Saturday, May 25, 2002
Notes from Friday's games
The Associated Press
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Indians-Blue Jays
CLEVELAND: Manager Charlie Manuel met with his hitters for almost an hour before the game. Manuel went over the scouting report as all coaching staffs do before a series begins, but Manuel said it went longer because they talked about ways they could improve their hitting. Cleveland entered the game hitting .241. “We tried to get some feedback from the players,” Manuel said. “Quite of a few them voiced opinions on some things like going deep in a count.” ... Manuel changed his batting order by making OF Matt Lawton the leadoff hitter again. Lawton had been hitting third. “That worked for us a while. I wanted to bat Omar Vizquel second again,” Manuel said.
TORONTO: Manager Buck Martinez demoted struggling starter Brandon Lyon to the bullpen. Lyon went 1-3 with a 6.10 ERA in nine starts. “I have not lost a bit of confidence in Brandon Lyon's ability to be a starter,” Martinez said. Martinez hopes Lyon will work out his problems in middle relief. Martinez said the team hasn't decided who will replace Lyon in the rotation for Tuesday's start. “It depends on what happens over the weekend. We're not ready to make any statements right now, but we do have people in mind,” Martinez said. ... DH Shannon Stewart hasn't started in the outfield since being activated from the 15-day DL on May 16. Stewart, who has a strained right hamstring, entered the game in a 3-for-28 slump. Martinez said he's able to play the outfield.
———
Rangers-Royals
TEXAS: RF Juan Gonzalez, without an RBI in 80 at-bats since last Sept. 19, was moved to fifth in the batting order. He had batted cleanup in all 12 games he played this season. He came off the DL on May 17. ... The Rangers are lagging far behind their home run pace of 2001. After 45 games last season, they had hit 72 homer compared with 41 this season. ... Rafael Palmeiro, who missed the Angels' last game on Wednesday with a strain in his right calf, was back in the lineup Friday as DH.
KANSAS CITY: With their minor league instructors taking part, the Royals went through a 25-minute drill on bunting and baserunning before they took batting practice. New manager Tony Pena said there will be more of the same almost every day while at home. “We're going to try to get everybody to play the game the way I want them to play and do the things I want them to do,” he said. “I believe in the fundamentals.” ... RHP Jason Grimsley was back with the club after missing two games while in Anaheim for personal reasons.
———
Devil Rays-Athletics
TAMPA BAY: LHP Wilson Alvarez is scheduled to make his third rehabilitation start on Saturday for Double-A Orlando. Alvarez has been on the DL since April 15 with a right rib strain. So far in rehab he's pitched seven total innings, allowing two runs on six hits with three walks and 11 strikeouts. ... RHP Jason Dickson was released Friday from Triple-A Durham. He was 3-4 with a 5.70 ERA in nine starts. ... The Devil Rays have won back-to-back road series coming into this weekend's three-game set against Oakland. The Rays have never won three straight series on the road. They went 2-1 at Camden Yards and 2-1 in Seattle.
OAKLAND: The Athletics have not put together consecutive wins in 21 games. ... The A's 20-26 record going into Friday's game against Tampa Bay was their worst start since 1998, when they opened with the same record. ... The A's have lost seven consecutive series. They lost 10 consecutive series in 1979. .... Going into Friday night's game, Eric Chavez has gone eight consecutive games without a homer, his longest drought of the season. With 81 homers, Chavez has the third-most home runs of any other third basemen in franchise history, following Sal Bando with 191 and 86 by Carney Lansford. ... RHP Cory Lidle will make a rehabilitation start for Triple-A Sacramento on Sunday. If all goes well, he could rejoin the team for a start at Tampa Bay on May 31. Lidle was put on the 15-day DL last week with a shoulder strain.
———
Yankees-Red Sox
NEW YORK: Some of the Yankees best hitters began the game in slumps — Alfonso Soriano and Jorge Posada were 2-for-15, Robin Ventura was 1-for-12, Bernie Williams was 1-for-14 and Rondell White was 1-for-15. Gerald Williams, who didn't start, was 0-for-16 for the season. ... Soriano's strikeout in the first gave him three in his last four at bats and increased his team lead to 56.
BOSTON: Johnny Damon stole his 14th base in the first inning. Carl Everett led the Red Sox with nine stolen bases in 2001 and 11 in 2000. Damon needed just four more to match Jose Offerman's team-leading 18 in 1999. ... Pedro Martinez's 10 strikeouts in Thursday night's 3-1 win moved him into third place past Luis Tiant on the Red Sox all-time list with 1,076. Cy Young is second with 1,341 and Clemens is first with 2,590. ... John Burkett lost his last appearance against the Yankees 21-3 when he was with Texas on Aug. 23, 1999. ... Nomar Garciaparra's two RBIs in the first two innings gave him 18 in May and 36 for the season, tying him with teammate Shea Hillenbrand for fourth in the AL, one ahead of injured teammate Manny Ramirez and Frank Thomas of the Chicago White Sox.
———
Tigers-White Sox
DETROIT: Manager Luis Pujols believes that Dmitri Young has been a big part of the Tigers success during the current six-game winning streak. “I think we are playing good right now and everybody is picking up each other. We got Dmitri Young back.” Young extended his hitting streak to six games with a run-scoring single Wednesday against Cleveland. Young, who came off the disabled list May 14, will continue to DH until the weather warms up. “As soon as we get warm weather where he can stay loose and he can go back to first. He's been running and riding the bike staying (during games) loose,” Pujols said. ... Damion Easley played in his first game with Triple-A Toledo on Thursday night. He played five innings at second base going 0-for-1 with a walk. Easley has been out with a pulled oblique muscle. He has only played in six games for the Tigers. ... Brandon Inge is also on a rehab assignment in Toledo. Inge went hitless in his last two games against Charlotte. In six games of rehab Inge is hitting .350 (7 for 20) with two doubles. ... RHP Bill Simas was released at his own request on Friday. Simas was signed as a minor league free agent Jan. 28. Simas was in extended spring training rehabbing from shoulder surgery on Dec. 22, 2000.
CHICAGO: After taking two of three against Boston, the White Sox began the day tied for first place in the AL Central. But there's still room to improve. “I still think we've been stuck in neutral,” Frank Thomas said. “To win two in Boston helped a lot, but we can't go to sleep on Detroit this weekend.” ... Unlike last season, when the White Sox were plagued by injuries all year long, Chicago is the only team in baseball without a player on the 15- or 60-day DL. ... LHP Jim Parque is throwing better at Triple-A Charlotte, but he still hasn't regained his arm strength. If it doesn't come back, GM Kenny Williams said Parque will have to rely on other things, like command. “There are a lot of left-handers out there who do not throw in the 90s,” Williams said. “Frank Tanana had to remake himself. Frank had to be throwing, at his peak in Detroit, 82, 83 mph. But because he did so many other things to keep you off-balance, it looked like he was throwing 92, 93 mph.”
———
Twins-Angels
MINNESOTA: LHP Eric Milton, who faces Anaheim on Sunday, is 2-0 against them since pitching a no-hitter against an Angels lineup made up mostly of minor league callups and reserves on Sept. 11, 1999 at the Metrodome. Current Angels bench coach Joe Maddon, filling in as manager eight days after the resignation of Terry Collins, sat every regular that day except 3B Troy Glaus. The Angels are the only AL team that has not beaten Milton. ... 3B Corey Koskie, sidelined since pulling his right-hamstring on May 7, was back in the starting lineup Friday after 3B Casey Blake was sent outright to Triple-A Edmonton to make room on the roster. Koskie was batting .311 with four homers and 19 RBIs in 34 games when he was injured. ... The Twins entered Friday with a .282 team batting average, second-best in the AL behind Boston's .293 mark.
ANAHEIM: A day after being called up from Triple-A Salt Lake, SS Alfredo Amezaga made his major league debut for the injured David Eckstein. ... Eckstein, who missed his third game because of a sprained left knee, wore a knee brace while taking grounders for the first time since getting injured. The longest stretch Eckstein ever missed in the minors also was three games, with Boston's Double-A Trenton club, because of a bruised left foot. Three seasons ago, he was hit on the left foot by a pitch and played the rest of the extra-inning game before it swelled up on him. ... Amezaga's promotion resulted in LHP Mark Lukasiewicz getting optioned to Salt Lake — leaving Dennis Cook as the only lefty in the bullpen. Lukasiewicz, 1-0 with a 3.27 ERA in 14 appearances, has not allowed a home run in 10 1-3 innings after giving up six over 22 1-3 innings as a rookie last season. “There's always a price to pay when you make a move, and the price is not having Luka to come in and neutralize some lefties,” manager Mike Scioscia said. “But the role Luka was in, he wasn't getting a lot of time on the mound because our starters have been pitching deep into the game. So the thing that was more important to us right now was to stay solid up the middle defensively and get a little more depth.” ... INF Benji Gil, recovering from a sprained left ankle, began a rehab assignment Friday with Triple-A Salt Lake, and is expected to be activated before the maximum 20 days have expired.
———
Orioles-Mariners
BALTIMORE: RHP Travis Driskill, a 30-year-old rookie, will make his first major league start Saturday. It is strictly a spot start, manager Mike Hargrove said. He will not be on a pitch count. “I always thought I would have an opportunity,” Driskill said. “I never thought I would not have a chance. Keep working and working. You're always a phone call away.” He was called up from Triple-A Rochester on April 25 and is 1-0 with a 3.18 ERA in five relief outings. This is his 10th professional season. ... Hargrove gave OF Jeff Conine the night off, his first day off of the season. “His leg has been bothering him the last four or five days,” Hargrove said. Conine has a tight right hamstring. ... The Orioles lost eight of nine against the Mariners last season, their worst record ever against Seattle. And going into Friday's game, Baltimore was 0-13 at Safeco Field and had lost 14 straight in Seattle dating back to June 1, 1999.
SEATTLE: Injured RHP Paul Abbott will pitch in a simulated game Tuesday in Tampa before making a rehab start. Abbott is on the DL with inflammation in his throwing shoulder. He is scheduled for a bullpen session Saturday. ... It's still uncertain when injured DH Edgar Martinez will return. He had surgery April 13 to remove a ruptured tendon in his hamstring. Martinez did agility drills and some running. Trainer Rick Griffin said he didn't know when Martinez would run the bases again. Manager Lou Piniella had said Martinez might be ready to rejoin the team Tuesday in Tampa, but the timeline has been pushed back by at least a week. ... Hitting coach Gerald Perry will miss the three-game series against the Orioles. He is home in Georgia for his daughter's graduation.
———
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Phillies-Expos
PHILADELPHIA: With manager Larry Bowa suspended, Phillies bench coach Gary Varsho will manage the team for all three games of the weekend series here. Bowa, who watched Friday night's game along with assistant GM Ruben Amaro Jr. from a booth in the Olympic Stadium press box, was given a three-game suspension — which he chose not to appeal — and fined an undisclosed amount by baseball disciplinarian Bob Watson Thursday for his May 17 run-in with umpire Tony Randazzo. ... Varsho spent the last five seasons managing in the minors, including the last three with Double-A Reading. ... The Phillies have lost 11 of their last 13 on the road. Philadelphia is an NL-worst 4-18 road mark this season. ... LHP Randy Wolf will attempt to give the Phillies their first consecutive road wins this season. Wolf allowed two runs in six innings for the win in his last start, a 4-3 victory in Arizona last Sunday.
MONTREAL: 2B Jose Vidro's career-high 17-game hitting streak is tied with Colorado's Juan Uribe for the longest in the NL this season. He is one game short of the tying Chicago's Paul Konerko and Boston's Johnny Damon for the longest streak in the majors this season. Vidro is 27-for-70 (.386) over the course of the streak, including five doubles, one homer and 13 RBIs. ... Vidro's streak is the Expos' longest since F.P. Santangelo hit safely in 18 straight games from June 5-23, 1997. ... Montreal is 6-14 in May after going 16-10 in April.
———
Marlins-Mets
FLORIDA: Luis Castillo singled on the second pitch of the game Friday to extend his hitting streak to 12 games, the longest of the season for the Marlins. Mike Lowell had an 11-game streak that ended May 8. ... The four-game weekend series in New York concludes a 14-game road trip for the Marlins, the longest in franchise history. Three times previously the club had 13-game road trips (1996, 1998, 2000). ... Preston Wilson came into the weekend series with three homers in the past five games. Wilson has hit eight career homers at Shea Stadium and 11 altogether against the Mets, both the best in his career for homers against a team and at a road site.
NEW YORK: Edgardo Alfonzo came into the game with hits in seven of his last eight games and hit his first homer of the season (after 150 at-bats) during that span. Alfonzo hit .483 (14-for-29 with five doubles) on the 10-game roadtrip. ... RF Jeromy Burnitz hit .100 (3-for-30) with one RBI on the trip. ... After having made 40 errors in the first 37 games of the season, the Mets came into Friday night with only one error in the last six games.
———
Cardinals-Pirates
ST. LOUIS: None of the Cardinals' three starters this weekend had a career loss against Pittsburgh going into the series. Garrett Stephenson was 5-0, Woody Williams was 3-0 and rookie Jason Simontacchi, a former Pirates farmhand, had yet to oppose them. Williams has not allowed an earned run in 12 innings over two starts since coming off the disabled list May 15. He is 8-1 since joining the Cardinals last season. ... LHP Rick Ankiel (elbow tendinitis) will accompany the Cardinals on their road trip to Pittsburgh and Houston, then may begin a minor league rehabilitation assignment. ... Helped by their 9-1 homestand against the Cubs, Reds and Astros, the Cardinals improved to 14-2 at Busch Stadium against the NL Central. ... St. Louis hadn't won nine games on a home stand since going 9-4 from April 19-May 1, 1991.
PITTSBURGH: The Pirates bullpen had the NL's lowest ERA before going 0-3 with a 6.45 ERA during a 2-6 trip to Houston and Chicago. Pirates closer Mike Williams pitched only once during the trip. Unlike some managers, Lloyd McClendon prefers not to pitch his closer in non-save situations just to keep him sharp. ... The Pirates hit eight homers in the final five games of the road trip, yet still had a major league low 29 homers through 46 games. ... The 45-minute rain delay at the start of the Cardinals-Pirates game Friday was the 10th in the Pirates' 22 scheduled home dates at PNC Park, with the delays totaling 12 hours, 36 minutes. One game was rained out. ... McClendon said there is no chance LHP Dave Williams will leave the rotation despite pitching poorly in his last four starts, lasting only 14 innings.
———
Reds-Braves
CINCINNATI: The Reds lead the NL Central, and three of their minor league teams also lead their divisions; Triple-A Louisville; Double-A Chattanooga; and Class-A Stockton. ... SS Barry Larkin needs one double to tie Hall of Famer Johnny Bench for third on the team's career list. Larkin has 380, well behind Pete Rose's 601. ... 2B Todd Walker turns 29 Saturday. ... RHP Joey Hamilton, who came off the DL Tuesday, pitched for the first time since May 6. He left that game against the Milwaukee Brewers with a partial tear of his left hamstring. ... Reds pitchers had given up fewer than 10 hits in 11 of the past 12 games before Friday night.
ATLANTA: With two off days this week, LHP Damian Moss will be skipped over in the rotation. RHP Jason Marquis will start Saturday. If Moss would have kept his spot Saturday, Marquis would have gone 11 days without pitching. ... RF Gary Sheffield is day-to-day with a slightly pulled hamstring, which upset Barry Bonds. In the offseason, the two trained together following Bonds' regiment. “He left me a message saying I'm making his program look bad, pulling up like that,” Sheffield said. ... INF Mark DeRosa hobbled into the Braves clubhouse on crutches, three days after he had surgery on a torn ligament in his ankle. He said it was the first day he's been without pain.
———
Cubs-Astros
CHICAGO: Moises Alou is playing with a hamstring injury and slumping with a .179 average but he doesn't know what kind of press he's getting in Chicago. He doesn't read the papers. “My wife isn't there so I don't have a subscription to the newspaper,” Alou said. “If they are writing something about me then I deserve it. I haven't been hitting good and the team hasn't been hitting either. Once we get out of that we'll be doing well.”
HOUSTON: The Astros returned home for a six-game homestand against the Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals with a four-game losing streak. When it was suggested that it's early in the season and the Astros still have time to make a run, manager Jimy Williams didn't agree. “Early?” he said. “That saying is getting old. We need to start playing. We need to get bigger numbers.”
———
Padres-Brewers
SAN DIEGO: X-rays on RHP Brett Tomko's left leg showed no broken bones, a day after his calf was struck by Todd Zeile's bouncer to the mound. Tomko had his ankle wrapped in ice from his ankle to the knee after Thursday's game. The team said Friday that Tomko might be able to start during his next scheduled turn Tuesday against Colorado, although manager Bruce Bochy previously had said the injury would prevent him from making that start. ... Going into Friday night's game, Ryan Klesko was batting .382 in nine games since Phil Nevin went on the DL May 12. ... Kevin Pickford is scheduled to make his first major league start Saturday night, and it will be the first start by a Padres left-hander since Sterling Hitchcock July 25, 2001, at Arizona, a span of 108 games. Besides Hitchcock, no other left-handed starter has won for the Padres since Mark Langston on July 25, 1998 against Houston.
MILWAUKEE: Manager Jerry Royster still was upset Friday about the way his pitchers threw to Shawn Green on Thursday when the Dodgers outfielder hit four home runs. Royster said his pitchers did a poor job following the game plan to throw Green mostly fastballs inside. “You have to give the guy credit,” Royster said. “Every single game you will see pitches that just should be smoked, but aren't. This guy got it done.” ... Going into a weekend series with San Diego, the Brewers are 9-23 lifetime against the Padres. ... Jamey Wright was reinstated off the DL Friday. To make room on the roster, RHP Brian Mallette was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis. ... Reliever Chad Fox on Saturday will begin a 30-day rehab assignment at Double-A Huntsville. He is recovering from a sprained ligament in his left elbow.
———
Giants-Rockies
SAN FRANCISCO:With Rich Aurilia on the DL, the Giants have several options at shortstop with the activation of Shawon Dunston. “We have Ramon Martinez as our main guy,” manager Dusty Baker said. “If he's ever not able to go our next option would be Pedro Feliz and then Shawon. I don't know how it would affect Shawon's back and legs right now though with so much up and down movement and the changing of directions.” ... The morning rain that changed to snow made Baker consider making lineup changes including resting Barry Bonds. None were made. “The weather is a factor and I wasn't going to factor it in until I saw what the weather was like,” Baker said. “They told me, just wait an hour and it will change again, so I would have to have an hourly lineup.” ... Bonds had hit 17 home runs in Denver, 13 at Coors Field and four at Mile High Stadium. Bonds entered Friday's game tied with Mark McGwire for fifth place all-time with 583 home runs.
COLORADO: Neither team was able to take batting practice on the field because of a morning snowstorm. ... Manager Clint Hurdle made it clear that he will not put added pressure on RHP Denny Stark when it comes to facing Barry Bonds. “Denial is no way to handle anything and nothing in life can be handled with denial,” Hurdle said. “Barry Bonds is going to come up four-to-five times and we are going to hope to get him out. Are we going to give him a chance to beat our ballclub late? No way. We have a pitching plan that hopefully we can follow that it will make it more difficult for him to be productive.” ... RHP Shawn Chacon threw without pain or discomfort for 20 minutes against some hitters in the inside batting cage. Chacon has been on the DL since May 9 with a strained pectoral muscle. “Shawn didn't favor anything and was letting it go, throwing with good velocity and with good movement,” Hurdle said. “The next step will be to see how he feels tomorrow, have him throw again Sunday and maybe have him rehab on Tuesday, evaluate that and go from there.” ... Hurdle reaffirmed that there is no dilemma at second base. “Jose Ortiz is our second basemen and the other guys are in there when I am matching up hitters against pitchers or to give players that don't play every day an opportunity to get some at-bats.” Ortiz has started 32 of Colorado's 47 games. Terry Shumpert (13) and Brent Butler (2) have the other starts. ... 1B Todd Helton has hit 99 home runs at Coors Field. Only Larry Walker (132), Vinny Castilla (117) and Dante Bichette (111) have hit more since the ballpark opened in 1995.
———
Dodgers-Diamondbacks:
LOS ANGELES: Shawn Green called his four-homer, six-hit game against Milwaukee the night before the high note of his career. “I don't think I could ever have a game that is more enjoyable on a personal level,” he said. “But when you come down to it, obviously playing in the World Series would blow that away.” ... Manager Jim Tracy echoed Green's praise of the Brewers for throwing pitches he could hit late in the game. “If I'd been in that situation, I would have done the same thing,” Tracy said. “It was 8-1 in the second inning, and when the game is out of hand, why not challenge the other team's best hitter?” ... At 15-9, the Dodgers came into their first meeting with Arizona as the NL's best road team. ... Odalis Perez, the starter for this game, Omar Daal and Kazuhisa Ishii have a combined 13-3 record — the first time the Dodgers have had 13 wins from left-handed starters since 1991.
ARIZONA: The Diamondbacks activated OF David Dellucci from the DL to provide depth in right field. Regular RF Danny Bautista tore ligaments and connective tissue in his left shoulder Wednesday and is out at least three months. But right-handed Jose Guillen started against LHP Odalis Perez, Los Angeles' starter. ... Bautista, who turned 30 Friday, still ranked among the NL's top 10 during the day, hitting .325. ... The Diamondbacks went in leading the NL in runs (239), homers (57) and total bases (704) while striking out a league-low 266 times. ... Despite the Dodgers' eight home runs Thursday night in an open-air ballpark and starter Curt Schilling's belief the ball carries better in open air, the Diamondbacks opened the Bank One Ballpark roof for the game. ... RHP Matt Mantei, who faces a challenge from Byung-Hyun Kim to become Arizona's closer when he returns, is schedule to throw back-to-back-to-back with Triple-A Tucson this week. Mantei has been on the DL all season after having elbow surgery.
Reds Stories
Thompson engages mind, not body, in practice
Dolphins excited about Turner's offense
Eagles' Lewis promotes NFL in Asia, returns for camp
San Diego ponders whether it can afford to keep Chargers
Dayton QB suspended one game for DUI
It's a grind, and the athletes love it
Shaker Run will host USGA Publinx
Bartholomew, Diaz share Corning lead
Julian just happy to still be playing the game
PGA Memorial results
Texas twosome tango for lead
Arena may play both Keller and Friedel
Germany coping with injuries, lower expectations
Maradona denied Japanese visa
Mathis on verge of becoming world star
Defending champion on quest to climb
Indy 500 has fastest field ever
No double-duty for Stewart
Hasek confident, Roy desperate on eve of Game 4
Hockey a hot ticket in Carolina
Kings 103, Lakers 90
Lakers done in by early mistakes against Kings
Nets tend to bounce back after a bad game
Spurs' Robinson to retire after 2002-03 season
Withrow's Hunter out of NBA draft
Baldwin resigns as USOC president
Coming up this week
Milford rolls to first district title
Freshman Detzel leads Colerain girls
Hartman heats up for Firebirds
Lebanon rolls into regional
Lewis, offense lead Anderson
McNick district champs
Preps results
Preps schedule
• Return to Reds front page...
Notes from Friday's games 
