried about five days from now,” Sheets said. “I don’t think the extent’s that bad. I haven’t even been paying attention to it.” The team was taking a cautious approach. “Today’s not a day that he’s going to throw so no need to worry about it today,” manager Ned Yost said. “He feels much better right now. We’ll just take it and see how he feels tomorrow and go from there.” … The NL Central-leading Brewers have been about the same wherever they play, going 7-4 at home and 6-4 on the road. “I’m happy with the way we’re playing period, home and on the road,” Yost said. “We’re doing fine.” … The Brewers have at least one double in each of their first 21 games establishing a club record. Brewers outfielders have totaled 11 home runs, tops in the majors.
p to 50 or 60 now.” … Carlos Lee went 5-for-36 (.139) on the just completed nine-game road trip. “It seems like nothing’s working right now,” Lee said. “We lost a lot of games on the road. But it’s not that bad. We just need to get some key hits.” … Entering Friday’s games, the Astros led the majors in ninth-inning scoring with 18 runs, three more than the next highest team total (15, New York Yankees). … With 642 doubles, Craig Biggio is four short of tying Carl Yastrzemski for seventh on the career doubles list.
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Cubs-Cardinals
CHICAGO: Jacque Jones and Cliff Floyd were the odd men out in the outfield Friday night, with Matt Murton getting his third start in RF along with Alfonso Soriano in LF and Felix Pie in CF. “I’ve got a lot of outfielders here,” manager Lou Piniella said. “That’s it, that’s my quote.” … Ryan Theriot started in place of struggling SS Cesar Izturis, in a 3-for-29 slump. “I’m going to let Theriot play for a little bit and see how it goes,” Piniella said. “I thought getting Theriot in the lineup would give us a boost.” … Piniella said he’d stick with 12 pitchers for the time being. … Derrek Lee was the first Cub since Ron Santo in 1973 to reach base safely in his first 21 games, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Santo did it in 22 straight games in ’73.
ST. LOUIS: Manager Tony La Russa, displeased with a St. Louis Post-Dispatch story deriding the Cubs’ losing history on Friday, said he wouldn’t talk to the newspaper during the three-game weekend series. “I’m making my statement about having fun with the Cubs,” La Russa said. “I don’t want any part of it.” Cubs manager Lou Piniella said, “I don’t know anything about culture. I don’t buy any of that junk.” … OF Juan Encarnacion (wrist) was 1-for-13 in the first three games of a rehab stint with Double-A Springfield. … Reliever Josh Hancock was late to the ballpark for Thursday’s day game against the Cubs, although La Russa declined to discuss any disciplinary action. “That’s not baseball-related, so I’m not going to talk about it,” he said. … La Russa said he considered giving Skip Schumaker, who had career highs with three hits and two RBIs as a late lineup insert Thursday, another start on Friday before going with Preston Wilson instead in RF. Schumaker was 3-for-5 after a 4-for-27 start to the season, including 2-for-14 as a pinch hitter.
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Braves-Rockies
ATLANTA: After experiencing discomfort in his arm in a recent bullpen session, RHP Lance Cormier was scratched from his scheduled start Friday night at Triple-A Richmond. “We thought it was better if he didn’t start and wait another few days,” manager Bobby Cox said. Cormier was placed on the DL on March 31 with a strained right triceps muscle.
COLORADO: Manager Clint Hurdle inserted SS Troy Tulowitzki into the No. 2 spot in the batting order for the second straight game. He wants to snap Tulowitzki out of a slump. “Now he’s getting someone behind him with some thump,” Hurdle said. “You’re challenged in different ways.” … The Rockies have used 17 different pitchers this season. The team used only 16 different arms in 87 games before the All-Star break in 2006. … John Mabry’s home run Wednesday against the New York Mets ended a seven-game homerless streak for Colorado. … The names in the Braves’ pitching rotation may have changed over the years, but Hurdle remains impressed. “There’s still quality,” he said. “It’s never easy.”
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Giants-Diamondbacks
about two old guys on the field? We’re both about a step from life support.”
ARIZONA: RHP Micah Owings, on the 15-day DL with a hamstring injury, is scheduled to start for Triple-A Tucson on Saturday. Manager Bob Melvin said Owings will be limited to 75-85 pitches. Owings can come off the disabled list May 3. … 3B Chad Tracy was out of the lineup with a sore neck Friday night but is expected to return Saturday. … The Diamondbacks drew the smallest crowd in franchise history, 16,792, against San Diego on Thursday night. But with 267,853 through 11 dates, they’re about 10,000 ahead of last year’s pace.
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Dodgers-Padres
LOS ANGELES: Russell Martin, who went 2-for-3 in a loss to San Francisco on Thursday night, is one of the best-hitting catchers in the majors. He’s first with 16 runs, third with 24 hits and tied for second with 15 RBIs. … Joe Beimel’s loss Thursday night was the bullpen’s first this season, but the pen still has a 3-1 record and a 2.60 ERA, third in the NL.
hing them were Hoffman; his brother, Glenn, the Padres’ third-base coach; and 2B Marcus Giles.
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