Saturday, June 01, 2002
Martinez won't pitch against Yanks
Baseball notebook
The Associated Press
NEW YORK — Boston Red Sox manager Grady Little isn't about to take any chances with Pedro Martinez's fragile right arm even if it means he'll miss a chance to pitch against the New York Yankees.
Little stood by his decision to hold Martinez back a day and pitch him Monday night in Detroit instead of Sunday against the second-place Yankees.
“We'd like to have him pitch every game against them or play the Tampa Bay Devil Rays 162 times instead of these teams. But it's not going to happen,” Little said before Friday's series opener between the Yankees and Red Sox.
Martinez was limited to 18 games last season because of a shoulder injury. The Red Sox have monitored Martinez's workload closely this season, keeping him on a pitch count and giving him an extra day between starts whenever possible.
Martinez has made only three of his 11 starts this season on the normal four days' rest. The careful treatment has been beneficial. Martinez is 7-0 with a 2.93 ERA so far.
“Our thought process on him has been the same since the early part of the season,” Little said. “When we've had the opportunity to use an off-day to give him an extra day's rest, we take it. He had a tough time getting loose in Toronto, and that just reaffirmed my decision.”
RANGERS: Texas catcher Ivan Rodriguez, a 10-time All-Star, is scheduled to catch in a game for the first time in more than two months today.
Rodriguez, who is on the disabled list because of a herniated disk in his back, will catch two to four innings in an extended spring game. He hasn't caught since April 13, just days before he went on the DL.
INJURY REPORT: White Sox center fielder Kenny Lofton missed Friday night's game against the Cleveland Indians with an inflamed right rotator cuff. Lofton had an MRI in Cleveland on Friday. He is listed as day-to-day, White Sox general manager Ken Williams said.
• Pittsburgh placed left-hander Dave Williams on the 15-day disabled list with a torn labrum and recalled right-hander Bronson Arroyo from Triple-A Nashville. Williams is 2-5 with a 4.98 ERA in nine starts.
• Tampa Bay left-hander Wilson Alvarez, sidelined since April 15 by a rib strain, was activated Friday. Alvarez is 1-1 with a 4.50 ERA in two starts this season.
• Left-hander Andy Pettitte, on the disabled list since April 16 with tendinitis in his pitching elbow, reported no problems after throwing three innings in an extended spring training game Friday.
UMP INJURED: Plate umpire Steve Rippley was hit in the left temple by a ball during Friday night's game between Oakland and Tampa Bay and was taken off the field on a stretcher. He was alert and talking as he was examined.
Rippley was taken to a hospital for further examination.
The umpire was injured in the sixth inning when a pitch by Tampa Bay's Lee Gardner hit Adam Piatt and deflected off catcher John Flaherty.
Rippley fell to the ground and trainers from both teams ran to him. After being examined on the field for a few moments, paramedics then took Rippley off the field, where he was checked by Devil Rays team doctor Koco Eaton.
TWINS: Minnesota put pitcher Brad Radke back on the disabled list after he threw just 12 pitches in his return to the Major League Baseball team's starting rotation Thursday night.
Radke pulled his right groin muscle against the Kansas City Royals on May 13 and was placed on the 15-day disabled list a day later.
He was activated and started against the Anaheim Angels but aggravated the injury in the first inning.
He surrendered one run on one hit, a home run by Anaheim's Darin Erstad, before leaving the game. The Twins won the game 7-6 in 10 innings.
Radke has a 4-2 with a 5.23 earned run average in 10 starts this season.
HURTIN' BIRD: Cardinals center fielder Jim Edmonds left Friday night's game against the Pittsburgh Pirates in the fourth inning after injuring his right wrist while sliding at the plate.
Edmonds, who entered leading the NL with a .337 batting average, was hurt trying to score from third on Kerry Robinson's shallow flyball to left in the second. Edmonds was tagged out as he tried to touch the plate with his left hand, as his right hand dragged in the dirt.
X-rays were taken after Edmonds was removed for a pinch-hitter in the bottom of the fourth.
Also Friday, the Cardinals activated reliever Steve Kline from the disabled list.
“You always want to be active, but you've got to be smart,” Kline said. “Our bullpen is pitching well and you don't want to come up here and kick someone out who's been doing the job. That's the worst part about coming up, I kicked one of my buddies out of the bullpen.”
The Cardinals made room for Kline on the roster by optioning right-hander Mike Crudale to Triple-A Memphis. Crudale has a 1.69 ERA in 16 innings over 12 games.
“He couldn't have done any better than he did,” La Russa said. “He pitched outstanding.”
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Martinez won't pitch against Yanks
