AMERICAN LEAGUE
Mariners-Red Sox
SEATTLE: Ichiro Suzuki set an AL record when he was successful on his 41st straight stolen base attempt in the first inning. He had been tied with Tim Raines, who accomplished the feat from 1993-95. The major league record of 50 is held by Vince Coleman. … Manager Mike Hargrove stressed that Jeff Weaver’s next start Saturday is important since he is 0-4 with an 18.26 ERA. “In this game, you always walk a fine line between being patient and being foolish,” Hargrove said. “We are up against that with Weaver.” … Eight Seattle players reached base safely in the five-run first inning Thursday.
… RHP Mike Timlin was placed on the DL with tendinitis in his right shoulder and replaced on the active roster by RHP Devern Hansack, who was recalled from Triple-A Pawtucket. … Mike Lowell’s single in the second gave him at least one hit in 23 of 26 games.
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Blue Jays-Indians
TORONTO: OF Vernon Wells, who has been battling flu, didn’t start Thursday night. He missed Monday night’s game, but played the first two games of the series in Cleveland. Alex Rios moved from right field to center and Matt Stairs started in right. … Aaron Hill batted .313 with five homers and 20 RBIs in April. He batted .195 with no homers in April of last season. … Toronto hasn’t won a season series from the Indians since 2003. … INF John McDonald, who played for the Indians from 1999-2004, started at shortstop Thursday night. … RHP Casey Janssen, who pitched 1 2-3 scoreless innings Wednesday night, hasn’t allowed a run this season, covering 13 2-3 innings in 11 appearances.
s recalled LHP Rafael Perez from Buffalo. He will likely be sent back to Buffalo in a day or two when an outfielder is brought up. … To make room for Perez and LHP Cliff Lee, who was activated to start Thursday night, OFs Shin-Soo Choo and Ben Francisco were optioned to Buffalo. Choo batted .294 (5-for-17) with five RBIs in six games. Francisco was recalled from Buffalo on Tuesday. He made his major league debut that night, but did not have an at-bat. … 3B Casey Blake, hitless in his last nine at-bats, didn’t start Thursday. He was replaced by Mike Rouse.
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Yankees-Rangers
NEW YORK: RHP Darrell Rasner is to start Sunday against Seattle and RHP Matt DeSalvo is scheduled to make his major league debut in Monday’s series finale. Manager Joe Torre said he scheduled DeSalvo for Monday with the idea of keeping him in the rotation. “We feel that Matty, maybe this is his time,” Torre said. “We’ll see. We’re certainly testing a lot of kids right now.” … Yankees GM Brian Cashman said RHP Carl Pavano (forearm) is trying to schedule an exam with Dr. James Andrews. Pavano hasn’t pitched since April 9. … Rookie RHP Phil Hughes (hamstring) on Thursday became the seventh Yankees pitcher on the disabled list this year.
TEXAS: Manager Ron Washington has begun extra work with SS Michael Young and 3B Hank Blalock on their fielding, concentrating on footwork and taking the proper angles on grounders. Infield defense was Washington’s specialty when he was a coach with Oakland, and the A’s developed into one of the AL’s top fielding clubs. But managerial duties has prevented him from extra defensive sessions with the Rangers infielders. “I love to get on the field,” Washington said. “I look out there during a game and see things that can be better, so I’m going to give them what I’ve got.” … Sammy Sosa’s fifth-inning double in the first game was his 1,000th extra base hit.
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Angels-Royals
LOS ANGELES: Reggie Willits extended his hitting streak to a career-best 10 games, the longest this year by an Angel. … Jered Weaver’s nine strikeouts matched his career-high. In 24 at-bats against Gil Meche, Vladimir Guerrero has three home runs. … INF Maicer Izturis was put on the 15-day DL retroactive to April 30 with a tight right hamstring. INF Brandon Wood from recalled from Triple-A Salt Lake.
nd raised his average from .179 to .271.
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Twins-Devil Rays
MINNESOTA: LHP Francisco Liriano, out for the season after elbow ligament replacement surgery, will accompany the team to Minnesota. He has been working out at the Twins’ spring training complex in Fort Myers, Fla. “I think it’s a little bit of a mental break,” manager Ron Gardenhire said. “He’s going through a long process. He can hang with the guys and still do his work.” Liriano will also be examined by team doctors. “And see how he’s coming along,” Gardenhire said. … Closer Joe Nathan’s blown save Wednesday was just his second in 78 chances when he started an inning with a two- or three-run lead since joining the Twins in 2004. The Devil Rays rallied from a 3-1, ninth-inning deficit for a 4-3 win in 10 innings. … Before Wednesday, the Twins had won 106 straight games when leading after eight innings since Sept. 6, 2005, against Texas.
TAMPA BAY: RF Delmon Young, who had started all of the Devil Rays’ first 27 games, was rested. … Jonny Gomes replaced Young in right. It was Gomes’ first outfield start since undergoing shoulder surgery last year. Gomes 0-for-3 with three strikeouts and came out in the seventh. … 2B B.J. Upton, who started Thursday second in the AL batting race at .370, was moved up to fifth in the lineup. It’s the highest he has hit in the lineup this year.
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NATIONAL LEAGUE
Mets-Diamondbacks
NEW YORK: The Mets have yet to announce a starter for Saturday night at Arizona after designating Chan Ho Park for assignment. RHP Jorge Sosa, who is 4-0 with a 1.13 ERA for Triple-A New Orleans, is an option. “He’s throwing a lot of strikes and getting ahead,” assistant general manager John Ricco said. Manager Willie Randolph said RHP Aaron Sele also could get the call. … Randolph said he expects RHP Orlando Hernandez to come off the 15-day DL when he’s eligible May 10. The 37-year-old Hernandez has bursitis in his right shoulder.
ARIZONA: 3B Chad Tracy missed a second consecutive game with a rib injury Thursday night, but he isn’t expected to go on the disabled list. Alberto Callaspo, who has also played shortstop and right field, filled in against the Mets. … After shutting out the Dodgers for seven innings Wednesday, LHP Doug Davis has not allowed an earned run in 22 career innings against Los Angeles. … The Diamondbacks are 10-12 against the NL West, so they were looking forward to playing out of the division for 23 of the next 29 games. “It seems like every game we’ve played in our division is a one-run game,” manager Bob Melvin said. “It’s probably nice to take a little bit of a break.”
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Pirates-Brewers
PITTSBURGH: The Pirates recalled RHP Marty McLeary from Triple-A Indianapolis and put RHP John Wasdin on the 15-day DL with a sprained thumb. A starter in the minors, McLeary expects to be used in long relief. “I can suck up some innings,” Mcleary said. In four starts with Indianapolis, McLeary was 2-1 with a 2.57 ERA. Wasdin (1-1) appeared in nine games as a reliever. … LHP Paul Maholm (1-3) is to pitch Friday night against Milwaukee. He is among four pitchers in the rotation drafted by the Pirates, more than drafted rotation members of any other major club.
MILWAUKEE: Manager Ned Yost said LHP Chris Capuano will not miss a start after being struck on the right calf in Wednesday’s 4-0 victory over St. Louis. Capuano was hit by a ball in the second inning and taken out after three innings. Yost said that he was never worried about Capuano even though he took him out of the game. “Nah, not on something like that. It would really surprise me if he would miss a start with a contusion in that area,” Yost said.
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Phillies-Giants
, although five of Bonds’ eight hits against him have been home runs.
SAN FRANCISCO: RHP Russ Ortiz went on the 15-day DL, retroactive to Wednesday, with an inflamed nerve in his right elbow. He was replaced on the 25-man roster by INF Kevin Frandsen, who is making his second appearance with the club this season. He was hitting .403 in 19 games with Triple-A Fresno. … RHP Tim Lincecum, the Giants’ first-round pick in the 2006 amateur draft, is expected to make his major league debut on Sunday in place of Ortiz. He’s 4-0 with an 0.29 ERA in five games at Fresno. “I think San Francisco is in for a treat,” Frandsen said of Lincecum. “It’s not like I’m that much older but I want him to know he doesn’t have to do too much when he comes up.” … RHP Brad Hennessey would be the Giants’ closer should anything happen to RHP Armando Benitez, who was unavailable on Wednesday with a knee problem. “We think a lot of Hennessey,” Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. “He has the make up for a guy you’d want in late in the game.” Benitez was expected to be available on Thursday.
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Reds-Astros
ey from July 28 to Aug. 25. … Veteran reliever Mike Stanton played one-third an inning Wednesday night without throwing a pitch. The 39-year-old picked off Houston rookie Hunter Pence with two on and Lance Berkman batting in the eighth when he strayed too far from first. Asked if it was the plan for Stanton not to have to throw even one ball, Narron replied “not the complete plan.” “But he certainly was going to make some throws to first with that guy over there.”
HOUSTON: Several Houston Texans, including new quarterback Matt Schaub and Pro Bowl receiver Andre Johnson, participated in a home run derby before Wednesday’s game. Reliant Energy pledged to donate $250 to the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Houston for each home run hit. With the Texans struggling to combine for just five homers, Astros rookie Hunter Pence took a turn and added six to raise the donation to $2,750. Johnson, who had more than 1,000 yards receiving in 2006, failed to hit a homer, but enjoyed the experience anyway. “It’s fun,” he said. “You get to laugh at some other guys and then the guys get to laugh at you.” Perhaps the biggest laughs of the afternoon came when platinum-selling Houston rapper Paul Wall took his turn. He missed the ball completely several times, which elicited heckling from the Texans, and didn’t hit a ball past the infield. “I didn’t figure I’d hit a home run,” Wall, a longtime Astros fan said. “But it’s a great experience to be able to take batting practice in a major league park.” Wall also threw out the first pitch. … Manager Phil Garner said he’d consider using first baseman Lance Berkman in the outfield to play both Mark Loretta and Mike Lamb at the same time. “I’m certain if we needed to do that he would do it,” Garner said. But he added that he doesn’t prefer doing it because of the work Berkman, a former outfielder, has put in to become a good first baseman.
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