AMERICAN LEAGUE
White Sox-Tigers
CHICAGO: RHP Jose Contreras’ no-decision Saturday extended his winless streak against AL Central opponents to seven games. He’s 0-5 with a 9.19 ERA during that stretch. … There’s no timetable for the return of backup C Toby Hall (shoulder), but manager Ozzie Guillen said he’s been pleased with the progress he’s made during rehab sessions. Rookie Gustavo Molina made his sixth start of the season behind the plate Saturday. … Guillen hopes to get OF Brian Anderson into the starting lineup during the team’s next road stop in Kansas City. Anderson hit .257 in the second half of last season, but is 1-for-8 (.125) this spring.
rlos Guillen’s grand slam Saturday was Detroit’s fourth in April, tying the club record for grand slams in a month set in June 1968. … Friday’s sellout (40,685) was the largest non-opening day April crowd in Detroit since 1952.
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Twins-Royals
MINNESOTA: CF Torii Hunter went 2-for-4 to extend his hitting streak to eight games. He’s hitting .364 in the streak. … The Twins had five doubles Saturday, and have at least one in 12 consecutive games. … The Twins’ consecutive stolen base mark to open the season ended at 19 when Hunter was caught stealing second base in the eighth inning. … RHP Boof Bonser surrendered two more home runs on Saturday and leads the American League with seven home runs allowed. … C Mike Redmond had his first three-RBI game since Sept. 16, 2006 at Cleveland. It matches his career high.
KANSAS CITY: CF David DeJesus led off with a single and has hit safely in his first at-bat in nine of 17 games and has scored five runs in the first inning. … 2B Mark Grudzielanek’s bunt single in the first inning was the Royals’ first of the season. … The Royals’ bullpen has five blown saves in eight opportunities. RHP Joel Peralta, who took the loss Saturday, is 0-for-3 in save chances. … The Royals struck out 13 times, bringing their season total to 140. … Esteban German struck out as a pinch hitter in the ninth. Royals pinch hitters are 1-for-9.
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Yankees-Red Sox
NEW YORK: 19 of 3B Alex Rodriguez’s 24 hits have gone for extra bases. … SS Derek Jeter singled in the first inning to extend his hitting streak to 12 games. … RHP Mike Mussina (strained left hamstring) threw 30 pitches off flat ground. His next step could be a rehab stint. … RHP Carl Pavano (right forearm stiffness) played catch from 60 feet and will do it again before determining what to do next. … Yankees CF Johnny Damon pinch hit despite a sore back and hamstring. … C Jorge Posada sat out after bruising his thumb Friday night.
BOSTON: OF Coco Crisp, DH David Ortiz and third-base coach DeMarlo Hale will wear No. 42 on Sunday for Boston’s rain-delayed tribute to Jackie Robinson. … Ortiz’s 179th homer as a Red Sox moved him ahead of Nomar Garciaparra and into 10th place on the team’s career list. … Crisp and Alex Cora had consecutive bunt singles in the second inning, and both scored as the Red Sox rallied to tie it at 4. … The Red Sox have scored 7 or more runs in five straight home games.
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Blue Jays-Orioles
ntract selected April 15 from Syracuse. … CF Vernon Wells was back in the starting lineup after hitting a pinch-hit single Friday. That was his first appearance as a pinch hitter since 2004. Wells has hit more homers (23) against the Orioles than any other team. … 3B Troy Glaus (15-day DL, left heel) is expected to join the team in New York for the April 25-26 series, manager John Gibbons said Saturday.
BALTIMORE: CF Corey Patterson wore No. 42 on Saturday in the Orioles’ belated tribute to Jackie Robinson. The event was originally scheduled for Sunday, but was postponed by rain. … Patterson batted leadoff in place of 2B Brian Roberts, who was sent home with the flu. Chris Gomez started at 2B. … OF Jay Payton, activated from the DL on Friday, began a second straight game on the bench. But manager Sam Perlozzo said Payton would get his first start with Baltimore on Sunday. … RHP Jaret Wright (shoulder) pitched in the bullpen Saturday and said he should be able to return from the DL on April 29 after a rehab assignment.
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Indians-Devil Rays
d Dellucci second in the lineup on a regular basis. “The two-hole might work out for him,” Wedge said. … RHP Jake Westbrook (0-2) will look to rebound Sunday from his last start Tuesday against the New York Yankees when he allowed eight runs over 1 2-3 innings in a 10-3 loss.
TAMPA BAY: Struggling SS Ben Zobrist was dropped from second to eighth in the lineup. Although DH Elijah Dukes hit second Saturday, one long-term option for the slot is Japanese rookie 3B Akinori Iwamura, who was batting .340 through 15 games. Manager Joe Maddon said a concern about moving Iwamura up to second from sixth is that he would “hate to mess with him because he’s been doing so well.” … INF Greg Norton (right knee surgery) has resumed taking dry swings with a bat. Maddon said there’s no timetable for Norton’s return.
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Athletics-Rangers
f options,” but wouldn’t elaborate … DH Mike Piazza was given the night off, with Todd Walker replacing him.
TEXAS: CF Kenny Lofton, who had three hits Friday, wasn’t in the starting lineup against LHP Joe Kennedy. “I think Jerry (Hairston Jr.) will be able to handle Kennedy better,” manager Ron Washington explained.” Right-handed batters Hairston and Matt Kata started, with Kata in left field replacing Frank Catalanotto … OF Brad Wilkerson (left knee) didn’t start, but Washington said he might be available to pinch hit. “Wilkerson is still not walking normal. The cortisone shot is waiting to take effect. Hopefully, tomorrow he’ll be ready.” If not, the Rangers might consider putting Wilkerson on the disabled list.
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Mariners-Angels
manage and how to run a club. And now that he’s taken that job, he’s going to be hooked.”
LOS ANGELES: RHP Bartolo Colon was activated from the 15-day DL to make his season debut. It was the 2005 Cy Young winner’s first start for the Angels since July 26, 2006. He spent was sidelined for the final two months last season because of a partial tear in his rotator cuff, and chose to rehab the injury instead of undergoing surgery. … To make room for Colon on the 25-man roster, LHP Joe Saunders was optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake – one day after pitching six scoreless innings in a victory over Seattle while wearing a Virginia Tech cap to honor the 32 victims in Monday’s shooting spree at the Blacksburg, Va., campus. “Obviously, it’s tough for me to go from a big high from last night to getting sent down, but it’s a business,” Saunders said. “Bartolo’s a proven big league pitcher and he’s one of the best, but it’s still a surprise. You never want to get sent down. It’s just not my time right now. I was hoping they would give me a shot in the bullpen, but they don’t see me in the pen – and basically, I don’t, either. So I’ll just go down to Triple-A, pitch my butt off down there and let the chips fall where they may.”
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NATIONAL LEAGUE
Braves-Mets
ATLANTA: OF Ryan Langerhans is 2-for-31 (.065) at the plate this season, but manager Bobby Cox doesn’t want to give up on him. “You stay longer with good defensive players. He’s great,” Cox said. “He’s so good defensively it’s hard to take him out.” With LHP Oliver Perez on the mound for the Mets, Langerhans didn’t play Saturday. … RHP John Smoltz faces old friend Tom Glavine in the series finale Sunday. It will be their third matchup, and second this season. Smoltz beat Glavine 5-3 on April 7 in Atlanta. Glavine, who has 293 career wins, is 3-10 with a 5.55 ERA in 16 starts against the Braves, his former team. … LHP Mike Gonzalez (tender elbow) might be available to pitch Sunday, Cox said. Gonzalez had an MRI exam on his ailing left elbow Thursday and reported no major problems. The test showed inflammation. He hasn’t pitched since Monday.
started standing up screaming. That’s why I stepped off.” … It was the first of two Dog Days at Shea Stadium this year. Fans walked their dogs around the warning track before the game, and approximately 300 pooches watched the game from the picnic area.
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Cardinals-Cubs
ST. LOUIS: The Cardinals were 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position Saturday after being 0-for-8 on Friday. Over their last five games they are 1-for-32. Manager Tony La Russa said he thinks it will turn around. “We’re taking better at-bats, making better contact,” he said. “I don’t think we did well enough to score seven runs. I’m not trying to say we should have beat them, but we’re taking a better approach, we’re making better contact. And if we don’t get discouraged, we’ll be fine.” … Catcher Gary Bennett likes Cubs pitching. He went 1-for-4 Saturday in his first appearance against them this season. Last season he went 13-for-25 against the Cubs. … The Cardinals have scored only three runs in Anthony Reyes’ three starts this season. … The Cardinals were shut out for the second time this season. They lost to the Mets 10-0 on April 4.
CHICAGO: Rookie CF Felix Pie made two nice running catches, one an over-the-shoulder grab near the ivy-covered brick wall in center. “I know. But when we play, I don’t think about that. I try to catch the ball, that’s it,” Pie said. Pie is also excited about the possibility of playing in the same outfield with Alfonso Soriano, who will be moved to left field when he returns Monday from a hamstring injury. “I’m relaxed because I know I’m going to play every day. I’m going to take my opportunity and show everybody I can do it,” Pie said. … Manager Lou Piniella is enjoying his first Cardinals-Cubs experience as a manager at Wrigley Field. “You know what is really neat is to sit there and watch people on the other side of the street in the rooftops,” Piniella said. “It’s different, but it’s really a neat feature. Also, the park is alive. It really is. I’ll tell you what. It’s a fun place to play a baseball game.” … Michael Barrett has 12 career homers against the Cards, his most against any team.
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Diamondbacks-Giants
h Owings. … RHP Edgar Gonzalez has allowed at least one HR in his last 12 starts, the latest coming against Barry Bonds in a 1-0 loss.
SAN FRANCISCO: LHP Barry Zito has pitched 13 1-3 scoreless innings in winning his last two starts. Before this stretch, he had been 11-17 with a 5.20 ERA in 35 career starts in April. His ERA is below 3.80 in every other month. … Armando Benitez earned the save for the second straight day, just the second time he has pitched on consecutive days this season. … The Giants’ bullpen has thrown 11 scoreless innings in the first four games of the homestand after allowing five runs in the eighth inning of a 5-3 loss at Colorado on Tuesday.
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Astros-Brewers
according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
MILWAUKEE: The Brewers committed only one error in their first five games, but had 14 errors in their next 11. Manager Ned Yost said he was not concerned about his team’s defense. “You try to limit the damage,” he said. “You don’t want to make them. What am I supposed to do, yell and scream ‘Don’t make errors.’ These kids are all working on being better defensive players.” … Yost said he still had confidence in reliever Greg Aquino, despite the right-hander giving up six runs, five earned, in 1 1-3 innings over his last two outings. “If you’ve watched this kid over the course of the spring, he’s had periods where his stuff has been very, very good,” Yost said. “He’s been a tad bit inconsistent.”
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Nationals-Marlins
WASHINGTON: RHP Shawn Hill strained his left shoulder diving back into third base during a rundown in the sixth inning of Friday’s game. The shoulder is still a little sore but since it is not his throwing arm the team hopes it won’t affect his next start. He will throw some pitches on Sunday. … Reliever Ray King, on the DL since April 12 with left shoulder tendinitis, threw a bullpen session on Saturday and felt no pain. He is scheduled to pitch a simulated game in Philadelphia on Tuesday.
FLORIDA: 1B Mike Jacobs did not start Saturday’s game because of a sore right thumb. Jacobs suffered the injury in the 14th inning of Friday’s game when he was struck with a groundball. X-rays were negative and Jacobs indicated he might return Monday against the Atlanta Braves. … 3B Miguel Cabrera also did not start Saturday’s game. Cabrera is nursing a sore right oblique and left Thursday’s game against the New York Mets in the second inning. … The Marlins have nine players on the DL. “It’s pretty unusual to see so many players hurt at the same time,” Jacobs said. “We’re making our (medical) trainers earn their money.”
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Phillies-Reds
PHILADELPHIA: The Phillies had what manager Charlie Manuel considered to be a productive 1-hour, 20-minute team meeting that forced them to cancel batting practice on the field before Saturday’s game. “With all the people talking, everybody had to get something good out of it,” Manuel said. … 1B Ryan Howard missed his third consecutive start Saturday with a sprained ligament just below his left knee. Manuel expected the reigning NL MVP to return to the lineup Sunday.
has started all three games in right field.
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Padres-Rockies
SAN DIEGO: C Josh Bard (strained left groin) will participate in extended spring training on Tuesday in Arizona. “We want him to get some at-bats, work behind the plate and (get in) some running,” manager Bud Black said. … Bard’s brother Mike is a batting practice pitcher for the Rockies. Josh Bard went to high school in Denver. … OF Mike Cameron was back in the lineup a day after hitting a ball off his right shin. “It was a direct hit,” Black said. “It’s sore, but Mike didn’t want to come out of the lineup.” … Black said he wants to reduce his pitching staff from 13 to 12.
COLORADO: Manager Clint Hurdle started INF Clint Barmes on Saturday so that Troy Tulowitzki could watch and learn. Hurdle wants Tulowitzki to lay off the high fastball. “There’s only a handful of guys since this game has been played that can handle the ball up with success. A lot can be learned from watching,” Hurdle said. … The Colorado Rockies placed reliever Ramon Ramirez on the 15-day DL on Saturday with a sprained right elbow and designated pitcher Matt Herges for assignment. Pitchers Ryan Speier and Bobby Keppel were called up from Triple-A Colorado Springs. … INF Todd Helton’s error on Friday night snapped a streak of 70 straight errorless games at first.
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Pirates-Dodgers
PITTSBURGH: The Pirates brought a 6-5 road record into Saturday night’s game. They began last season 0-6 away from home and went 1-13 in their first 14 away games. “They do a much better job of staring adversity in the face and having a general idea what they have to do to avoid or get themselves through it,” manager Jim Tracy said. “A year ago, some type of adversity would hit us during the course of a game and you’d just sense that you had a lot of young people looking around and going, `What is it that we have to do to get ourselves out?’ I think we’ve grown that much.” … Coming off a 10-2 defeat in the series opener, several Pittsburgh hitters arrived 5 1/2 hours before gametime to watch film and take extra hitting.
LOS ANGELES: LHP Hong-Chih Kuo tossed three 15-pitch innings in a simulated game Saturday as he recovers from a torn rotator cuff. He’s set for one more simulated game before starting a rehab assignment. … OF Matt Kemp has rejoined the Dodgers after reaggravating his injured right shoulder while on a rehab assignment in Las Vegas. Kemp said he “felt a little pinch” while throwing from the outfield Wednesday, but he played another two innings. “It wasn’t much of a setback,” head trainer Stan Conte said. “We probably put him out there too soon.” After three days without throwing, Kemp did some light tossing Saturday and predicted it could be a matter of days before he returns. “I could wake up tomorrow and not hurt anymore,” he said. Conte said Kemp “has to be able to throw harder without any pain.” … RHP Jason Schmidt, on the DL with right shoulder inflammation, was examined Friday night. “The decision is to rehab and see how his shoulder progresses,” Conte said. “There’s no timetable yet.” … RHP Yhency Brazoban, on a rehab assignment in San Bernardino, may pitch two innings of a simulated game Monday. He had no pain in a rehab start Friday night. “It’s a matter of getting his arm ready,” Conte said.
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