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| Eric Gagne threw 15 pitches in a minor-league game Friday and was clocked as high as 94 MPH, according to the AP. "I'm getting pitches under my belt," Gagne said. "I'm not where I was three years ago, but I'm getting better." Gagne is scheduled to pitch another inning for Double-A Frisco tomorrow. It's not clear exactly when he will return to the Rangers. |
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| Micah Owings had a fine major league debut Friday, giving up just one hit and three walks while striking out six over five innings. Owings picked up the win. |
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| Luke Scott returned to the lineup Friday after missing two games with a hyperextended right elbow, according to the AP. Scott was 1-for-4 on the night. |
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| Jim Edmonds was out of the lineup Friday after starting the first three games of the year, according to the AP. Manager Tony La Russa said he plans to rest Edmonds every third day until he fully recovers from offseason surgeries on his foot and right shoulder. "We're just trying to work him back into shape," La Russa said. |
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| Duaner Sanchez will have surgery Tuesday to have a screw inserted into his right shoulder, according to the AP. Mets assistant general manager John Ricco said there is no timetable for Sanchez's return, but GM Omar Minaya previously said that if Sanchez has the surgery he will miss most of the year. |
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| Taylor Tankersley pitched an inning for Single-A Jupiter on a rehab assignment Thursday and may be activated from the DL when the Marlins begin a trip next Friday, manager Fredi Gonzalez told the AP. Tankersley is recovering from shoulder tendinitis. |
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| Francisco Rodriguez has been cleared of any wrongdoing by MLB regarding accusations this week that he was doctoring the ball, according to the AP. "That's the word we got, so it's a non-issue," manager Mike Scioscia said. "It's just a function of touching the rosin bag and adjusting your cap. I'm sure it shows up on a lot of pitchers' caps. It's really much ado about nothing." |
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| Johnny Damon was feeling much better Friday and won't be placed on the DL, general manager Brian Cashman told the AP. Damon hopes to be available Saturday. "There was massive improvement last night," Damon said. "It feels pretty good today. Yes, I'm proud I've never been on, and hopefully I won't." |
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| Ramon Hernandez sat out again Friday and might be headed to the DL because of a strained left oblique, according to the AP. "If we get through this series and nothing happens, then I'll have to consider it," manager Sam Perlozzo said. "We're being real careful with him. We don't want to lose him for a long time." |
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| Robinson Tejeda was terrific in his first start of the season Friday, tossing seven shutout innings while giving up two hits and three walks with one strikeout. Dating back to last year, Tejeda is 5-2 with a 2.05 ERA in his last nine starts for the Rangers. |
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| Josh Hamilton was supposed to make his first start on Thursday, but a 24-hour virus kept him away from the ballpark for the day, according to the AP. Hamilton is likely to start either Friday or Saturday. |
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| Randy Johnson threw a bullpen session Friday and is on schedule to make a minor league start Sunday as he works his way back from offseason back surgery, the AP reports. "Everything went well," manager Bob Melvin said. Johnson is slated to pitch for Class-A Visalia on Sunday, then for Triple-A Tucson on April 13; at that point, the team will re-evaluate the situation. |
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| Victor Martinez left Friday's game against the Mariners in the third inning after suffering a left quad injury, according to the Sports Network. He suffered the injury while running out a groundball to third base. The Indians are saying that V-Mart is day-to-day at this point, but the injury appeared to be one that could keep him out of the lineup for a couple days. |
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| Bobby Crosby got a day off Thursday, as planned, the Contra Costa Times reports. Manager Bob Geren also might rest Crosby Sunday, the first time this season the A's play a day game after a night game. |
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| Barry Bonds might rest Saturday, a day game following a night game, the Giants official site reports. |
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| Pedro Feliz didn't start Thursday so Bruce Bochy could get Ryan Klesko into the lineup, the Giants official site reports. Klesko got the call at first, Rich Aurilia moved to third, and Feliz didn't start. Feliz, who started 106 games before receiving his first break last season, didn't seem too excited about Bochy's move but refrained from complaining. "What can I do?" he said. "I want to play every game, but it's not going to happen." He'll be back in the lineup Friday, with Aurilia sitting.
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| Ryan Klesko will stick in the lineup Friday as he has a favorable history against Dodgers starter Brad Penny, the Giants official site reports. Klesko, who will start in place of Rich Aurilia, is 12-for-29 against Penny. |
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| Billy Butler went 2-for-4 with a homer and a double for Triple-A Omaha on Thursday. Butler, the team's top prospect now that Alex Gordon is in the majors, hit .419 this spring and is on the fast track, though the club wants him to improve his defense. |
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| Josh Towers won't make his first start until Tuesday against the Royals. The team doesn't want to get A.J. Burnett or Roy Halladay off schedule after Thursday's postponement at Detroit, so Towers winds up getting pushed back. |
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| Kory Casto went 0-for-5 in Thursday's loss to Arizona, dropping him to 2-for-14 so far this year. He's also struck out five times, with three of them coming Thursday. |
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| Nick Masset allowed one run over 4 1/3 innings of relief work Thursday, the Chicago Sun-Times reports. He's one possible candidate to start Tuesday at Oakland if Mark Buehrle (arm) is unable to go. |
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| X-rays on Mark Buehrle's pitching arm came back negative Thursday, and he's considered day-to-day, the Chicago Sun-Times reports. "I'm going to try to do everything I can to get back out there," said Buehrle, who was forced out of his first start after taking a line drive off his arm. If Buehrle can't make his next start Tuesday at Oakland, rookie Nick Masset could get the call instead. |
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| Tomo Ohka will make his season debut Saturday at Tampa Bay, the Toronto Globe & Mail reports. His start got pushed back one day when the Blue Jays-Tigers game was postponed Thursday. |
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| Taylor Tankersley allowed three runs in one messy inning at Single-A Thursday, which might be enough to push back his return date. Tankersley is eligible to come off the disabled list Saturday, but the Marlins will probably look for him to do more rehab work first. He's returning from a sore pitching shoulder. |
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| Pablo Ozuna's appearance at shortstop Wednesday was his first there since 2005, the Chicago Tribune reports. Ozuna was a shortstop in the St. Louis organization in the late 1990s but has carved his niche with the Sox as a utility player. He played three games at short with Colorado in 2003 and 15 there with the Sox in 2005. |
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| Ozzie Guillen says he's not concerned about the messy way Jose Contreras opened the year, the Chicago Tribune reports. Contreras was rocked for eight runs (seven earned) in an inning-plus of work Monday. "Every year, some player has problems," Guillen said. "His kids are sick, the wife is mad, the parents ask for money. There are a lot of problems out there, even bigger than that. Jose was fine, and I was satisfied with what he told me."
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| Freddy Garcia pitched 3 1/3 scoreless innings in an extended spring training start Thursday, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. He's coming back from bicep tendinitis. Thirty-two of his 49 pitches were fastballs, which reached 86 to 88 mph. The Phillies are hoping to give Garcia one more turn in Florida, then have him rejoin the club on April 15.
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| Sean Burroughs could finally be close to returning to action, the Seattle Times reports. He sprained the AC joint in his shoulder just prior to spring training. Burroughs has about one more week of rehab left, then he'll probably work out at the team's training camp in Arizona.
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| Ben Broussard has batted just once so far this week, the Seattle Times reports. His role as a corner outfield reserve has been taken down some with the arrival of Jason Ellison. The Mariners have also been dangling Broussard as trade bait. |
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| Zack Greinke made a strong impression in his season debut against Boston Thursday, allowing just one earned run over seven innings. Greinke also struck out seven. Given how sharp Greinke looked for most of the spring, he should be put on your sleeper radar immediately. |
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| Jason Varitek is getting a planned day off Friday, as expected with Tim Wakefield on the mound. Doug Mirabelli picks up the start in Varitek's place, as he likely will all year whenever Wakefield is the scheduled pitcher. |
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| The Reds feel Matt Belisle will be helped by the more regular schedule of starting, the Cincinnati Enquirer reports. He's starting the year as the team's No. 4 man in the rotation, with his first turn coming at home Friday against Pittsburgh.
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| Eric Milton is expected to make his start as scheduled Sunday, the Cincinnati Enquirer reports. Milton missed his last start of the spring with a sore back, but he threw to hitters Wednesday and felt good enough to take batting practice Thursday.
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| Ian Kinsler batted in the sixth spot Wednesday with Sammy Sosa out of the lineup - and homered - the Dallas Morning News reports. Although Kinsler's normal lineup spot for now is at the bottom of the order, it's very possible his live bat will force a better position before long. He's only got two hits so far this week but they're both homers, and he's also stolen a base. All that said, Kinsler is back in the ninth spot in the order Friday against Boston.
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| Craig Monroe was going to get Thursday off even before the game was rained out, the Tigers official site reports. Jim Leyland said Monroe is battling a "slight strain," though he won't say where it is. Monroe was dealing with knee tendinitis this spring. |
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| Mark Grudzielanek was given a routine day off Thursday, the Royals official site reports. Buddy Bell wanted to give Grudzielanek the day off after having the veteran play Wednesday night. |
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| Reggie Sanders is expected to get a spot start Saturday against the Tigers, according to the Royals official site. Sanders is clearly the odd guy out in the Royals outfield and DH picture for the moment, so don't look for him to play more than a day or two every week. |
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| John Grabow threw a 50-pitch live batting practice in Florida Thursday and said his elbow was "pain-free," the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports. He will not rejoin the Pirates until after a minor-league rehabilitation stint, however, and one has not yet been scheduled as of yet.
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| Elijah Dukes hit his second homer of the season in Thursday's win at New York. He's making a case to stick as a semi-regular, at minimum, even when Rocco Baldelli is ready to play center field again. It wouldn't surprise us if Dukes picked up DH at-bats at the expense of Jonny Gomes. |
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| Freddy Sanchez could rejoin the Pirates in Cincinnati Saturday, the first day he is eligible to come off the 15-day disabled list, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports. Management is leaving the call up to Sanchez, who had originally been targeting Monday's home opener. Sanchez said his right knee felt good in Thursday's Triple-A game at Indianapolis (he went 1-for-2 with two walks); he'll play in another rehab game Friday. |
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| Although Troy Tulowitzki is 4-for-15 this year and has a hit in every game, he's also struck out seven times and doesn't have any walks. Tulowitzki was more patient last year when he walked 10 times over 106 plate appearances, though he also had 25 strikeouts over that span.
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| Brian Lawrence had an ordinary first turn at Triple-A, allowing 10 hits and three runs over 6 2/3 innings, the Rocky Mountain News reports. Lawrence, who's only expected to have 2-3 starts in the minors, is coming back from shouder surgery. He threw 88 pitches, 63 for strikes. |
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| Jeremy Affeldt managed to roll both ankles on a ninth-inning warm-up pitch Wednesday, though he retained in the game, the Denver Post reports. Affeldt, whose left ankle was taped, believes he will be available Friday.
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| Mike Hampton plans to throw a bullpen session this weekend, after which the Braves will decide if he's ready to begin a minor-league rehab assignment, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. The team is hoping Hampton, who is coming off a strained oblique, will be ready to rejoin the rotation in early May. |
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| Francisco Rodriguez denies that he's altering baseballs in any way, saying the white substance seen on his cap is merely rosin, the Los Angeles Times reports. There have been internet reports this week that allege Rodriguez is doing something underhanded on the mound. "It's from the rosin bag," Rodriguez said, showing reporters his cap before Thursday's game. "If that's illegal, why is there a rosin bag on the mound? You can come check me any time you want. I have nothing to hide." MLB spokesman Pat Courtney said his office was notified by e-mail about the photos and is reviewing tapes of Rodriguez. |
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| Shea Hillenbrand sat out his second game because of a tight right groin Thursday, the Los Angeles Times reports. He could be available to pinch-hit Friday. |
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| Mike Napoli did not start Thursday because of severe flu-like symptoms, though Mike Scioscia said he could have played in an emergency, the Los Angeles Times reports. |
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| Carlos Quentin is on a pace that could return him to the Diamondbacks in 10-14 days, assuming he doesn't have a setback, the East Valley Tribune reports. Quentin is coming back from a torn left labrum. The team figures he'll eventually need "five to seven days" of games on a rehab assignment. |
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| Bobby Kielty picked up another start against a lefty Thursday and went 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI. Kielty has a career average of .300 and an OPS of .904 against lefties, so it's likely that he'll continue to start against them as the year goes along. His numbers fall through the floor against righties, however (.230 average, .683 OPS), which puts a cap on how fantasy-valuable he can be. |
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| Although Bob Geren said last weekend that Travis Buck would not be a platoon player, Buck sat against a left-handed starter for the second time in a row Thursday, the Athletics official site reports. Given how well Bobby Kielty hits against lefties, it's entirely possible this arrangement will be fairly common. Buck is expected to be back in the lineup Friday. |
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| Eric Chavez says the forearm discomfort he dealt with in spring training is no longer an issue, according to the Athletics official site. "Everything's good," he said. "Forearms, legs, everything. I feel great." Chavez is off to a 4-for-17 start this year, with one run scored and one RBI. |
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| Daniel Cabrera will probably make a few more starts before the Orioles decide to make any significant changes aimed at preventing stolen bases, the Washington Post reports. Although Cabrera was effective in his first start of the year Tuesday (allowing three runs over seven innings, with nine strikeouts), the Twins also stole four bases against him. For what it's worth, Cabrera said after Tuesday's game he'd try to be quicker to the plate. "It's a fine line there," manager Sam Perlozzo said. "We can call some slide steps and things like that to get him a little bit better. But last year he was a lot better at it. We'll get him through the first start and then make adjustments after that." |
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| Marlon Byrd has cleared waivers and will report to Triple-A Oklahoma. The Rangers had designated him for assignment last weekend. |
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| Jorge Cantu went 1-for-4 with a triple and two strikeouts in his Triple-A opener Thursday, the Tampa Tribune reports. Cantu is still hoping for a trade. |
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| Josh Phelps might pick up two starts this weekend as the Yankees face left-handers Friday and Sunday, the New York Daily News reports. |
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| Although Johnny Damon is feeling better than he did two days ago, when he said he could barely walk, he is not healthy enough to play and he still might wind up on the disabled list, the New York Daily News reports. Damon is battling sore calves, specifically the right one; an MRI revealed a Grade 1 strain. "Where we go from here, we'll see," Joe Torre said. "We'll see how it progresses and we'll make a decision if we're going to do anything other than to wait for him to get better."
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| Luke Hudson completed his second bullpen session of the week Thursday and said his right shoulder felt great, the Kansas City Star reports. Hudson was scheduled to be the No. 3 starter before right shoulder inflammation put him on the 15-day disabled list. The first day he is eligible to come off is April 16. "Now I just have to build up my pitch count," Hudson said. "As soon as I can do that and get up to 90 pitches or however many pitches I need to get up to, I will come off." |
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| Michael Cuddyer is expected to play Friday, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. He left Wednesday's game after taking a foul ball on the chin; five stitches were required. |
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| Al Reyes worked a scoreless inning at New York Thursday en route to his first save of the year. He's currently the head of the closer-by-committee in Tampa Bay, but a few more outings like this may allow for Reyes to take the job and run with it. |
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| Mark Kotsay says he's making good progress in his comeback from back surgery and is still shooting for a return in early June, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. |
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