Guillen denies desire to be traded from Royals

Left fielder Jose Guillen wants out of Kansas City pronto, according to a source who spoke to ESPNdeportes.com on condition of anonymity. Jose Guillen

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2008 Season StatsGMHRRBIROBPAVG100146943.287.260

Guillen feels the Royals have not kept the promises made when he signed for three years and $36 million during the offseason, said the source. But the main reason he is in "living hell in Kansas City" is a foul relationship with manager Trey Hillman.

"Guillen and Hillman are not on speaking terms, they don't talk," said the source. "Guillen is definitely not happy, he's not comfortable and he would do anything he can in economic terms to ease his way out of Kansas City."

Guillen, however, denied he wants out.

"This is completely catching me by surprise," Guillen told The Kansas City Star. "This isn't coming from me. Trey and I are fine right now, and I've never said I wanted out of Kansas City.

"This is the team that is paying me a lot of money, and this is where I want to be. I don't know where all of this stuff is coming from. I hate to be put in this situation, and now I look like a bad guy again."

Team general manager Dayton Moore seemed just as shocked.

"This is puzzling to me because I tried to stay tuned in," Moore told the newspaper. "Unless he's telling me one thing and saying another, I've been under the understanding that he and Trey are getting along well."

When Guillen signed with Kansas City he knew the team wouldn't be a contender in 2008, but he was promised that moves would be made to build a winning team in 2009, said the source.

The 32-year-old is leading the Royals with 14 home runs and 69 RBIs, but he has been nursing a groin injury that kept him out of the lineup on Sunday against the Tampa Bay Rays.

Guillen's bat could help a number of teams in the race for the postseason, but Kansas City has not shown any interest in trading him. The source said Guillen is ready to defer his salary for 2009 and 2010 if it helps increase his value on the trading block.


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Rangers' Bradley, Young dont start vs. Mariners

ARLINGTON, Texas -- The Texas Rangers starting lineup was without All-Stars Michael Young and Milton Bradley Wednesday night against the Seattle Mariners.

Young

Bradley

Young's fractured right ring finger was stiff when he came to the ballpark on Wednesday, making it difficult to grip a bat, but the shortstop said he might be available to pinch hit.

He pinch hit for Brandon Boggs on Wednesday night, recording a sacrifice fly in the eighth inning in the Rangers' 4-3 win over Seattle.

Young, who injured the finger Monday night and was originally projected to miss five to seven days, went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts Tuesday night in a 11-10 win over the Mariners.

"I wouldn't have enough grip to stand up there with a bat and be effective," Young said. "But my body seems to react pretty quickly to treatment. It won't be anything long-term."

Bradley was removed from Tuesday night's game in the eighth inning after straining his left quad while running out a grounder in the fifth. Manager Ron Washington said Bradley would not be available on Wednesday night and his condition would be reassessed on Thursday.

Washington also said that rookie right-hander Eric Hurley would not make Friday night's scheduled start due to right biceps tendinitis. The Rangers haven't determined who will start against the Toronto Blue Jays.

Hurley has already made one trip to the disabled list earlier this month with a hamstring problem, but this is the first arm issue of his career. Washington said there were no immediate plans to place Hurley on the DL.

"I'll only miss one start," Hurley said. "I'm not really worried about it. It'll only be a couple of days. What's frustrating is not being able to contribute. This is the first ache or pain I've had with my arm."


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Phils put Feliz on DL, recall Happ to replace Eaton

WASHINGTON -- Phillies third baseman Pedro Feliz went on the 15-day disabled list with a lower back injury before Philadelphia's game against the Nationals on Tuesday.

Feliz had missed the Phillies' previous three games, so the move is retroactive to Friday. He's hitting .256 with 12 homers and 46 RBIs this season.

"Today when he came to the ballpark, we could tell he was hurting," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said.

Feliz was sent back to Philadelphia on Tuesday and Greg Dobbs was in the lineup at third base.

Dobbs and Eric Bruntlett will split time until one of them "gets hot," Manuel said. "We'll see who wants to play there -- whoever does the best."

The Phillies, who entered the day a half-game behind the first-place New York Mets in the NL East, also recalled infielder Mike Cervanek and left-hander J.A. Happ from Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

Happ takes the roster spot of struggling right-hander Adam Eaton, who accepted an assignment to the minor leagues Monday.

Happ made two starts for the Phillies earlier this season, with a 3.27 ERA and no decisions. He went 7-6 with a 3.30 ERA in 20 appearances -- 19 starts -- for Lehigh Valley.

Manuel said he planned to have Happ in the bullpen at the outset, but that the pitcher could wind up starting.

"We're trying to get our starting pitching straightened out where we like it," Manuel said. "We're trying to still find the best starting rotation we can put on the field."

Eaton was 4-8 with a 5.80 ERA in 21 games with Philadelphia this season and was dropped from the starting rotation. He allowed three runs in two innings against Atlanta on Sunday.

Eaton signed a $24.5 million, three-year deal as a free agent before last season.


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Dodgers game still on despite L.A. earthquake

The Dodgers' game Tuesday night against the San Francisco Giants will be played as scheduled despite a magnitude 5.4 earthquake that hit the Los Angeles area this afternoon.

The team said in a statement that there was some shaking of Dodger Stadium during the earthquake, but checks showed no damage to the park.

The jolt was felt from Los Angeles to San Diego, and slightly in Las Vegas.

The 2:42 p.m. ET quake was initially estimated at 5.8 but was revised downward to magnitude 5.4 by seismologist Kate Hutton of the U.S. Geological Survey office in Pasadena. More than one dozen aftershocks quickly followed. The largest were magnitude 3.8.

The quake was centered 29 miles east-southeast of downtown Los Angeles near the San Bernardino County city of Chino Hills.


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Pads' Young ready to go after taking shot to face

SAN DIEGO -- Chris Young has no apprehension about returning to the mound for the first time since he was hit in the face by Albert Pujols' line drive more than two months ago, breaking his nose and fracturing his skull.

The San Diego Padres' 6-foot-10 right-hander is scheduled to start Tuesday night against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Petco Park.

Young

Young's comeback included a handful of simulated games and two rehab starts with Class A Lake Elsinore, so he doesn't anticipate being any more nervous than normal.

"After the injury I wasn't sure how that would be, if it would take a while to get over that," Young said Monday. "I've faced a lot of live batters since then and I haven't had any issues. It hasn't been a thought. In fact, there have been comebackers that were hit hard that I've fielded, some have gotten past me. Never once did I worry about it. Hopefully there won't be any in my face."

Young threw 8 2/3 innings in two rehab starts, allowing five hits and three runs, all on solo homers. He struck out seven and walked one.

Young was left dazed and bloodied when he was hit by Pujols' liner on May 21 in a loss to the St. Louis Cardinals at Petco Park.

Doctors had to wait for the swelling to go down and for a small skull fracture to heal before they could repair his septum on June 30. That allowed him to breathe through his nose.

"I consider myself fortunate getting out there this soon," he said.

Young said his nose is still numb and that it can't get bumped.

"When I hold my daughter I try not to let her get close to my face," he said. "It's still pretty sore. I had a sinus infection last week. I'm going to be prone to those for a while. There's still healing taking place but I think I'm at a point right now where physically there's very little risk going out and performing out on the mound."

Young is hoping it's a once-in-a-career injury.

"It's such a low-risk injury," he said. "It's pretty rare that it happens. I'm going to keep that in mind when I go out there tomorrow night. My nose isn't completely healed. If it happens again it could be some significant damage there, but I've played a long time without it happening, hopefully I'll go a long time without it happening again."

Young said he has a different perspective since the injury, "as far as appreciation for the game and everything I've missed, how much fun it is to be out there. I'm really excited to be back."

Catcher Michael Barrett, meanwhile, continues to recover from surgery on July 13 to insert four titanium plates in his face. He broke his nose, his right orbital bone and a bone in his forehead when he fouled a ball off his face at Colorado on July 2.

Barrett said doctors peeled his forehead down during the four-hour surgery. He has a scar running across the top of his head where doctors used 32 staples to close him back up.

"I've got pictures. They're gnarly," Barrett said.

"Hey, so now you can become a boxer," first baseman Adrian Gonzalez said after hearing Barrett describe where the titanium plates were placed.

"I'm a little less fragile," the catcher said.

Barrett said he'll go in Friday for cosmetic surgery "because the scar is like uneven pavement. It's just a minor deal."


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Manny is tired of Red Sox, won't block a trade

Once again, Manny Ramirez is unhappy with the Boston Red Sox.

"I'm tired of them. They're tired of me," Ramirez said, according to The Associated Press, before Sunday night's 9-2 victory over the New York Yankees.

In an interview with ESPNdeportes.com earlier Sunday, Ramirez said he will not block a trade if the Red Sox want to go in that direction.

"If the Red Sox are a better team without Manny Ramirez, they should trade me; I will not object," he said.

"I don't have any preferences. I could choose a team that offers me the best conditions or one in the chase for the postseason. I don't care where I play, I can even play in Iraq if need be. My job is to play baseball," Ramirez added.

I don't have any preferences: I could choose a team that offers me the best conditions or one in the chase for the postseason. I don't care where I play, I can even play in Iraq if need be. My job is to play baseball.

-- Manny Ramirez

Red Sox owner John Henry, in an e-mail to The Associated Press, responded, "We are concentrating on one thing -- a playoff spot."

General manager Theo Epstein echoed those thoughts.

"Our focus is on this team -- which is in the middle of a pennant race -- and in any case it would be premature to comment now on an offseason contractual issue," Epstein said.

Ramirez is hitting .302 with 16 home runs and 65 RBIs this season. He returned to the Red Sox lineup Saturday to face the Yankees after missing the two previous games with pain in his right knee.

Manager Terry Francona and Red Sox officials spoke with Ramirez on Friday after the results of tests on both his knees revealed no injuries.

There were reports in the Boston media that the team was planning to take disciplinary action against Ramirez if he did not return to the lineup for the last two games of the series against the Yankees.

It also was suggested during the weekend that Red Sox management might evaluate the idea of trading Ramirez before Thursday's deadline.

Ramirez, 36, is in the last season of the eight-year, $168 million contract he signed with Boston in December 2000. The Red Sox have two options of $20 million each, meaning that the club has the choice of signing him at $20 million for next year and, if the Sox take this option, at $20 million again for 2010 (otherwise, he becomes a free agent).

"If they can get a trade, I'd approve it. If they can't trade me, then they will simply have to inform me by the end of the season that they won't use the options and we'll go separate ways," said Ramirez, who must approve any trade because of his 10-5 status (10 years in the major leagues, the past five with the same team).

"I don't want to be a problem and a distraction to the Red Sox in such a critical moment of the season," Ramirez said. "I want to help the team, even if that means I have to go."

Francona said before Sunday's game that he wasn't aware of the ESPNdeportes interview. And he didn't know whether Ramirez was in a good mood.

"I'm not sure that matters," Francona said. "I'd take a guy that's hitting .500 that's miserable as opposed to a guy that hands out bouquets to his teammates and is hitting a buck 45. ... You move on. The goal is to get better from it. I think we've done a good job of that here."

Regarding his knee problems, Ramirez said he thinks he's dealing with tendinitis and denied he is faking injuries.

"I'm a ballplayer with more than 500 home runs and almost 2,000 RBIs. I'm a professional. I don't know how anybody can say I could be making it all up," said Ramirez, who has 509 home runs and 1,669 RBIs in 16 seasons.

Ramirez is convinced that all the fuss surrounding his injury and his contractual situation is part of a Red Sox campaign to portray him as the "bad guy."

"The Yankees are getting closer and getting stronger, while we haven't done much," Ramirez said. "I could say that right now there's a strange atmosphere in our team."


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Rangers put RHP Millwood on DL, activate C Laird

OAKLAND, Calif. -- The Texas Rangers put right-hander Kevin Millwood on the 15-day disabled list Saturday with a right groin strain and activated catcher Gerald Laird.

Millwood left Wednesday's start at the Chicago White Sox in the second inning after injuring the same groin that landed him on the DL for 18 days in May. The 33-year-old is 6-6 with a 5.40 ERA in 20 starts.

It is the seventh career trip to the DL for Millwood, second on the Rangers staff with 108 1/3 innings pitched.

Laird went on the disabled June 21, a day after straining his right hamstring while running the bases against Washington. It was Laird's first trip to the DL since a two-month stint in 2004 when he tore a left thumb ligament after making the team in spring training. He didn't come back to the big leagues full-time until 2006.

This year, Laird is hitting .306 with four home runs and 25 RBIs in 51 games. He hit safely in 12 of 13 games before the injury and had a .435 batting average during that span.

Laird went hitless in 12 at-bats with two RBIs during a four-game rehabilitation stint with Triple-A Oklahoma.


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Chavez return for A's hinges on throwing program

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Oakland Athletics third baseman Eric Chavez has begun a throwing program that should determine whether the six-time Gold Glove winner can play again this season.

The 30-year-old Chavez is on the disabled list for the second time this year because of his troublesome right shoulder. He underwent surgeries on each shoulder as well as his back last year and is still feeling the effects, so much so that Chavez has hinted he might need to make a position change to get his career back on track.

Chavez made 25 throws from 60 feet Saturday, his second such throwing session.

"He's just starting a throwing program to eventually get back playing and build from there," Oakland athletic trainer Steve Sayles said. "We've just got to get a feel for how he's doing. The schedule has him throwing three days in a row and a day off, then increase the distance."

Chavez, who expects to know more about his future after he tests his shoulder over the coming week, also is hitting off a tee.

"The way my shoulder has been, I don't really see it getting better," Chavez said Friday. "At best, it's going to be maintained. The rest of this year and the beginning of next year will tell the story for the rest of my career. ... I don't want to exaggerate it or undersell it, but this is the worst predicament for a baseball player. I wish I was at peace."

Chavez was batting .247 with two home runs and 14 RBIs in only 23 games this season. That's after he was limited to 90 games last season and spent the final two months on the DL.

"There might be some big decisions to be made later," Chavez said. "I wish I could give you some answers that were definitive, but I don't even have the answers. I have yet to hear anything definitive from anybody that has made me able to sleep well."

Sayles isn't ready to guess when Chavez might be on the field again, though he said Chavez should progress more quickly in his hitting than on defense.

"I'd just like to wait and see what's going to happen," Sayles said. "I don't like to predict. Predictions get you in trouble."


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Minor league pitcher involved in brawl out of jail

DAYTON, Ohio -- Peoria Chiefs pitcher Julio Castillo was released from jail Saturday, one day after he was arraigned on a charge of felonious assault for hitting a fan in the head with a thrown baseball.

Castillo made no comment as he was released from Montgomery County Jail on Saturday afternoon. He was arrested Thursday following a fight between the Class A Chiefs and Dayton Dragons. Umpires ejected 15 players and the teams' managers after the 10-minute brawl ended.

Castillo, 21, had been ordered held on $50,000 bond Friday. Dayton Municipal Judge Carl Henderson also required Castillo, who is from the Dominican Republic, to give up his passport.

Video from the game shows Castillo angrily throwing a ball, but doesn't show where the ball landed. Castillo was charged with hitting a fan in the forehead with the throw.

The fan was treated at Miami Valley Hospital and released Thursday night, said hospital spokeswoman Nancy Thickel. She didn't know the extent of the injuries.

Police identified him as Chris McCarthy, 44, and said he was hit in the forehead, the Dayton Daily News reported. Fans told police McCarthy was knocked senseless and became incoherent.

If convicted, Castillo would face up to eight years in prison and a $15,000 fine.

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Man falls off Shea escalator, is in critical condition

NEW YORK -- A fan was seriously injured after plunging 25 feet from the handrails of an escalator at Shea Stadium during Saturday's New York Mets game, police and team officials said.

The accident happened fewer than four months after another spectator was killed in a similar fall.

The fan, a 26-year-old man, fell about 10 p.m. from the box-seat level to a floor near Gate D at the stadium as the Mets played the St. Louis Cardinals, police Detective Brian Sessa said.

The unconscious man was taken to a hospital, the Fire Department said. He was in critical condition early Sunday but expected to survive, said police Lt. John Grimpel.

As the game continued in extra innings, the team issued a statement saying it was aware of the fall and was investigating.

On April 15, fan Antonio Nararainsami, 36, lost his balance on an escalator and fell two stories to his death in a section below the left field stands. Nararainsami was leaving the stadium with his family after the Mets played the Washington Nationals.

The stadium's escalators were also the scene of a fatal fall in 1985, when a 21-year-old Yonkers man fell 100 feet.

This is the Mets' last season at Shea Stadium. A new stadium, Citi Field, is scheduled to open next year.


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Yankees get Nady, Marte in trade with Pirates

The Yankees agreed to a deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates that would give New York left-handed pitcher Damaso Marte and right fielder Xavier Nady in a deal first reported on Friday evening by ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney.

The Pirates will receive four minor leaguers including right-handed pitcher Ross Ohlendorf, right-handed pitcher George Kontos, left-handed pitcher Phil Coke and right fielder Jose Tabata in return. The trade is tentative pending physicals.

"It's definitely a positive day for us," Johnny Damon said.

The Yankees, with Hideki Matsui and Jorge Posada on the disabled list and possibly lost for the year, needed another right-handed bat for their lefty loaded lineup.

Their all-righty bullpen has a 1.67 ERA over its last 23 games, and adding Marte gives them one of the top lefty specialists in baseball.

"There's so many unexpected things [that] happen this time of year," Alex Rodriguez said, "but when you hear those names, I don't think anyone can expect to get two quality players like that in the middle of their prime to help our team."

The Pirates pulled Nady after the first inning Friday night against San Diego.

Nady was in right field during the top of the first but was replaced by Jason Michaels in the field in the second.

Nady

Marte

Marte, one of the most coveted left-handed specialists in the game, was caught by television cameras hugging teammates in the dugout after leaving the bullpen shortly after.

"There is a trade in place, pending medical reviews of all the players involved on both clubs," Pirates director of media relations Jim Trdinich said. "That is all that is permissible to be announced at this time."

The Tampa Bay Rays, New York Yankees and New York Mets all were thought to be interested in Nady, who was batting .330 with 13 home runs and 57 RBIs. Marte is 4-0 with a 3.47 ERA and 47 strikeouts in 46 2/3 innings, and also was attracting interest from several teams.

"They were two special guys in our clubhouse and two special guys on the field, and obviously they will be dearly missed," Pirates manager John Russell said.

Pittsburgh, 48-55 and in fifth place in the NL Central after a 6-5 loss to San Diego, is trying to rebuild and avoid a 16th consecutive losing season at the same time.

"We felt that this was the best move for the Pittsburgh Pirates as well as being a very good move for X and Damaso," Russell said.

Ohlendorf was 1-1 with a 6.53 ERA in 25 games with the Yankees this season. He was demoted on June 27, and had a 1-1 record with a 4.03 ERA in five starts with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Tabata, Kontos and Coke all were with Double-A Trenton. Tabata was batting .248 with three homers and 36 RBIs entering play Friday, and Coke was 9-4 with a 2.60 ERA in 20 games, 19 starts. Kontos was 3-9 with a 3.77 ERA in 20 starts.

High-ranking Yankees officials gathered for meetings at their spring training complex Thursday. After a three-hour meeting, co-chairman Hank Steinbrenner confirmed one of the topics was indicted home run king Barry Bonds.

Steinbrenner wouldn't say if the Yankees are interested in Bonds, but it appears highly unlikely the team will pursue him after acquiring Nady.

"It helps out the team, not only now but also in the long run," Damon said of acquiring Nady. "He's one of the most underrated players around. I think he's one of the best outfielders in the game."


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Astros' Oswalt feels no pain after bullpen session

MILWAUKEE -- Houston pitcher Roy Oswalt said he feels ready to make his 20th start of the season on Monday, when the Astros host the Cincinnati Reds.

"I felt no pain," the 30-year-old right-hander said after throwing 25 to 30 pitches to Geoff Blum and Hunter Pence before Friday night's game between the Astros and the Milwaukee Brewers. "It went pretty well."

That was good news for manager Cecil Cooper, who hopes to get at least 13 more starts from Oswalt.

"Roy came up and said he was fine," Astros manager Cecil Cooper said. "He threw everything. He let it all go."

Oswalt was 7-8 with a 4.56 ERA in 19 starts before being placed on the 15-day disabled list July 19, retroactive to July 12. An MRI on July 19 confirmed that he had a strained left hip abductor and a herniated disk in his back.

His last start was July 11 at Washington, when he went one inning.

"I'm ready to get back out there," he said. "Hopefully, go out there Monday and get in a groove early and (be) able to go deep in the ball game."

Cooper said that Oswalt will have a 90-pitch limit for his start, if there are no problems.

The Astros would activate Oswalt after Sunday's game or before the game Monday.


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Reds' Fogg to miss next start with split upper lip

CINCINNATI -- Josh Fogg will miss his next scheduled start for the Cincinnati Reds because of a split upper lip, suffered when he was hit in the face during batting practice.

The right-hander chipped a tooth and needed 30 stitches to close the wound on Tuesday night. He was playing catch in the outfield, warming up for his between-starts bullpen session, when he was hit by Joey Votto's batted ball. The lip was badly swollen on Wednesday morning, with sutures on a cut running from the lip toward his nose.

"I feel good, other than the fact that my face is blown up," Fogg said.

Fogg was scheduled to start on Friday against Colorado. Instead, Edinson Volquez will take his spot. With the Reds having a day off Thursday, manager Dusty Baker had planned to push all of his starters back a day to give them time off. Instead, Volquez will throw on his normal four days of rest.

"We were hoping to back everybody up because of the off day, give everybody an extra day, but that's not going to work now." Baker said.

Baker was relieved that Fogg wasn't hurt more seriously.

"He's lucky he didn't lose a tooth or break his nose," Baker said. "It's hard to play catch and pay attention. I've always been afraid of getting hit."

Fogg started the season in the rotation, then was demoted to the bullpen after three poor starts. He went on the disabled list with a sore back, and has been much better since his return. He went six innings during a 7-2 victory over the Mets on Saturday, getting his first victory since April 9.

He was in right field playing catch when Votto's batted ball hit him in the face.

"Somebody said, 'Look out' and I turned, and should have turned the other way," Fogg said. "I've gotten plenty of stitches in my life, but I've never been hit in the face before."

Fogg will play catch on Friday and see how he feels. His teammates were kidding him about the swollen face before Wednesday's game against San Diego.

"See him?" Baker said. "He looks like Mike Tyson got him."


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Brewers give ex-Oriole Gibbons his second chance

Jay Gibbons is getting his second chance.

Gibbons

The former Baltimore Orioles outfielder, who was named in the Mitchell report on performance-enhancing drugs and for months sought a chance to redeem himself, has signed a minor league deal with the Milwaukee Brewers.

Unable to find a job six weeks after his release, Gibbons, in a letter to all 30 Major League Baseball teams, acknowledged he had made a mistake. He offered to donate his minor league salary to charity if a major league team gave him a minor league deal.

The 31-year-old Gibbons was released by the Orioles in March after he batted .189 with no home runs and four RBIs in 16 games in spring training. He played in only 84 games last season because of surgery on his left shoulder.

Now, Gibbons, 31, is expected to spend the next 10 to 14 days at Double-A Huntsville before being promoted to Triple-A Nashville, if all goes according to plan. He had been playing with the Long Island Ducks of the independent Atlantic League.

"He's a little rusty, self-admittedly rusty," Brewers assistant general manager Gord Ash said according to MLB.com. "The idea is to get him some minor league at-bats and then evaluate as we go along."

Ash was the Blue Jays' GM when that team drafted Gibbons in the 14th round in 1998. The Orioles acquired him in the 2000 Rule 5 draft.

"They sat down and basically interviewed him," Brewers GM Doug Melvin said, according to MLB.com. "Gord is familiar with him from Toronto, and [Gibbons] wants to get back and playing. I don't know exactly what his [off-the-field] issues were, but they were not enough to not give a guy a second chance. He's always been a good guy with a good work ethic."

Gibbons was suspended for 15 days on Dec. 6 by commissioner Bud Selig following a media report that he received a shipment of human growth hormone after January 2005, when it was banned by baseball. The suspension was rescinded in April as part of an agreement between players and owners to toughen their anti-drug program with more frequent testing and increased authority for the program's outside administrator.

At the time, club president Andy MacPhail called Gibbons' release a "baseball decision." The move left Baltimore owing Gibbons $11.9 million for the last two seasons of a $21.1 million, four-year contract he agreed to in January 2006.

Gibbons joined Long Island in June and played in 27 games, batting .280 with five home runs and 19 RBIs.

"We're excited for Jay," Ducks principal owner Frank Boulton said. "We are glad he's received this opportunity in the Atlantic League. We wish him the best of luck and continued success."

After batting .277 in both 2005 and 2006, Gibbons struggled in limited action in 2007, batting .230 with 62 hits and a .348 slugging percentage.


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Posada won't play at catcher if he puts off surgery

NEW YORK -- New York Yankees catcher Jorge Posada wants to put off surgery on his right shoulder even if it means sacrificing the start of next season. If he does play the rest of this year, it won't be behind the plate.

On the disabled list for the second time this season, Posada had his throwing shoulder examined by New York Mets medical director Dr. David Altchek on Tuesday, and surgery was again recommended. An MRI showed fraying in the tendons around the labrum, but not a rotator cuff tear, Posada said Wednesday before the Yankees played the Minnesota Twins.

He missed more than a month earlier this season with right rotator cuff tendinitis.

"I've got 15 days to make a decision," said Posada, who went on the DL Monday. "I'll rehab it and see how it feels and have a decision by then."

In his 14th season, Posada is extremely proud about being a full-time catcher his entire career. But he said that if he is to continue playing this season, catching is "out of the question" for the remainder of the year.

"It's not about me. It's about the team now, how can I help the team. That's why I'm going to go through the rehab," Posada said. "If I'm able to hit, I'm going to try to do that. If I'm not able to hit, I'm going to have surgery."

Posada

Posada said the Yankees agreed with his decision to keep playing even with the possibility of a six-month rehab looming after surgery.

Hitting .268 with three homers and 22 RBIs in 168 at-bats this season, Posada said the shoulder doesn't hurt when he's swinging a bat but has gotten weaker because of his throwing.

Posada will continue his rehabilitation regime without throwing drills and will make a decision based on how the shoulder is responding.

"The doctor said if I'm not throwing, it won't get weak because I'm not throwing," Posada said. "I can strengthen it and hit. Then it won't get weak. They put me on the DL to make a decision of what to do and strengthen and rehab it and go from there."

Manager Joe Girardi said there's a "risk/reward" with whatever decision is made.

"Obviously you look at a player long-term," Girardi said. "But there's ways you also could help a club and there's decisions that all parties will discuss, and then we'll decide what's best."

Posada could play first base or serve as the designated hitter, two spots at which the Yankees are overloaded with Jason Giambi, newly acquired slugger Richie Sexson, Johnny Damon and the injured Hideki Matsui.

"There are a lot of different things we could do," Girardi said. "There are situations, maybe against a lefty. He might play first or Richie might play first and he might DH. There's a lot of different things you could do."

Whether Matsui needs season-ending surgery on his knee could be a factor in the team's decision. Matsui has been on the DL since June 23 and has been resisting surgery. Girardi said Matsui will resume baseball activities Monday and the Yankees will see how the knee reacts to the stress.

Matsui's and Posada's progress will go a long way toward helping the Yankees decide if they need to be aggressive as the non-waiver trade deadline approaches on July 31.


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Nothing new revealed after M's Bedard has MRI

SEATTLE -- Injured Mariners starter Erik Bedard got an MRI on his left shoulder Tuesday, but team physicians found no new causes for the nagging tightness and soreness the lefty is experiencing.

Dr. Edward Khalfayan said the MRI confirmed the initial diagnosis of tightness in the shoulder and recommended that Bedard remain on his current rehabilitation program.

Bedard has not started since July 4 and went on the disabled list July 10, retroactive to July 5. He briefly threw in the Mariners' batting cage under Safeco Field on Sunday, but didn't feel up to throwing on the field a day later.

Bedard is 6-4 with a 3.67 ERA in 15 starts this season.


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Surgery? Yanks' Posada on fence; Matsui says no

NEW YORK -- One Yankee is debating surgery while another is trying to avoid it at all costs.

Jorge Posada, who was placed by the New York Yankees on the 15-day disabled list Monday with an injured left shoulder, faces the possibility of season-ending surgery while Hideki Matsui, out with a sore left knee, has decided against it.

Posada was scheduled to see New York Mets medical director Dr. David Altchek on Tuesday to have an MRI and his shoulder examined. He missed more than a month earlier this season with right rotator cuff tendinitis.

"It's just really, really tough," Posada said. "Right now, I'm going through tough times."

Posada said he was planning on starting a rehab program Monday before discussing his options with Altchek. Posada, who acknowledged more damage in his shoulder beyond an injured labrum, could miss part of next season if he waits to have surgery.

Matsui

Posada

"That's the biggest thing," he said. "I don't want to miss two years. I'm already flustered with this one because I haven't been 100 percent and I've been trying to play through a lot of pain."

Posada hasn't played since he left New York's 4-3, 12-inning win over Oakland on Saturday before the 10th, and said the shoulder has been bothering him since spring training. He said it's also affecting him at the plate but insisted he could fight through it if all he can do is serve as a designated hitter/first baseman for the rest of the season.

"I think there's some frustration from Jorge's standpoint that his arm didn't bounce back the way he wanted it to," manager Joe Girardi said. "We just felt that maybe he can't come back as a catcher right away but we still believe that Jorge can be productive, and maybe the rest will help him feel a little bit better."

Matsui, another injured outfielder/designated hitter, was examined again Monday and decided against surgery on his balky knee. He's going to try more rehab, but also could miss the rest of the year if his knee flares up on him again.

"I wouldn't say I'm optimistic personally," general manager Brian Cashman said. "I think it speaks a lot to his heart. His doctor looked at him and recommended surgery, and on the drive here -- he wants to fight through it and give it another shot. There's no harm in doing that. It's not going to make it any worse. He just wants to try again.

"Probably if the knee swells up again significantly, then we're dealing with last call."

Matsui had offseason surgery on his right knee but it's his left one that has sidelined him since June 22 and kept him from playing the outfield since June 15. He is batting .323 with seven homers and 34 RBIs this season.

"There's no doubt that the experience that I had with my right knee, in terms of recovering from that, played a role in this decision," Matsui said through a translator. "If I were to get surgery right now I don't think I would be able to make it back this season."

If Matsui and Posada make it back this year, it would leave the Yankees with a logjam at designated hitter.

"You cross that bridge when you get there," Girardi said.

Jose Molina started at catcher against the Twins on Monday and finished with a season-high three hits after entering the game mired in an 0-for-14 skid. Chad Moeller also will see increased time with Posada out.

"Molina has been an angel sent to us, definitely," Alex Rodriguez said. "I mean even when he came over last year. Cashman did a great job of bringing him over here [in a trade with the Los Angeles Angels]. He's been really, really good, hard to describe."

The 36-year-old Posada, batting .268 with three homers and 22 RBIs in 51 games, signed a $52.4 million, four-year contract in the offseason. Girardi said the club is hoping 10 days of "intense" rehab will be enough to get him back this season.

Posada is looking at four to six months of rehab when he has the surgery.

"I don't want to miss the year," he said. "I still want to help out but I've still got to look at the option of next year. So we'll see."

Meanwhile, Johnny Damon was activated from the disabled list and went 1-for-4 serving as the designated hitter in New York's victory over the Twins. Damon injured his left shoulder when he ran into the fence attempting to catch a ball on July 4.

Damon is still testing his arm and might not be able to play in the outfield for a few days.

"I haven't tried throwing the ball hard, which I probably haven't thrown the ball hard in my career," Damon cracked. "But it was definitely better today and hopefully I can be out in the field within a week, or around a week from now."


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Nats' Guzman receives 2-year contract extension

SAN FRANCISCO -- Washington Nationals shortstop Cristian Guzman agreed to terms Tuesday on a $16 million, two-year contract extension that takes him through the 2010 season.

Guzman

He appreciated the vote of confidence by his club, especially after making his second All-Star game and first since 2001. Guzman, who will earn $8 million in each of the next two seasons, could have opted to test free agency this fall.

"I took this deal because I want to stay here," said Guzman, in his third year with Washington after spending his first six major league seasons with the Minnesota Twins. "They gave me the deal I wanted. Why do you have to wait? I take the deal."

The 30-year-old Guzman entered Tuesday night's series opener at San Francisco batting .310 with five home runs, 34 RBIs, 56 runs scored, three triples and 26 doubles in a team-high 96 games this season.

A switch-hitter, he also led the National League with 129 hits entering play Tuesday, and he had 25 hits with runners in scoring position to lead the team.

"I was looking for a longer deal but I understand that," Guzman said. "I had my problems a couple years ago."

He was referring to missing the 2006 season with a shoulder injury.

Also Tuesday, the Nationals reinstated third baseman Ryan Zimmerman from the disabled list and his rehab assignment with Triple-A Columbus. Washington also recalled right-hander Garrett Mock from Columbus and optioned second baseman Emilio Bonifacio to the Triple-A club. Bonifacio was acquired from Arizona earlier in the day for reliever Jon Rauch.

Zimmerman had been on the disabled list since May 26, with a small tear of the labrum in his left shoulder.

"It's been a long time," Zimmerman said. "We've been scoring and winning a lot. I hope I don't mess anything up. We've got to just continue to play how we're playing. I want to go right back to where I was. ... I'm not going to come back and play tentative."

Zimmerman was in the lineup and batting third. The Nationals had considered activating him sooner but opted instead to give him a little bit of extra time so "I wouldn't hurt them when I was thrown back in the lineup," Zimmerman said.

"He brings a lot to the table," general manager Jim Bowden said. "We're a better team with him."


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Aaron's childhood home set to become museum

MOBILE, Ala. -- The childhood home of former baseball home run king Hank Aaron will be donated to the city where he grew up and will become a museum operated by the city's minor league team.

The home is expected to be moved in October next to "The Hank," or Hank Aaron Stadium, home of the Mobile BayBears. Aaron's family and team officials made the announcement Monday.

The three-bedroom home, which is currently boarded up, could open as a museum in late March. The city will own the house, but the team will handle the renovations and run the museum.

"This was our castle," the former Braves slugger said Monday, seated with his brother and sister on the small porch of the house built by their father. "No matter where I've been, this will always be my home."

Aaron, now 74, grew up in Mobile's Toulminville neighborhood, about a block from a city park that now bears his name. He hit 755 home runs -- a record that stood until it was broken last year by Barry Bonds. Aaron's late brother, Tommie -- who played for the Milwaukee and Atlanta Braves -- also grew up there.

The home is about five miles away from the stadium. A house-moving company has offered to move the house at no charge, team officials said.

Mobile mayor Sam Jones said it has "tremendous" tourism potential and called Aaron an "ambassador for Mobile." Bill Shanahan, BayBears president, said he pitched the idea for the museum to Aaron over a year ago and won his support for the project.

Renovating his childhood home into a museum at the stadium will demonstrate to others his humble beginnings and that no matter what conditions they live in, "you can make it by trying harder," he said.

The museum won't be solely devoted to his baseball career, Aaron said. Visitors to the home will learn of his parents' early days and how the Aaron family progressed.

His parents, Estella and Herbert Aaron, both deceased, had eight children and refused to move even when their famous "Hammerin' Hank" bought them another house in Mobile.

Aaron recalled his father bought two acres and struggled to build his home with salvaged boards and bricks while working in the port city's shipyards. Back then, the narrow road in front of the house was unpaved and had a big ditch out front, Aaron said at a news conference.

"Only three bedrooms, with eight kids," Aaron recalled. "I had to be humble. My mother insisted on my being that way."

Hall of Fame exhibits officials Ted Spencer, Mary Quinn and Erik Strohl toured the home Monday with Aaron, his brother and sister.

The three met with city and stadium officials on security and preservation of Aaron memorabilia that's expected to be replicated and shared with the museum by the baseball museum in Cooperstown, N.Y.

Spencer, the chief curator, said Aaron contacted the Hall of Fame about the project earlier this year. He said the house has "great potential" and the restoration will be fun.

"It's the first thing of this type we've done," Spencer said.


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Holtzman, HOF writer, inventor of save, dies at 81

CHICAGO -- Jerome Holtzman, a longtime baseball writer who made the Hall of Fame, created the saves rule and later became Major League Baseball's official historian, has died. He was 81.

Holtzman died Saturday in Evanston.

"As a baseball writer, columnist and historian for more than 50 years, Jerome Holtzman was a beloved figure and made an incredible impact on the game," Commissioner Bud Selig said Monday in a statement.

Holtzman won the J.G. Spink Award and a spot in the Hall of Fame in 1989. The award is given annually to the one baseball writer who has exhibited "meritorious contributions" to baseball writing.

Known as "The Dean," Holtzman worked at the Chicago Sun-Times and the Daily Times, its predecessor, before joining the Chicago Tribune in 1981. He retired in 1999, when Selig named him MLB's official historian.

Holtzman began his career as a 17-year-old copy boy in 1942, and served two years in the Marine Corps during World War II before returning to journalism. He was assigned the baseball beat in 1957.

"He was amazing baseball people, I don't just want to say writer. He was a baseball fan. He did a lot of things for baseball," said White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen, who was a Sox player during Holtzman's time at the Tribune. "He gave his life to baseball and we'll always remember how great he was.

"Jerome was a classy man and a great man to have around. I was lucky enough to be covered by him for a few years."

Feeling that earned run averages and won-lost records were not the most accurate reflection of relievers' effectiveness, Holtzman created the formula for "saves" in 1959. A decade later, in 1969, it was adopted by the game's Official Rules Committee.

"In the case of Jerome, every one of the closers over the last 30 years ... should take out their checkbooks and write a gigantic check to whatever foundation or charity the family directs," broadcaster and former White Sox pitcher Steve Stone said. "He's really the person responsible for being able to quantify what has become one of the most important positions on the field."

White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf said baseball "lost a great advocate and fan ... and I lost a dear friend.

"I will miss his visits to the ballpark and his phone calls during the season to discuss the latest baseball news," he said.

Holtzman also wrote six books, including "No Cheering in the Press Box," in which he interviewed other well-known writers.

The funeral will be private and a memorial service will be held later, the White Sox said.

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Mets will not start Pedro vs. Phillies next week

CINCINNATI -- The Philadelphia Phillies won't see Pedro Martinez.

The New York Mets decided to wait until next weekend to let their 36-year-old pitcher take the mound again, giving him more time to recover from a groin injury. That means he won't pitch during a three-game series against the Phillies that starts at Shea Stadium on Tuesday.

Martinez

Martinez strained his groin while running the bases on July 7. Five days later, he left his start against Colorado after only four innings because of tightness in his shoulder -- he assumed he had changed his delivery to compensate for the groin injury.

He got a cortisone shot on Thursday in New York to help the groin heal. He flew to Cincinnati on Saturday and threw in the Mets' bullpen during the sixth inning of a 7-2 loss to the Cincinnati Reds, seeing how the shoulder and groin reacted.

"OK, for the time being," Martinez said. "I'd say it's a positive day. We're going to see how it feels tomorrow."

Originally, manager Jerry Manuel planned to have Martinez throw in the bullpen on Saturday, see how he did, then decide whether to let him open the series against the Phillies on Tuesday. Manuel was already having second thoughts before Martinez arrived in town.

"We're kind of wavering a little bit simply because he hasn't picked up a ball, hasn't been able to throw since his last outing," Manuel said.

By the end of the game, the decision was made.

First place in the NL East will be at stake when the Mets and Phillies meet. Philadelphia still held a one-game lead following the Mets' loss on Saturday.

The current plan is to have Martinez play catch on Sunday, see how he reacts, then figure out which game to let him pitch during a series next weekend against St. Louis.

"I understand his [bullpen] session was excellent," Manuel said.

Martinez is 3-2 with a 6.25 ERA, making nine starts and pitching 44 2-3 innings. He missed about two months this season because of a strained left hamstring.


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Brewers add a bat, deal for Giants 2B Durham

The Milwaukee Brewers have acquired second baseman Ray Durham from the Giants, continuing their push to make the playoffs for the first time since 1982. Second Chance

Ray Durham's .293 average is a big improvement over the Brewers' current mix at second base.

Worst average at 2B in 2008TeamAverageBrewers.222Indians.232Athletics.234Nationals.239Rockies.241Pirates.243

San Francisco traded the veteran to the Brewers for two minor leaguers, with both clubs waiting until after the teams played Sunday to announce the swap. That, in fact, was per Durham's request as he didn't want to suit up for his first game for Milwaukee against the Giants.

"Personally it was out of respect for the guys in this locker room," Durham said, saying his goodbyes in the Giants' clubhouse. "It really was a stipulation I asked for."

An emotional Durham could only stand to be in the Giants' dugout for a few innings during the series finale against Milwaukee, but was prepared to make the switch right afterward and head to St. Louis with the Brewers. The 36-year-old second baseman, in his sixth season with San Francisco, had to approve the deal.

"He's a veteran guy that can come in here and help our club," Milwaukee general manager Doug Melvin said. "We're trying to add as many good players as we can. We're trying to win this thing."

Durham is hitting .293 for the San Francisco Giants, with an on-base percentage of .385, and in theory, he could help the Brewers as a utility player. But it is also very possible that he will press Rickie Weeks, the Brewers' everyday second baseman to this point, for playing time.

Weeks is hitting .218 with eight homers, and Milwaukee ranks dead last among all teams in batting average for second baseman (.222).

Brewers manager Ned Yost said initially Durham would play a couple of days a week, with Weeks remaining the starter at second.

"He brings a guy that is a really, really good offensive player, a switch-hitter who can hit good pitching," Yost said of Durham. "He's a solid offensive player and he's a veteran guy that's really good with younger players. He fits right into what our veterans bring every day into the clubhouse."

San Francisco received left-hander Steve Hammond and outfielder Darren Ford for the second baseman. Milwaukee was also given cash considerations in the deal.

The seriousness of the Durham talks between the Giants and Brewers was reported by the San Francisco Chronicle on Saturday.

Giants GM Brian Sabean met with Durham during Saturday's game about the trade, which came together quickly after Sabean spoke by phone with Melvin while both were in New York for the All-Star Game.

Durham was a late arrival to the ballpark on Sunday, getting to the clubhouse in a rush about 2 hours before the game with a bag on his shoulder.

"I've got to do a few things right now," he said before the Brewers swept the Giants 7-4, but never emerged at his locker before the game while the clubhouse was open to the media.

Milwaukee is three games back of NL Central-leading Chicago and one behind the Cardinals as they head to St. Louis.

"I think ownership and upper management have shown a commitment to winning and winning now, so it's very exciting to us," Milwaukee left fielder Ryan Braun said.

Durham is in the final season of a two-year, $14.5 million contract.

"I understood it," Durham said of the trade. "I know this organization, they're trying to go young and they're rebuilding for the future. It didn't shock me."


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Phils' Myers says stint in minors helped fix pitching

MIAMI -- Right-hander Brett Myers rejoined the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday after starting four games in the minor leagues trying to shake a season-long slump.

"I had to get my swagger back," Myers said. "I felt like I accomplished that."

Brett Myers

Starting Pitcher
Philadelphia Phillies

Profile

2008 Season StatsGMWLBBKERA173944885.84

Myers has not been activated, but he's expected to start one of the Phillies' games next week against the Mets in New York.

He made his final minor league start Friday, allowing two earned runs in 6 2/3 innings for Single-A Clearwater. He then came to Miami, where the Phillies are playing a three-game series against Florida.

Myers started twice for Triple-A Lehigh Valley and once for Double-A Reading, and he went 1-3 in the minors with an ERA of 3.00 and 28 strikeouts in 27 innings. He said the encouragement he received from the Phillies' minor league organization boosted his confidence.

"Everybody in this organization had seen me pitch and been a part in me getting to the big leagues," he said. "It's good to see old faces you hadn't seen in a while, and they tell you what's wrong with you and how you used to be. It opens your eyes a little bit, and you say, 'What the heck have I become?' "

What had he become?

"You can't print it," Myers said.

Despite being sent to the minors on July 1, Myers still leads the majors this season with 24 home runs allowed. The Phils' opening day starter is 3-9 with an ERA of 5.84, and they're 1-11 in his past 12 games.

The return of Myers is the latest change in the Phillies' rotation. They acquired right-hander Joe Blanton from Oakland on Thursday, and he's expected to make his first start for Philadelphia on Tuesday against the Mets.

Blanton was activated Saturday, and right-hander Joe Bisensius was optioned to Lehigh Valley.

Myers went 50-35 for the Phillies in 2003-06, then became their closer last year and saved 21 games with an ERA of 4.33.

Myers said he hasn't pitched aggressively enough this season and needs to throw his fastball more. He's looking forward to testing the theory against the Mets.

"I can't think of a better team for me to come back against," he said. "I don't like them. They're our rivals -- we're not supposed to like each other. I don't have a problem with any of the guys, I just don't like them."


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Former shortstop Larkin considering Reds return

CINCINNATI -- Barry Larkin left open the possibility of returning to the Cincinnati Reds in some capacity Saturday, shortly before his induction with three others into the team's Hall of Fame.

The former Reds shortstop is a special assistant to Washington Nationals general manager Jim Bowden. Larkin has hoped for a chance to work with the Reds' front office in some capacity since he retired as a player after the 2004 season.

"There's been a lot of thought about it," Larkin said. "It's just that the opportunity hasn't presented itself yet. My contract [with Washington] is up at the end of the year, so I'll be a free agent."

Larkin was the Reds' captain during his 19-year career with the Reds, which included a World Series championship in 1990. A Cincinnati native, he retired after the Reds declined to offer him another contract. Larkin considered playing for another team, but decided he couldn't wear any other uniform.

"Coming back here, it's bitter and sweet," Larkin said. "The hardest thing I had to do was leave here knowing I wasn't coming back."

Former outfielder Cesar Geronimo, pitcher Joey Jay and team executive Garry Herrmann also were inducted into the team's Hall of Fame. They were honored on the field before a game against the New York Mets.


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Rangers activate Blalock, move him back to 3B

MINNEAPOLIS -- The Texas Rangers came out of the All-Star break on Friday with a familiar face playing a familiar position.

Hank Blalock was activated from the disabled list and returned to his original position of third base.

Blalock, a former All-Star at third base who has played that position his entire career with Texas, was scheduled to make the switch to first base when he returned from the DL.

But Chris Davis has emerged as a power threat at first base for the Rangers, with six homers and a .655 slugging percentage in 58 at-bats. So the Rangers asked Blalock to return to his old position, and Blalock was back at third base for Friday night's game against the Minnesota Twins.

"I hope it will be easy. I can't predict how I will play over there," Blalock said. "I know I've played plenty of games over there, to where it is a comfortable position for me. I'm going to work hard to get the rust off, and go play the second half just like I never made the transition."

Blalock first went on the disabled list after tearing his left hamstring while running out a double against the Twins on April 25. He also had surgery to relieve carpal tunnel syndrome in his right hand, and his stay on the sidelines was extended when he had a setback during a rehab start with Triple-A Oklahoma.

The return of Blalock, who has hit .299 with three homers and seven RBIs in 22 games this season, is a big boost for the Rangers. They are 43-30 since April 25, the third-best record in the majors over that span, but still trail the Angels by 7½ games in the AL West.

The Rangers also purchased the contract of catcher Taylor Teagarden from Triple-A Oklahoma on Friday, and manager Ron Washington threw the rookie right into the lineup to catch Kevin Millwood.

"I wanted to get his feet wet as quick as I possibly can," Washington said. "What better way than to go out there and catch a veteran?"

Teagarden was selected to the Team USA roster to compete in the Beijing Olympics, but Washington and the Rangers may have other plans for him.

"I would like to see him go to the Olympics," Washington said. "But if we have a need for him, sorry."

To make room for Blalock and Teagarden, the Rangers optioned right-hander Kameron Loe to Triple-A Oklahoma and designated right-hander Joselo Diaz for assignment.

Loe made one appearance in his second callup, giving up three runs in two innings of a 9-7 loss to the White Sox on July 11.

Diaz also made his lone appearance of the season in that game, and the Rangers have 10 days to trade, release or outright him to the minors.


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M's Bedard likely won't pitch again until August

SEATTLE -- The Mariners have made talk of Erik Bedard and the trading deadline simple.

Bedard

It's "irrelevant."

Seattle manager Jim Riggleman said Friday the tightness in Bedard's left shoulder did not improve over the All-Star break, so he will not even throw a baseball until Monday when will try to play catch. If that goes well, Bedard could throw a bullpen session next week, but the team is not trying to get him back pitching in game before the July 31 non-waivers trading deadline just so it can showcase him to potential suitors.

Major league rules prohibit teams from trading players while they are on the disabled list, unless such a deal is expressly approved by the commissioner. Bedard, 6-4 with a 3.67 ERA and 72 strikeouts in 81 innings, is eligible to come off the DL Sunday. He is signed with Seattle through 2009.

"We're not looking at trying to pitch him before the 31st. The 31st is irrelevant with a guy who's got a tender arm," Riggleman said before Seattle began a series against Cleveland.

Bedard hasn't pitched since July 4 and has basically been a disappointment, not being able to last long in games since Seattle acquired him in February from Baltimore for five players -- including reliever George Sherrill, who was an All-Star this week.

Bedard was also on the DL in April for inflammation in his hip and has pitched with assorted pains since. If Bedard doesn't return within two weeks, as now seems likely, Riggleman said he will likely be asked to go on a rehabilitation assignment in the minor leagues.

"I would say if we wait another 10 days and get into August, we'd be looking at a rehab assignment," Riggleman said.

In other news, Riggleman said veteran designated hitter Jose Vidro, who is hitting .215 with a meager .310 slugging percentage, will see less playing time with Friday's promotion of rookie first baseman Bryan LaHair. Vidro, who turns 34 next month, was not in the lineup Friday night.

The Mariners entered Friday 20 games out of first place, and they want LaHair to play along with fellow rookie catcher Jeff Clement in preparation for 2009. That leaves former starting catcher Kenji Johjima destined for more time as the designated hitter and Vidro destined for the bench.

Seattle signed Johjima earlier this season to a $24 million, three-year contract extension that looks worse by the day.

The developments likely mean the end of Vidro's Seattle tenure, which began when he was acquired in a trade in December 2006. His contract has a vesting option for 2009 for $6 million, with a $500,000 buyout, that would take effect only if he has 600 plate appearances this season. Vidro has 282 through Seattle's first 95 games.

"He's kind of getting the short end of the stick," Riggleman said, in terms of current playing time.


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Strained hammy sends Reds' Hairston to DL

CINCINNATI -- Infielder Jerry Hairston Jr. went on the 15-day disabled list Thursday with a strained hamstring, prompting the Cincinnati Reds to activate infielder Jolbert Cabrera off the disabled list.

Hairston

The Reds also reinstated left-hander Bobby Livingston from the 60-day disabled list and optioned him to Double-A Chattanooga. Livingston had surgery last September to repair a torn labrum in his shoulder.

Hairston pulled his right hamstring while running out a bunt on Sunday. He's batting .351 with 15 stolen bases, second on the team to Brandon Phillips' 19 steals. Cabrera dislocated the index finger on his left hand while sliding into second base against the Yankees on June 21.


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Crasnick: Baseball and a brother's loss

Nils Nilsen for ESPN.com

The Padres are keeping their eyes on minor leaguer Mitch Canham as he grieves for his lost brother.

LAKE ELSINORE, Calif. -- From his nightly perch behind home plate in this Southern California town, San Diego Padres prospect Mitch Canham is the central figure in his own private version of Operation Desert Shield.

He stares out at the pitcher from behind a mask and chest protector, shin guards, helmet and protective cup. By the grace of God and half a sporting goods store, he's as insulated as can be from the foul tips, home-plate collisions and 58-foot sliders that threaten to do him harm.

But there's nothing the 23-year-old catcher can cram into his Lake Elsinore Storm equipment bag this summer to protect him from his memories and his fractured heart.

In the sports journalism world, we're accustomed to stories about athletes coping with "adversity" -- from pulled hamstrings to crushing losses in salary arbitration -- but the cliché seems particularly hollow in light of Canham's ordeal. Five years ago, as an Oregon State freshman, he lost his mother to a drug overdose. He swallowed his grief, kept his focus on baseball and helped propel the Beavers to two straight NCAA titles in 2006 and 2007.

"The best leader in the country," his college coach, Pat Casey, once called him.

Nils Nilsen for ESPN.com

All the catcher's protection in the world can't keep the grief away from Mitch.

Last year, the Padres selected Canham with the 57th pick in the draft, signed him to a $552,500 bonus contract and sent him on the road to the majors. Baseball America, which ranked him as San Diego's No. 17 prospect, praised him for his agility and athleticism, and said he need only refine his defensive skills to be a regular catcher in the big leagues.

"Mitch is such a hard worker and a smart guy," says Boston outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury, his former college teammate. "He definitely has the capabilities."

But try focusing on baseball when it hurts to breathe. In Canham's case, the line from inspirational to star-crossed -- from unyieldingly competitive to chronically unfortunate -- has been breached in the most personal and poignant of ways. Why should anyone be subjected to pain this acute in first and second installments?

On March 23, Marine Lance Corporal Dustin Canham, Mitch's younger brother, died while serving in the African nation of Djibouti. Multiple investigations have determined that Dustin, 21, died of natural causes while exercising in his tent. But the military's investigations haven't satisfied the family, assorted Washington state government officials and the (Portland) Oregonian newspaper, which ran a hard-hitting editorial in June beneath the headline, "Another Casualty Coverup."

In Lake Stevens, Wash., Dustin and Mitch Canham's father, Mark, and Dustin's 19-year-old widow, Devyn, are slowly coming to grips with their loss. Mark Canham writes letters, peppers everyone from secretaries to brigadier generals with phone calls, and tries to make sense of a story line with too many missing sequences. He recently shared his story with Mary Tillman, the mother of former NFL defensive back and Army Ranger Pat Tillman, whose friendly-fire death in Afghanistan prompted a congressional investigation.

Photo Gallery

Game day for Mitch Canham in Lake Elsinore, CA, provides a respite from the troubles that have plagued his family recently. Follow Mitch through a day at the park. Photos

Mitch Canham, meanwhile, proudly bears his patriotism with a "God, Family, Country" tattoo across his back. But he, too, is troubled by what he perceives as the series of half-truths the family has received surrounding the events in Djibouti.

"I stand behind our country," Mitch says. "But from my point of view, the military has given us incomplete answers and fumbled everything about it. They've slapped us in the face rather than try to help us out. It makes it hard to listen to the national anthem before every game."

Through 79 games, Mitch is hitting .285 with five home runs, 53 runs batted in, a .398 on base percentage and a .423 slugging percentage for Lake Elsinore. But the numbers seem inconsequential compared to the dozens of times he has reached for his cell phone only to realize you can't text-message a ghost. He wears Dustin's Marine Corps dog tags around his neck as a constant reminder of his loss. In his dreams, he and Dustin are still kids spending the day go-kart racing or venturing to the corner store to buy candy.


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Boy injured at Wrigley doing well, leaves hospital

CHICAGO -- A 7-year-old boy whose skull was fractured by a foul ball at Wrigley Field is doing well and has been released from the hospital.

Dominic DiAngi of Frankfort headed home from Children's Memorial Hospital on Wednesday afternoon.

He wore a Cubs ball cap as he met with news reporters. His father, Peter DiAngi, says his son now has his "same old twinkle in his eye."

Last Thursday, Dominic was sitting behind the Cubs' dugout during an afternoon game when a foul ball off Ted Lilly's bat struck him in the head. Paramedics took him to Children's Memorial.

The game was the first major league game the boy had ever attended.

Lilly and Cubs first baseman Derrek Lee visited the boy Saturday at the hospital.


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Dodgers closer Saito sidelined with elbow sprain

LOS ANGELES -- The Los Angeles Dodgers will be without closer Takashi Saito for at least six weeks.

Saito was diagnosed with a sprained ligament in his pitching elbow Tuesday by a team doctor.

Saito

The 38-year-old right-hander will be placed on the 15-day disabled list when the Dodgers return from the All-Star break Friday night in Arizona.

He will rehabilitate in Los Angeles for an estimated six weeks before being evaluated.

Saito is 3-3 with a 2.18 ERA in 39 appearances. He has 17 saves in 20 chances.

Saito, an All-Star last year when he had 39 saves, was forced to come out of Saturday night's game against Florida because of what he called abnormal tightness in the elbow. He had an MRI on Monday.

Manager Joe Torre said Sunday that Jonathan Broxton would be the team's closer. But Torre was unsure who would take over for Broxton as set-up man. Among the possibilities are left-hander Hong-Chiu Kuo and right-hander Chan Ho Park.

"Kuo is the first one that comes to mind, to me," Torre said. "After what I had heard and what was documented about the [four elbow] surgeries he's gone through and wondering if we should start him or if we weren't going to be able to start him because we had enough starters, how is he going to respond coming out of the bullpen? But he's really been a horse."

Broxton, 2-2 with a 3.40 ERA in 40 games, said he's ready for his new role.

"I just look at it like it's the eighth inning. I come out and get outs," said the hard-throwing right-hander, who has 46 strikeouts in 39 2/3 innings. "It's no different for me."

Saito will join Opening Day starter Brad Penny and shortstop Rafael Furcal on the disabled list.


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Agent: Little chance Bonds will play this season

NEW YORK -- Barry Bonds' agent, frustrated by the baseballwide lack of interest in his client, said Monday that he has all but given up hope of finding a job for the home run king in 2008.

Agent Jeff Borris said he recently offered Bonds' services to "numerous" clubs for the major league-minimum salary of $390,000. When Borris couldn't find a taker, he concluded that Bonds will not be playing in the big leagues this season.

Bonds

"I offered Barry at the minimum salary, and when I ran into a brick wall, that's when I came to the conclusion that he will not be in a major league uniform in 2008," said Borris, in New York for the All-Star Game.

"I'm not a negative person. I'm one of those 'never say never' guys," Borris added. "But it seems pretty clear to me that it's just not happening. We could go up and down the rosters of every single team and I could show you an awful lot of spots where he ought to be plugged in right now, but it's just not happening."

Bonds, who broke Hank Aaron's career home run record with No. 756 last August and finished the season at 762, became a free agent when the San Francisco Giants decided to part ways with him in September. Along with Mike Piazza, Sammy Sosa, Kenny Lofton and several other veteran players, he went unsigned on the open market last winter.

In November, Bonds was indicted for perjury and obstruction of justice for allegedly lying to a federal grand jury in 2003, when he denied any use of performance-enhancing drugs. He pleaded not guilty to a revised set of charges in June, and the case is scheduled to go to trial in March 2009.

Borris said he turned over information about his negotiations to the Players Association, which expressed concerns to commissioner Bud Selig's office about the lack of offers to Bonds. While the union has investigated the possibility of collusion, it has not filed a formal grievance.

Borris, however, expressed his skepticism Monday.

"If everything were fair and equal in the world, Barry should get a fair market value offer," he said. "But since everything is not fair and equal, I decided to offer him for the minimum. I thought for sure there would be a taker, and there were none. If that doesn't raise the level of suspicion, I don't know what does."

Bonds continues to work out at home in California, and Borris said it wouldn't take long for him to be ready to play in the big leagues. The agent took issue with the notion that Bonds is strictly a designated hitter. He pointed out that Bonds made four errors in 110 games in left field in 2007.

"If you look at his numbers in the outfield last year, he didn't embarrass himself," Borris said. "Is he the defensive gazelle that he was back in the '80s and '90s? No. But there are a lot of other outfielders I see out there who are not as good as him right now. And even if he were just average, couple that with his bat and a $390,000 salary and you have a can't-miss."

Bonds' name has come up periodically in speculation in recent months, with the Seattle Mariners, Arizona Diamondbacks, New York Mets and Boston Red Sox mentioned as potential landing spots. But none of the clubs linked to Bonds has come close to taking the plunge.

"The rumors about Arizona, the Mets and Boston are completely false. He never had a secret workout with the Red Sox," Borris said. "I've had numerous conversations with all three organizations, back to the time when Barry became a free agent in November of '07, and none of those clubs are interested in him. Barry would play for any one of those clubs if they extended an offer. Would he make a difference in the standings? I think so, no matter what team he played for."

Bonds hit .276 last year with 28 home runs, 66 RBIs and a major league-high 132 walks. He was the prime focus of the All-Star Game last July when it was held at the Giants' waterfront ballpark.

Mets closer Billy Wagner missed Bonds.

"I hate that he's not here," the six-time All-Star reliever said. "Barry usually gave me a ride to the stadium."

Bonds turns 44 later this month. Even if he were acquitted of the perjury charges next season, it would be difficult for him to come back at an advanced level after such an extended layoff. That means it's probably this year or never.

"It's an unfortunate situation," Borris said. "I feel bad for Barry. I think he's deserving of better. He gave his heart and soul to this game, and I think he deserves to go out on his own terms. And obviously that's not what's happening."


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Reds set to move spring training to Arizona in '10

CINCINNATI -- The Cincinnati Reds have finalized an agreement to move their spring training facility from Florida to Arizona in 2010.

The Goodyear, Ariz., city council unanimously approved a binding agreement with the Reds Monday night. The team and the suburban Phoenix city have been in negotiations since January.

The Reds will join the Cleveland Indians at a $108 million facility, which will include a 10,000-seat ballpark and will be the centerpiece of a $1 billion mixed-use development with offices, shops and restaurants.

The Indians, who previously trained in Winter Haven, Fla., will move there in February. The Reds plan to hold one more spring training in Sarasota, Fla., before joining them.


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