AMERICAN LEAGUE
Orioles-Tigers
BALTIMORE: INF Chris Gomez holds a unique place in Tigers history – he was named the team’s rookie of the year in both 1993 and 1994. … C Alberto Castillo cleared waivers Monday and was assigned to Triple-A Norfolk. He hit .174 in eight games for Baltimore before being designated for assignment on Thursday.
DETROIT: OF Magglio Ordonez was named American League player of the week after hitting .571 in the seven days ending April 29. It is the seventh time he has won the award. “You get a watch – a really cheap watch,” Ordonez joked. “I don’t think I’ve ever had a start like this – I usually start slow, so it was good to have a big April.” … Sean Casey (flu) was out of the lineup for the second straight game, but talked about the loss of former teammate Josh Hancock before Monday’s game. “It really is tragic. He was just a great, great person. He was a fun guy to be around,” said Casey, who played with Hancock in Cincinnati.
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Rangers-Blue Jays
TEXAS: RHP Eric Gagne threw from flat ground on Monday and reported no pain. “Everything was good,” Rangers manager Ron Washington said. “The ball was coming out of his hand well.” Gagne (sore right hip) will throw from flat ground again Wednesday and, if that goes well, will throw from the mound Friday. … OF Frank Catalanotto (sore shoulder) was held out of the lineup on Monday. If the problem persists, Washington said one of Marlon Byrd and Victor Diaz could be called up from triple-A Oklahoma. … RHP Brandon McCarthy lasted just three innings and lost his third-straight start Sunday but Washington said McCarthy will start again Friday when the Rangers host Toronto.
TORONTO: OF Vernon Wells was a late scratch from Monday’s game because of flu-like symptoms. … Blue Jays general manager J.P. Ricciardi said injured RHP Brandon League (sore shoulder) is progressing but has not regained his velocity. If no further progress is made, surgery could be an option. … RHP John Thomson (sore shoulder) will make one more start with class-A Dunedin before moving up to double-A New Hampshire. … RHP Matt Roney, who was pitching for Triple-A Syracuse, has been suspended 50 games for testing positive for a drug of abuse.
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Angels-Royals
LOS ANGELES: INF Chone Figgins was in the lineup for the first time this season. Figgins, who hit .267 last season, broke two fingers on his right hand late in spring training. He was playing third base Monday and batting ninth. … OF Garrett Anderson sat out a third straight game with a tight hip. … The Angels opened a four-game series in Kansas City looking to maintain a domination in Kauffman Stadium that started in 2001, when they last lost a series in KC. Winning three of the four would make Mike Scioscia the winningest manager in club history. He would overtake Bill Rigney’s total of 625 wins.
KANSAS CITY: The Royals started the week with the worst record in the league and have been taking their lumps in more ways than one. They have been hit a major league-leading 20 times. Manager Buddy Bell does not think opponents are picking on his batters. “I don’t think at any time have I looked at a pitcher and said, ‘Hey, he was throwing at the guy,’ he said. I think it’s coincidental more than anything else. I don’t think it has anything to do with us getting thrown at.” … The Royals are starting their longest homestand of the season, 10 games in 11 days, seeing the Angels four times, Detroit three and Oakland three. … Bell said he does not expect closer Octavio Dotel to be ready to join the club until mid-May at the earliest. Dotel went on the DL at the end of spring training with a strained muscle on his left side.
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NATIONAL LEAGUE
Phillies-Braves
PHILADELPHIA: The Phillies were assured of their best April in three years, regardless of what they did in the opener of a three-game series against the Braves. Philadelphia got off to another rough start this year, losing 10 of its first 13 games, and manager Charlie Manuel believes he knows why: “I think they actually might have come out playing too hard.” The Phillies rebounded by winning eight of their next 11. “To be at your best, I’m convinced you have to be relaxed,” Manuel said. “They wanted it bad.” … 3B Abraham Nunez was in the lineup instead of Wes Helms because Manuel wanted another left-handed bat against the Braves starter, RHP Tim Hudson. Nunez is a switch-hitter.
ATLANTA: Hudson pitched with the letters “JH” ironed onto the left chest of his jersey, in honor of former college teammate Josh Hancock. Hudson and Hancock were teammates at Auburn in 1997, when Hudson was a senior and the Southeastern Conference player of the year. Hancock was a freshman on that team. Hancock, who pitched for the St. Louis Cardinals, was killed early Sunday in a car crash. … OF Willie Harris is eager to make up for his dismal performance last season. He batted just .156 in 47 games for the Boston Red Sox, but got another chance when the Braves traded OF Ryan Langerhans to Oakland on Sunday. “I lost that swagger and confidence somewhere in ’05,” Harris said. “I tried to figure it out in the offseason.” He knows what role he’ll be expected to fill in Atlanta. “I’m just trying to get in scoring position for the big dogs,” Harris said.
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Cubs-Pirates
CHICAGO: Angel Guzman, who was to have pitched Tuesday in Pittsburgh, will instead start for Triple-A Iowa that night. Guzman’s start for Chicago was scratched when the Cubs-Cardinals game was called off Sunday night. That pushed Rich Hill’s start back to Monday and backed up the rotation one day. … Guzman is expected to be called up to start Sunday against Washington. … The Cubs faced a left-handed starter for only the third time this season Monday in the Pirates’ Zach Duke, and will see two more right-handers the rest of the series in Tony Armas and Ian Snell. … Armas has had trouble with a number of Cubs hitters: Derrek Lee (10-for-29, 4 homers, 9 RBIs), Aramis Ramirez (6-of-13, 2 homers, 5 RBIs), Cesar Izturis (7-of-12, 1 homers, 4 RBIs) and Cliff Floyd (11-of-26, 0 homers, 7 RBIs).
PITTSBURGH: OF Xavier Nady (hamstring) has failed to start the Pirates’ last nine games, yet manager Jim Tracy said there has been no consideration given to putting him on the disabled list. … Pirates prospect Steve Pearce was promoted from Class-A Lynchburg to Double-A Altoona after hitting 11 homers in 19 games, the most in minor league baseball. Pearce, an eighth-round draft pick in 2005, homered twice Sunday and had homers in seven of his last eight games at Lynchburg. the Pirates’ advanced Single-A team.
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Cardinals-Brewers
ST. LOUIS: RHP Dennis Dove was recalled from Triple-A Memphis to fill the roster spot of Josh Hancock, who was killed early Sunday morning in a traffic accident. Dove was 0-0 with a 3.00 ERA in nine relief appearances for Memphis. … The Cardinals will wear a black circular patch with Hancock’s No. 32 on their left sleeve for the remainder of the season. … The Brewers observed a moment of silence for Hancock before Monday’s game. … The Cardinals are just 3-9 this season at Busch Stadium after going 49-31 at home last season. In comparison, the team has a road record entering Monday’s game against the Brewers of 7-4.
MILWAUKEE: 2B Rickie Weeks was not in the starting lineup for the second straight game. Weeks had a cracked nail on his right index finger, which he hurt in Houston on Saturday. He was available to pinch hit and was listed as day to day. … Francisco Cordero’s 10 saves in August is a new club record. The previous high for saves in April was eight by Doug Jones in 1998 and Derrick Turnbow in 2006. … The Brewers are 8-5 on the road this season. The team did not record its eighth win on the road last season until May 26. “We just have a better team this year and are more comfortable playing on the road,” CF Bill Hall said.
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Marlins-Mets
FLORIDA: LHP Scott Olsen singled in his first at-bat, making him 6-for-10 at the plate this year – the best mark of any major league pitcher. He grounded out his next time up. … The Marlins entered with 97 extra-base hits, most in the majors. … Left-handed hitting 1B Mike Jacobs has been getting a chance to play consistently against left-handed pitchers. He came in 5-for-13 (.385) against left-handers with no strikeouts. In 53 at-bats against right-handers, he was hitting .302 with 13 strikeouts. “The organization and I feel like he’s going to be our guy,” manager Fredi Gonzalez said. “Why not give him an opportunity to play every day? He’s done a good job.” … RHP Ricky Nolasco will come off the disabled list to start Tuesday night against the Mets. He’s been out since April 6 with inflammation in his right elbow. “He’s ready to go. He’s healthy,” Gonzalez said. “We’ll see how much he can give us.” Nolasco went 0-3 with a 19.73 ERA in four games, including three starts, against the Mets last year.
in has a partially torn ligament in his right knee. RHP Chan Ho Park was recalled from Triple-A New Orleans. He started in place of El Duque and lasted only four innings, allowing seven runs and six hits. Damion Easley started at 2B. New York also purchased INF Ruben Gotay’s contract from New Orleans.
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Nationals-Padres
WASHINGTON: The Nationals will attempt to reverse one of their worst recent records as they have lost 18 of their last 22 games against the Padres. … Washington recalled OF-INF Kory Casto from Triple-A Columbus and designated INF D’Angelo Jimenez for assignment.
SAN DIEGO: 2B Marcus Giles, who left Sunday’s game against the Dodgers with a bruised rib, was held out of the starting lineup. But manager Bud Black said Giles could return in a couple of days. … The Padres recalled LHP Royce Ring from Triple-A Portland and optioned LHP Justin Hampson to Portland. … Despite 3B Kevin Kouzmanoff’s .119 batting average, Black isn’t ready to bench him. “He wants to play,” said Black. “He’s confident enough in himself.”
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Diamondbacks-Dodgers
ches for the Washington Nationals in a 5-2 decision. His career high is 152 pitches (100 strikes), on June 25, 1998, for Florida in a 5-1 win over Tampa Bay. … Wednesday’s starter, LHP Doug Davis, has never allowed an earned run against the Dodgers in 15 innings spanning three starts. In his only outing against them last season, he retired his last 16 batters in a complete-game, four-hitter at Milwaukee on Sept. 5.
LOS ANGELES: RHP Jason Schmidt, sidelined since April 15 because of bursitis in his shoulder, still hasn’t been given permission by the team’s medical staff to start throwing. He said his range of motion is better and that he’s feeling looser, but he’s still frustrated about being on the disabled list. “I just love pitching and being competitive,” said Schmidt, who signed a three-year, $47 million contract in December. “This is possibly one of the best teams I’ve been on and we have a good chance to go all the way, so you want to be a part of that. That’s why I came over here. Sitting back is not easy at all. I want to rush the process – but if you do, you sent it right back where it was.” … 2B Jeff Kent, CF Juan Pierre, 1B Nomar Garciaparra and C Russell Martin played all 17 innings of Sunday’s 5-4 win at San Diego. Martin was the only one who didn’t start Monday night against Arizona, allowing backup Mike Lieberthal to get his third start behind the plate. “This is my one World Series game every week and a half, so there’s a lot of pressure to do well,” Lieberthal said with a grin. “Playing the whole nine innings is the best part of competing.”
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