Cleveland Indians' Grady Sizemore has microfracture surgery, done for season

CLEVELAND -- Grady Sizemore sacrificed one season for what he hopes are many more.

The Indians' All-Star center fielder, and face of Cleveland's franchise, will miss the remainder of this season after having microfracture surgery on his left knee.

Sizemore

Sizemore underwent a 90-minute operation on Friday in Vail, Colo. The team said Dr. Richard Steadman found unstable cartilage in the knee, and having discussed the options prior to the operation, Sizemore preferred the microfracture surgery, which involves small holes being drilled into the kneecap to stimulate cartilage growth, as opposed to facing more future procedures.

Steadman couldn't determine the extent of the damage in Sizemore's knee until he began operating.

"It's tough because we were hoping he wouldn't have to get the microfracture surgery but this is what is best for him," Indians manager Manny Acta said before the start of a three-game series in Chicago. "It's going to give him the best chance to play longer and be as healthy as he can. What's good for him is good for us."

The Indians said Sizemore will need six to nine months to recover. Providing there are no setbacks, he is expected to participate in exhibition games next March when the Indians open training camp in Goodyear, Ariz.

The loss of Sizemore is another major blow to the Indians, who are in last place in the AL Central and struggling to sell tickets. Cleveland fans are enduring yet another rebuilding project and many are still bitter about the team's decisions to trade Cy Young winners CC Sabathia and Cliff Lee as well as All-Star catcher Victor Martinez in the past two years.

"Life without Grady here is not easy," Acta said. "We're suffering through that right now and we're going to have to be prepared for that for the rest of this season. It's an opportunity for some of these young kids to step up and contribute."

Sizemore injured his knee diving back to a base in April and re-injured it sliding May 16 at Baltimore.

He could have opted for a clean-out of his knee, but felt the microfracture surgery would produce better long-term results.

"Grady made it clear that he's only 27 and wanted to play for 10 more years and wanted to do what was best for him and didn't want to mess up his career," Acta said.

Sizemore will return to Cleveland on Thursday to begin rehab.

This is the latest medical setback for Sizemore, who was limited to 106 games last season before he had surgery on his elbow and groin. It could be that Sizemore's aggressive style of play is catching up to him. The 27-year-old is known for his all-out hustle, diving for balls and crashing into walls to make catches.

Before injuries cut short his 2009 season, Sizemore played in at least 157 games in each of the previous four seasons. He played in 382 straight games from 2005-08.

Trevor Crowe has taken Sizemore's spot in center and the Indians are likely to recall Michael Brantley from Triple-A Columbus.

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Kansas City Royals' Rick Ankiel, John Parrish to begin rehab Tuesday

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Kansas City Royals outfielder Rick Ankiel and left-handed pitcher John Parrish, who both have missed more than 30 games because of injuries, will start minor league rehab assignments Tuesday.

Ankiel

Ankiel, a free agent who the Royals signed for $3.25 million in the offseason, has not started since April 24 because of a pulled right quadriceps. He pinch hit twice May 1-2, striking out both times, before going on the disabled list with a .210 batting average in 19 games.

Parrish, who did not pitch last season after having shoulder surgery, has not pitched since April 24 because of rotator cuff inflammation. He was 1-1 with a 3.00 ERA in nine relief appearances when he went on the disabled list.

Both players will report to the Royals' Triple-A affiliate in Omaha.

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Jim Joyce impressed with support after blowing call

NEW YORK -- Umpire Jim Joyce, who blew a call that cost a Detroit pitcher a perfect game, says he's impressed with all of the support he's gotten since his blunder.

AP Photo/Paul SancyaUmpire Jim Joyce made an emotional return to the field Thursday after his blown call cost 28-year-old Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga a perfect game.

"Well, I've probably been at an all-time low, and steadily climbing to, I guess, an all-time high, I guess," Joyce said in a phone interview Friday with NBC's "Today" show.

On Wednesday night, Joyce got the call wrong on what would have been the final out of Armando Galarraga's perfect game.

Joyce called Cleveland's Jason Donald safe at first base.

Replays later showed he missed the call, and Joyce admitted he blew it.

He was devastated, and apologized to Galarraga in person and hugged him after the Tigers' 3-0 win Wednesday. Galarraga was also supportive, saying he respected Joyce for apologizing and admitting his mistake.

Galarraga appeared on the CBS "Early Show" Friday and said "nobody's perfect," including the umpire.

Wrong name, wrong number

TOLEDO, Ohio -- An Ohio man had to turn off his phone service because he shares the same name with the umpire who blew a call that cost a Detroit pitcher a perfect game.

The Toledo man says the harassing calls started not long after the bad call on Wednesday night, and some were pretty vulgar.

Jim Joyce tells WTOL-TV the confusion came about because umpire Jim Joyce grew up in Toledo and graduated from high school in the city, which is about 50 miles south of Detroit.

Joyce says he got at least 40 irate calls and someone even posted his name, address and phone number on Facebook.

He says he's a Tigers fan and was watching the game when the other Jim Joyce got the call wrong on the final out at first base involving pitcher Armando Galarraga.

-- The Associated Press

"I'm a calm person. At that moment, [I did] not get angry, I was more sad about it," Galarraga said.

Galarraga said he looked at the replays later and realized, "Oh my God, it was out. Not even a close play."

He felt empathy for Joyce during their home-plate reunion before Thursday's game, when Galarraga presented the Tigers' lineup card to Joyce -- a gesture thought up by Tigers manager Jim Leyland.

"He couldn't even talk, he was crying," Galarraga said. "I understand, nobody's perfect."

Joyce said he's gotten encouragement from many quarters.

"Well, it just comes from the support I've received from my family, from the Tigers organization, the Indians organization, Major League Baseball . . . and to be quite honest with you, the fans from the Detroit area," Joyce said.

NBC's Matt Lauer told Joyce he was going to use the umpire's willingness to admit to his mistake and apologize for it as an example for his kids.

"I think a lot of applause should go to Armando Galarraga," Joyce said. "Because he has been stand-up throughout the whole thing.

"A bad situation turned into a good situation."

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Baltimore Orioles fire Dave Trembley after 15-39 start

BALTIMORE -- Dave Trembley was fired Friday as manager of theBaltimore Orioles, who have the worst record in the major leagues and are staggering toward a franchise-record 13th consecutive losing season.

Third base coach Juan Samuel was appointed interim manager by president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail, who hired Trembley to take over on an interim basis for Sam Perlozzo on June 18, 2007.

The Orioles opened the season with 16 losses in 18 games, are 15-39 and coming off an 0-6 road trip in which they were outscored by a combined 34-8 in Toronto and at Yankee Stadium.

Trembley

"The results on the field were not what any of us would have hoped for, and I understand that the organization felt the time was right to move in a different direction," Trembley said in a statement. "While I am disappointed at the outcome, I feel it was a privilege to wear the Orioles uniform each day."

Trembley is the second major league manager to be fired this season. Trey Hillman was dismissed May 13 by Kansas City.

The 58-year-old Trembley had a 187-283 record with the Orioles. As caretaker to MacPhail's massive rebuilding project, Trembley never had much talent at his disposal, and his job was made tougher this season by an expanding injury list, a lackluster offense and an ineffective bullpen.

"We're the ones that throw the ball, we are the ones that swing the bats and catch the ball," designated hitter Luke Scott said Thursday after Baltimore's 6-3 loss to New York. "All the manager can do is put his best nine out there. I mean, it's not his fault. What can you say? It's a very difficult game. It's unfair in a lot of aspects."

MacPhail tried to reshape the roster, but after that didn't work, Trembley was cut loose during the option year of his contract.

MacPhail provided Trembley with his first major league managerial job after Perlozzo stumbled in 2007. Trembley started that season as the team's bullpen coach after spending the previous 20 years managing in the minors.

Upon taking the reins, Trembley became the seventh man in baseball history to manage in the majors without having played professionally.

In August 2007, the interim label was removed.

The Orioles went 68-93 in 2008 and 64-98 last year, finishing in the AL East cellar in both seasons. When MacPhail announced last October that the club would exercise the 2010 option on Trembley's contract, the stipulation was that the Orioles must improve.

"You now change the criteria for evaluating managers [to] wins and losses," MacPhail said at the time. "That may not always be fair. Things happen, but at this point, going forward, I like to think we're out of that first phase of what we hoped to do."

Trembley never had a chance, especially after early season injuries claimed leadoff hitter Brian Roberts, outfielder Felix Pie, closer Mike Gonzalez and late-inning relievers Jim Johnson and Koji Uehara.

Baltimore's 2-16 start was second-worst in franchise history behind only the 1988 team, which lost its first 21 games.

The Orioles have yet to recover from a miserable April. They are 6-25 on the road, 6-21 within the division and trail first-place Tampa Bay by 21 games.

Baltimore ranks near the bottom in virtually every AL offensive category, including batting average, runs and stolen bases. The pitching staff has allowed more home runs than any team in the majors except for Arizona and ranks 12th in the AL with a 4.70 ERA.

The makeshift bullpen has more blown saves (10) than saves (nine). Converted closer Alfredo Simon, who followed Gonzalez and Johnson in the role, had six saves in seven tries before being placed on the disabled list on May 25 with a strained left hamstring.

Now it's up to Samuel to try to make something of a season gone awry. He was to make his debut Friday night at Camden Yards against the Boston Red Sox.

The 49-year-old Samuel was a three-time All-Star during a 16-year playing career that ran through 1998. His only managerial experience came in 2006, when he led Binghamton of the Eastern League to a 70-69 record and a second-place finish.

Before that, Samuel served seven years with the Detroit Tigers as a coach. This is his fourth season with the Orioles.

Samuel becomes Baltimore's sixth manager since 1997, the last time the team had a winning season. He follows Ray Miller, Mike Hargrove, Lee Mazzilli, Perlozzo and Trembley.

Gary Allenson, previously the manager of the Orioles' Triple-A affiliate in Norfolk, was appointed interim third base coach.

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Pittsburgh Pirates bench 2B Aki Iwamura, play Neil Walker

PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Pirates gave up on waiting for second baseman Aki Iwamura to break out of a season-long slump, benching their highest-paid player and replacing him with former first round draft pick Neil Walker.

Walker, the son of former major league pitcher Tom Walker, celebrated his promotion to everyday player by getting two hits as the Pirates beat the Cubs 2-1 on Monday. Walker is hitting .321 in seven games with the Pirates, the identical average he had in 43 games with Triple-A Indianapolis.

Iwamura

Walker is the first of a number of Pirates prospects who are expected to reach the majors this season, including third baseman Pedro Alvarez, outfielder Jose Tabata and right-hander Brad Lincoln.

"That vote of confidence helped a lot, and not just today," Walker said. "Mentally, it helps."

Iwamura, acquired from Tampa Bay for reliever Jesse Chavez during the offseason, didn't take the demotion well despite his .172 batting average -- the third lowest in the majors for any batter averaging at least 3.1 plate appearances per game.

Manager John Russell said he was "upset," and Iwamura didn't speak to reporters.

"Hopefully, he'll take it the right way and works hard," Russell said.

The Pirates gambled by picking up Iwamura's $4.85 million contract even though he missed most of last season following left knee surgery. Iwamura is wearing a brace on his left leg, which is iced from hip to ankle after every game, and his right knee also is iced following games.

Partly because of his knee problem, Iwamura has shown little range in the field, often giving up on routine groundballs hit either a few feet to his left or right.

Pirates fans have begun booing Iwamura whenever he steps to the plate, as they did when he grounded out weakly as a pinch-hitter Monday in the seventh inning.

Walker was the Pirates' top pick as a catcher in 2004, moved to third base in 2007 but didn't start playing second base until spring training. He has made four starts at third and three at second with Pittsburgh.

Walker had several promising minor league seasons before breaking out this season with six home runs, 18 doubles and 26 RBIs at Indianapolis.

"That's been the biggest key to my success, my belief in myself, and not just against Triple-A competition," Walker said. "I've always believed I was a major league player. But there's a certain confidence that comes with it, too, when you step into the box and when you step onto the field. I didn't have that until this year, but I feel that now."

Walker has four multiple-hit games in his last six starts.

"I'm happy to be here but, at the same time I'm not satisfied. I want to help this team immediately and be a go-to type player," Walker said. "That's not my role right now, my role is to play my part and continue to do the right things and move forward."

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San Padres catcher Yorvit Torrealba placed on restricted list

SAN DIEGO -- Padres catcher Yorvit Torrealba has been placed on the restricted list for personal reasons and is expected to be away from the team for at least three days.

Torrealba

Team officials say Torrealba is tending to a family matter.

To take his roster spot, the Padres recalled catcher Dusty Ryan from Triple-A Portland.

Torrealba and Nick Hundley have split time at catcher this year, with each starting 25 games. Torrealba has hit one home run and 14 RBIs.

The 25-year-old Ryan was hitting .118 with three homers and nine RBIs at Portland. Over parts of two major league seasons with the Detroit Tigers (2008-09), Ryan hit .257 with two homers and 11 RBIs.

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Grady Sizemore of Cleveland Indians to have knee surgery, miss six to eight weeks

NEW YORK -- Grady Sizemore will have surgery on his left knee next week and is expected to miss at least six to eight weeks.

Cleveland's three-time All-Star has a deep bone bruise in the knee he injured May 16, and the condition and stability of the cartilage beneath his kneecap will be assessed during the arthroscopic operation by Dr. Richard Steadman in Vail, Colo.

Sizemore

Steadman pioneered the use of microfracture surgery, which stimulates stem cells to repair and re-grow cartilage. Indians trainer Lonnie Soloff said that neither microfracture, nor anything else, had been ruled out.

"The specifics of the surgery won't be available until after the procedure takes place, so there'll be some intra-operative decision-making process that determines what Dr. Steadman will do during surgery," Soloff said.

The surgery hasn't been scheduled yet, though it is planned for some time next week.

"The question isn't how much cartilage is there, it's the stability of the cartilage," Soloff said. "We'll have a specific update after the surgery."

Cleveland officials consulted several knee specialists about their star center fielder, who would be a key player on any Indians contender in the near future.

He was certainly expected to perform on this edition of the team, which was 18-29 before Sunday's game and stuck in last place in the AL Central.

"Big blow," Indians manager Manny Acta said. "He's such an important part of this ballclub, because even when he's struggling offensively as he was, he brings so much to the table. Speed never goes into a slump. He's always played great defense."

Sizemore missed the final month of 2009 after having surgery on his abdomen and left elbow, injuries that hounded him throughout the worst year of his career.

After averaging 29 homers and 118 runs in his All-Star years, the Gold Glove center fielder batted only .248 with 18 homers and 73 RBIs in 106 games.

Sizemore is one of the few remaining stars on a young roster that is expected to help the small-market Indians eventually contend again, after trading away Cy Young Award winners CC Sabathia and Cliff Lee for prospects.

The last time the Indians overhauled their personnel, they traded away pitcher Bartolo Colon at the deadline for two prospects. One was Lee, who was traded to Philadelphia last season and went on to start Game 1 of the World Series -- against, of all people, Sabathia and the New York Yankees. The other player was Sizemore.

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