AMERICAN LEAGUE
Mariners-Tigers
SEATTLE: Manager Mike Hargrove said he wasn’t sure what the club will do with RHP Cha Seung Baek when RHP Felix Hernandez (forearm) returns from the disabled list Tuesday. Baek, who has made four starts in place of Hernandez, gave up six hits and two runs Wednesday in his first career complete game, a 9-2 victory. … RHP Sean White was available Thursday after missing Wednesday’s game with flu-like symptoms. … Jose Vidro went 2-for-5 Thursday and has hit safely in 21 of his last 25 games.
Detroit analyst Rod Allen on May 24, when Allen plans to attend his son’s graduation in Arizona, when the Tigers play the Los Angeles Angels.
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Rangers-Yankees
TEXAS: SS Michael Young didn’t play after leaving Wednesday night’s game in the fifth inning because of tightness in his right hamstring. He had appeared in 287 consecutive games since June 22, 2005, when he missed a game for the birth of his son. “When Michael Young says he feels a little soreness, I’m not going to mess around. We need Michael Young in the lineup,” Texas manager Ron Washington said. … The Rangers returned home for a four-game series against the Los Angeles Angels, who swept three games from Texas in Anaheim at the start of the season. … OF Vladimir Guerrero is batting .437 against Texas with 21 homers, 50 RBIs and nine intentional walks in 222 at-bats. “I might walk him nine times in four. The guy’s a monster,” Washington said. “I tell you what, if there’s men on base, he’s going to get a lot of walks. We might try to pitch to him with nobody on the bag, but I’d be darned if we’re going to do it with people on the bag.”
NEW YORK: DH Jason Giambi missed his second straight game because of a spur near his left heel. He saw a foot specialist, who relieved the pain with a new method of taping the foot. Giambi plans to play Friday at Seattle. “It made a huge, huge difference in the way my foot felt. I’m really optimistic,” Giambi said. “There’s going to be some discomfort, but not like the pain I was in before.” … CF Johnny Damon left in the eighth after his right calf cramped again. Yankees manager Joe Torre wasn’t sure whether Damon would start Friday. “I feel a lot more upbeat about being out there. The whole first month I was just in bad shape.” … There was no word on the results of RHP Carl Pavano’s exam by Dr. Lewis Yocum, the fourth physician to examine his elbow. … LHP Andy Pettitte is likely to start the open of the series at the Mets which begins May 18.
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Devil Rays-Orioles
all three.
BALTIMORE: RF Nick Markakis was not in the starting lineup Thursday after starting all 34 games. Manager Sam Perlozzo said he wanted to rest Markakis, and that the decision had nothing to do with the outfielder’s 9-for-54 (.167) slump. “That’s baseball. You’re not going to go out there and play every day,” said Markakis, who was replaced in right by Jay Gibbons. … Kevin Millar homered Thursday, marking the third straight in which the Orioles got a homer from their DH. Gibbons connected Tuesday and Aubrey Huff homered Tuesday. … When the Orioles and Devil Rays went scoreless for nine innings Wednesday, it was the second time that happened at Camden Yards this season. That equaled the total number of such games in the ballpark’s first 15 years of existence (1,180 games).
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Red Sox-Blue Jays
e Matsuzaka).
TORONTO: LHP B.J. Ryan underwent Tommy John surgery on his left elbow Thursday and will miss the remainder of the season. Ryan isn’t expected to return until spring training. Jeremy Accardo, Scott Downs and Casey Janssen will share save opportunities in Ryan’s absence. … The Blue Jays placed RHP Victor Zambrano (strained forearm) on the 15-day disabled list and recalled RHP Jaime Vermilyea from triple-A Syracuse. RHP Shaun Marcum will take over Zambrano’s spot in the starting rotation beginning Sunday against Tampa Bay. … Toronto juggled its lineup on Thursday with 3B Troy Glaus moving into the cleanup spot and DH Frank Thomas dropping into the fifth spot.
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Athletics-Royals
ome runs in a game for the first time since Sept. 11, 2003, against the Angels.
KANSAS CITY: RHP Octavio Dotel, who has missed the first 35 games with a pulled left oblique, left Thursday for the Royals’ complex in Surprise, Ariz. Dotel is scheduled to throw an inning on Friday in an extended spring training game. … The Royals designated for assignment RHP Todd Wellemeyer, who had a 10.34 ERA in 12 relief appearances. They purchased the contract of RHP Jason Standridge from Triple-A Omaha. … Rookie 3B Alex Gordon, who is hitting .173 with 35 strikeouts in 104 at-bats and has committed seven errors in 32 games, was held out of the lineup against A’s LHP Joe Kennedy. Gordon did replace 1B Mike Sweeney, who left with hamstring tightness, in the seventh inning and struck out in his only at-bat. … The Royals went 3-7 on this homestand, their longest of the season. They have played 21 of their first 35 games at home. They open a 10-game road trip on Friday. The Royals are 4-10 on the road, hitting just .229 in the 14 games.
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White Sox-Twins
es. “This kid’s been good. … I’m not promising anything, but if we need him to win, we’ll keep him,” Guillen said after he was asked if Sweeney would be sent to the minors when Thome comes back. … Thome remains on track to begin a rehabilitation assignment sometime this weekend with Charlotte. The White Sox hope to have him available for their series against the Yankees that begins Tuesday. … Guillen got going before Wednesday night’s game on catcher A.J. Pierzynski. Guillen acknowledged that Pierzynski’s abrasive personality can be tough to put up with, but he has never questioned Pierzynski’s competitive drive and commitment to the team. “I’ve got a hate-love for him. He respects me, he respects my ballclub, he gives us a headache every day. A good one though,” Guillen said.
a slow process,” manager Ron Gardenhire said. … Hunter on RH Carlos Silva, who has bounced back so far from a miserable 2006 season: “He looks so good and so confident on the mound, and we can’t get nothing done.”
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Indians-Angels:
CLEVELAND: The Indians were shutout Thursday for the first time this season. … They had no runners in scoring position through eight innings. … LHP Jeremy Sowers fell to 0-3. He gave up six runs on four hits in five innings, struck out two and walked one. “It’s still Jeremy’s first full year in the big leagues, so we knew he was going to have some bumps along the way,” manager Eric Wedge said. “And that’s what he’s working through right now, so you just keep working with him, support him and make sure that he remains confident when he goes out there and pitches.”
LOS ANGELES: RHP Kelvim Escobar notched the Angels’ first complete game of the season Thursday. He has given up one run in his last two starts. … Their 8-0 victory was the team’s second shutout. … The Angels stole three bases Thursday and lead the AL with 31. … They are 13-2 when collecting 10 or more hits. … The Angels are 16-1 when Gary Matthews Jr. scores a run.
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NATIONAL LEAGUE
Dodgers-Marlins
LOS ANGELES: RHP Derek Lowe’s complete game Thursday against Florida was his sixth in 197 career starts, and the Dodgers’ first this season. … 1B Nomar Garciaparra went 3-for-25 (.120) on the Dodgers’ trip. … 3B Wilson Betemit, who lost his starting job last week, made a spot start Thursday and went 0-for-3 to drop his average to .159. He also made a costly ninth-inning error.
FLORIDA: RF Jeremy Hermida (knee bruise) might rejoin the team as early as this weekend, manager Fredi Gonzalez said. Hermida hit two homers and a bases-loaded triple Wednesday in his first rehab game for Single-A Jupiter. … OF Joe Borchard went 0-for-3 Thursday to drop his average to .203. He has struck out 42 times in 118 at-bats. … LF Josh Willingham had been 4-for-30 in day games this season before his walkoff homer Thursday.
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Astros-Reds
HOUSTON: The Astros are 7-2 against the Reds this season, including 5-1 at Great American Ball Park. … Lance Berkman went 6-for-14 during the series with three homers, extending his hitting streak to 10 games. Berkman is a .331 career hitter against the Reds with 38 homers and 107 RBIs, his highest totals against any team. … Luke Scott extended his hitting streak to eight games. … RF Orlando Palmeiro made his first start since June 24 against the White Sox. … Chris Burke’s three-run homer was his 200th career hit and his first homer since Sept. 12 at St. Louis.
CINCINNATI: The Reds begin a road trip in Los Angeles on Friday. The Reds were 0-6 against the Dodgers last season, the first time they were swept by Los Angeles in a season series. … 3B Edwin Encarnacion was optioned to Triple-A Louisville after committing two more errors that set up all three of Houston’s runs Wednesday night. … Ken Griffey Jr. hit his 569th career homer, tying Rafael Palmeiro for ninth on the list. Harmon Killebrew is eighth at 573. Since returning to his accustomed third spot in the order, Griffey has hit safely in seven of eight games, with four of his six homers. … Adam Dunn had a homer, triple and double in his first three at-bats. He grounded into a double play in his last at-bat, missing out on the cycle. Dunn has two triples this season, tying his career high.
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Padres-Braves
a really bad start.”
ATLANTA: Bob Wickman has been on the disabled list all month. The Braves haven’t missed him a bit. The Atlanta closer went on the DL April 30 with upper back pain, but the rest of the bullpen has easily picked up the slack. The relievers are 4-0 with six saves and a 2.03 ERA in 31 innings since Wickman went down. Wickman’s late-inning replacements have been dominant. Rafael Soriano is 5-for-5 in save opportunities, pitching six hitless innings with five strikeouts. Mike Gonzalez has a win, a save and five strikeouts in five shutout innings. … Jeff Francoeur’s teammates couldn’t resist taking a jab at the excitable outfielder after he stole his first base of the season in the second inning. Francoeur had only one stolen base in all of 2006, so he has the same amount of thefts since the start of last season as good friend Brian McCann, the Braves’ notoriously slow-running catcher. When Francoeur got to the clubhouse after the game, someone had left a base in his locker with this message written on it: “On the heels of Ricky Henderson (baseball’s career stolen base leader). This ties you with McCann.”
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Pirates-Cubs
PITTSBURGH: Manager Jim Tracy responded to a prolonged hitting slump by his team and shook up the batting order. 2B Freddy Sanchez hit leadoff for the third time, 3B Jose Bautista hit second for the first time and SS Jack Wilson moved down from second to eighth. The Pirates won 6-4. “I’m just trying something else,” Tracy said before the game. “We’re trying to get something at the top of the our lineup. (The lack of offense) is the one thing right now that’s holding our ballclub up.” Sanchez, last season’s batting champ, was hitting just .240, mostly in the third spot. Tracy insisted Wilson’s demotion to the eight hole isn’t permanent. While he came into the game hitting .275, his on-base percentage was only .305 thanks to just six walks in 131 at-bats. “I think it behooves us to move Jack down there and see what happens,” Tracy said. “Here, as of late, he hasn’t been swinging real well, hasn’t been getting on base and he hasn’t drawn any walks.” Bautista hit .293 in April but was just 4-for-25 in May coming into the game. Still Tracy said he liked Bautista’s plate discipline. “For the most part, the thing that you don’t see him do is expand the strike zone,” Tracy said. “You don’t see Jose Bautista chase a lot of bad balls.”
t again for us,” Piniella said. … RHP Wade Miller, out since April 23 with back spasms, is expected to go on a rehab stint in the minors, Piniella said. “He’s thrown off the mound a few times. He’s feeling better and he’s working on a couple of things with (pitching coach) Larry (Rothschild),” Piniella said. … First base coach Matt Sinatro returned to the club after missing the last two games. He was hospitalized after experiencing shortness of breath after Monday’s flight home from the team’s last road trip.
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Giants-Rockies
SAN FRANCISCO: CF Dave Roberts decided to undergo surgery on his left elbow that could sideline him for a month. He went on the 15-day DL Thursday and the Giants also designated OF Todd Linden for assignment. To fill the roster spots, the Giants recalled OFs Fred Lewis and Dan Ortmeier from Triple-A Fresno. Manager Bruce Bochy said this doesn’t mean that Barry Bonds will get less down time. “No, no, I’m not going to push Barry. If he needs a day, he’s going to get a day. I’ll keep tabs on him. The last thing we want to do is break somebody else down, whether it’s Barry or some of the other veterans,” Bochy said.
he ball from his unassisted triple play. 1B Todd Helton inadvertently tossed it into the stands following the play April 29 and radio personality Steffan Tubbs, who was sitting behind the Rockies’ dugout, caught it. Tubbs is going to present the ball to Tulowitzki on Friday after signing an affidavit verifying its validity.
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