Post by John on Jun 1, 2006 10:54:33 GMT -4
6/3 Updates
Perez rejoins Dodger rotation in place of Seo
Odalis Perez will return to the Dodgers' rotation and start Wednesday against the Mets.
Jae Seo has been sent to the pen. Perez allowed three runs in 8 1/3 innings as a reliever after losing his rotation spot last month. Fantasy leaguers will likely want to keep him reserved against the Mets, but he should go back to having considerable value in NL-only leagues. Mixed leaguers will definitely want to keep an eye on him.
Gagne throws scoreless inning in first appearance
Eric Gagne pitched a scoreless inning in a non-save situation Friday in his first appearance for the Dodgers since last June.
Gagne hit a batter on an errant changeup and also walked one, but he didn't give up a hit while throwing 18 pitches. He hit 94 mph on the gun a couple of times in the contest and threw several more pitches at 92-93 mph. It'd be nice to see the Dodgers get him a save situation on Sunday. He probably won't be available Saturday.
Moyer throws two-hitter versus Royals
Jamie Moyer pitched a two-hit shutout against the Royals on Friday. He walked one and struck out two in the 93-pitch masterpiece.
The two-hitter was Moyer's first since Aug. 16, 1986, when he was a rookie with the Cubs. Moyer is once again pitching much better at home than on the road. In 2005, he was 10-0 with a 2.95 ERA at Safeco and 3-7 with a 6.11 ERA elsewhere. This year, he's 2-2 with a 2.65 ERA in eight starts at home and 1-3 with a 6.20 ERA in four road starts. The Mariners will likely juggle their rotation from time to time to get Moyer starts in Seattle.
6/2 Updates
Orioles place Gibbons on 15-day DL
Orioles placed outfielder Jay Gibbons on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to May 27, with hip and knee injuries.
Gibbons has so many aches and pains that it was tough for the Orioles to pick just two. Orioles manager Sam Perlozzo said before the game that Gibbons felt no pain while at the plate, but experienced difficulty running. Luis Matos and Jeff Conine will get addition at-bats until Gibbons returns.
Carpenter to return Tuesday
Chris Carpenter (back) had another successful bullpen session on Friday and is set to rejoin the St. Louis rotation on Tursday.
"I threw everything, all of my pitches," Carpenter said. "It was longer, and I definitely felt good." You'll want Carpenter back in your lineup for his outing against the Reds.
Crawford day-to-day with knee injury
Carl Crawford is day-to-day with a left knee injury sustained during Thursday's game.
Crawford was hurt while acting up following an out call at home plate. "Strained knee, stiffness, no structural damage," manager Joe Maddon said. "Day-to-day. If doesn't play tomorrow, he will play Saturday." If Crawford can't go on Friday, it's likely that Russell Branyan will get a start.
6/1 Updates
Gonzalez signs with Long Island Ducks
Juan Gonzalez agreed to terms on a deal Thursday to play for the Long Island Ducks of the independent Atlantic League.
Gonzalez is expected to join the Ducks on Saturday. If all goes well, perhaps he'll join a major league team for the final three months of the season.
Dodgers place Kent on DL, recall Guzman
Dodgers placed second baseman Jeff Kent on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to May 28, because of a sprained left wrist.
Kent received an injection on Thursday and might have been ready to play before his 15 days were up, but with Ramon Martinez also hurting, the Dodgers needed to free up a roster spot. The vacancy went to top prospect Joel Guzman, who could see some time at third base. Willy Aybar and Martinez will share time at second base.
Colon goes four scoreless in rehab start
Bartolo Colon (shoulder) pitched four scoreless innings in his rehab start for Single-A Rancho Cucamonga on Thursday.
Colon allowed two hits, walked one and struck out three. "The arm's not bothering me at all, so I just want to take it easy, and hopefully the injury won't come back," Colon said through a translator. "I just have to go out and throw my pitches." Colon will start for Triple-A Salt Lake on Tuesday and will likely rejoin the Tigers next weekend.
Sheffield placed on DL with torn wrist ligament
Yankees placed outfielder Gary Sheffield on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to Tuesday, with a torn ligament and dislocated tendon in his left wrist.
The dislocated tendon shouldn't take as much time as the ligament, but it's not going to help his recovery any. While the Yankees have yet to comment, it seems very possible that Sheffield will miss the bulk of the remainder of the season.
Tigers' Maroth to undergo elbow surgery
Source: Tigers.mlb.com
Mike Maroth will undergo arthroscopic surgery Friday to remove bone chips in his left elbow.
How things have changed for the Tigers the last few days. Bone chips are a lot better than ligament damage, but Maroth still might miss two to three months. The Tigers aren't currently providing any timetable for his return. Roman Colon is filling in for him in the rotation.
5/31 Updates
Coffey takes over as Cincinnati's closer
Source: Cincinnati Post
After Todd Coffey earned his second save Wednesday against the Cubs, Reds manager Jerry Narron indicated that he's now the team's closer.
Asked if Coffey would get the ball in the next save situation, Narron said, "I believe he will." Coffey has a 1.20 ERA to David Weathers' 3.24 mark. He's not going to keep pitching like this, but he'll probably do well enough to keep the closer's role for the rest of the season.
Schmidt expected to make next start
Jason Schmidt should be fine to make his next start after leaving Wednesday's game with a cramp in his right leg.
"I'm good. I feel fine," Schmidt said. "Every now and then I get a few of these. I probably should drink more water before I go out there." Schmidt picked up a win for allowing one run and striking out 10 in 5 2/3 innings against the Marlins tonight.
Peavy's start in jeopardy due to sore shoulder
The Padres are considering having Jake Peavy skip his next start as he continues to deal with shoulder soreness.
They have Thursday off, so they could move Mike Thompson and Chris Young up a day without any problem. "It's been going on a while, four or five starts," Peavy said of the soreness in his shoulder. "They're saying this is the last time in a while they can push me back without altering the rotation. We might take that route with the off-day, which would make my next start Tuesday in Milwaukee."
Cubs' Lee has cast removed
Derrek Lee, on the DL as he recovers from two fractured bones just above his wrist joint, had his cast removed on Wednesday.
Lee is still likely 10-14 days away from beginning baseball activities. The best-case scenario would have him returning a week after that. It may take a little longer, but the Cubs are quite optimistic that he'll return before the end of June.
Angels extend Escobar through 2009
Angels agreed to terms with RHP Kelvim Escobar on a three-year contract extension through 2009.
No terms yet. Had Escobar remained healthy the rest of the season, he almost certainly would have received a four-year deal as a free agent this winter, possibly at $10 million per year. The 30-year-old right-hander is an injury risk going forward, so the Angels are taking a chance by signing him. Still, he was one of the best investments among the pending free-agent starters.
Jays' Wells sidelined with shoulder injury
Source: Sportsnet.ca
Vernon Wells is out of Wednesday's starting lineup with a left shoulder injury.
All those home runs last night wore him out. "I did something to my shoulder," Wells told Sportsnet. "I can't really figure out when I aggravated it. It's definitely got some pain in it and hopefully it will be better after tonight. Then we got an off-day tomorrow (Thursday) and hopefully I'll be back in the lineup on Friday." The Jays have Alex Rios in center and Eric Hinske in right field tonight.
Cubs acquire Nevin from Rangers for Hairston
Cubs acquired first baseman Phil Nevin and cash from the Rangers for second baseman-outfielder Jerry Hairston Jr.
The Cubs have two options here. They could use Nevin as their first baseman against left-handers until Derrek Lee comes back, which is probably the best choice. Alternatively, they could make Nevin a regular and put Todd Walker back at second. While getting Tony Womack out of the lineup is rarely a bad thing, that would weaken the defense without really upgrading the offense. Womack might actually hit righties better than Nevin. Once Derrek Lee comes back, the Cubs may try Nevin in the outfield. If he proves capable, he'd be a fine platoon partner for Jacque Jones against lefties. If he can't handle right field, he wouldn't be more than a pinch-hitter after Lee returns. Nevin is worth using in NL-only leagues for the short-term. He's not a good enough bet for long-term value to be worthy of a high waiver claim.
Ellis out 3-6 weeks with broken thumb
Mark Ellis has a broken right thumb and is expected to miss three to six weeks.
Ellis is hitting just .226/.302/.323 in 164 at-bats, but this is still a significant loss for the A's. Mike Rouse could be called up to share time with Marco Scutaro and Antonio Perez at second base. Keith Ginter would be a better choice, but the A's apparently don't want to make room for him on the 40-man roster. Scutaro figures to get the majority of the starts, even though he's been ice cold of late.
Royals fire Baird, make Moore new GM
Royals fired general manager Allard Baird; named Dayton Moore general manager, effective June 8; named Muzzy Jackson interim general manager.
Jackson will run the team through the draft next week, which may have been a term of Moore's hiring. Otherwise, the Royals would be stealing all of the Braves' picks. We don't know that Moore will be a great GM, but the 39-year-old has been a key figure in perhaps baseball's best front office and he is very well regarded. That he'll have complete control over baseball operations should leave Royals fans more optimistic about the future than they have been in quite some time.
Pena to undergo surgery to repair broken hamate
Wily Mo Pena will undergo surgery Thursday to repair a broken left hamate bone.
Pena figures to miss four to six weeks following the operation. It's fortunate that he waited until Coco Crisp returned to get hurt, but Pena's absence will still hurt the Red Sox against left-handers. Also, his power stroke might not immediately come back after he returns. Trot Nixon will be in the lineup against most left-handers until Pena comes back.
Red Sox place Wells on 15-day DL
Red Sox placed LHP David Wells on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to May 27, with a bruised right knee.
David Pauley will start in his place on Wednesday. It's the third DL stint this season for Wells, who was hit by a comebacker in his start against the Rays on Friday.
Astros, Clemens agreed to deal
Astros agreed to terms with RHP Roger Clemens on a minor league contract.
Clemens will get a one-year, $22,000,022 contract when he is officially added to the major league roster. If that happens June 22 as planned, he would earn $12,632,307 over the rest of the season. Clemens is scheduled to make three minor league starts, the first coming on June 6. "The ball's in my court now," Clemens said. "This was a difficult decision on my part in a number of situations. I have to now take the next step and get my body ready to come back, get effective, win games."
Report: Baird out as Royals GM
Source: Kansas City Star
Royals GM Allard Baird was told Wednesday that he's been fired by the Royals. Braves assistant Dayton Moore is in line to replace him.
It's not offical yet, but it looks like the Royals are finally going in the right direction. Sources told the Kansas City Star that Moore is getting a five-year contract and complete control over baseball operations. He'll officially take over the GM role after next week's draft.
Padres' Young takes no-hitter into eighth inning
Chris Young took a no-hitter into the eighth in a victory over Colorado on Tuesday night. He ended up allowing one hit in eight scoreless innings.
With Young at 110 pitches, the Padres went to Trevor Hoffman in the ninth. He allowed a single before finishing up the 2-0 win. Young struck out eight and walked two in his best start as a major leaguer. He's 4-3 with a 3.80 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP, making him an asset even in shallow mixed leagues.
Yankees' Rivera goes three innings for victory
In his longest regular-season appearance in 10 years, Mariano Rivera pitched three scoreless innings to earn the victory as the Yankees beat the Tigers 11-6 in 11 innings on Tuesday.
Rivera threw just 16 pitches in the first two innings, so it figured that he would come back out for a third once Jason Giambi homered in the top of the 11th. The surprise was that he pitched even after the Yankees added four more runs. Rivera needed to throw only 25 pitches at all, as the Tigers barely tried to make him work. Detroit still has the best record in baseball, but we'll see how well that holds up with a schedule turning difficult for the first time. The win puts the Yankees even with the Red Sox atop the AL East.
5/30 Updates
Wells has three-homer game in win over Boston
Vernon Wells homered three times Tuesday as the Blue Jays defeated the Red Sox 8-5.
Well, it was the first time the Red Sox had ever faced Wells. How were they supposed to know that he's as vulnerable to pitches low and away as any good hitter in baseball? Maybe they'll learn next time that belt-high fastballs and changeups aren't the way to go. Wells' three-homer game was the Jays' first since Carlos Delgado had one in 2001. He has 15 homers this season, eight of them coming against Boston.
Harden could return Sunday
Rich Harden will pitch two innings for Triple-A Sacramento on Wednesday. If he does well, he'll come off the DL to start Sunday's game.
Harden would be facing the Twins, so even though he probably wouldn't go more than five innings, he could be worth activating right away in fantasy leagues. The right-hander has been out since April 27 with a torn muscle in his back.
Cardinals place Carpenter on 15-day DL
Cardinals placed RHP Chris Carpenter on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to May 20, with bursitis under his right shoulder blade.
Carpenter threw in the bullpen on Tuesday and said he felt no pain. The plan is for him to throw again on Friday and return to the St. Louis rotation next Monday or Tuesday. Anthony Reyes is filling in for him tonight.
Gagne activated, serves two-game suspension
Dodgers activated RHP Eric Gagne from the 15-day disabled list.
Only a slight change of plans. Gagne will immediately serve the two-game suspension he received for arguing while on the disabled list last year. As a result, he'll still be available for the first time on Thursday. He's expected to return the closer's role right away.
Perez rejoins Dodger rotation in place of Seo
Odalis Perez will return to the Dodgers' rotation and start Wednesday against the Mets.
Jae Seo has been sent to the pen. Perez allowed three runs in 8 1/3 innings as a reliever after losing his rotation spot last month. Fantasy leaguers will likely want to keep him reserved against the Mets, but he should go back to having considerable value in NL-only leagues. Mixed leaguers will definitely want to keep an eye on him.
Gagne throws scoreless inning in first appearance
Eric Gagne pitched a scoreless inning in a non-save situation Friday in his first appearance for the Dodgers since last June.
Gagne hit a batter on an errant changeup and also walked one, but he didn't give up a hit while throwing 18 pitches. He hit 94 mph on the gun a couple of times in the contest and threw several more pitches at 92-93 mph. It'd be nice to see the Dodgers get him a save situation on Sunday. He probably won't be available Saturday.
Moyer throws two-hitter versus Royals
Jamie Moyer pitched a two-hit shutout against the Royals on Friday. He walked one and struck out two in the 93-pitch masterpiece.
The two-hitter was Moyer's first since Aug. 16, 1986, when he was a rookie with the Cubs. Moyer is once again pitching much better at home than on the road. In 2005, he was 10-0 with a 2.95 ERA at Safeco and 3-7 with a 6.11 ERA elsewhere. This year, he's 2-2 with a 2.65 ERA in eight starts at home and 1-3 with a 6.20 ERA in four road starts. The Mariners will likely juggle their rotation from time to time to get Moyer starts in Seattle.
6/2 Updates
Orioles place Gibbons on 15-day DL
Orioles placed outfielder Jay Gibbons on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to May 27, with hip and knee injuries.
Gibbons has so many aches and pains that it was tough for the Orioles to pick just two. Orioles manager Sam Perlozzo said before the game that Gibbons felt no pain while at the plate, but experienced difficulty running. Luis Matos and Jeff Conine will get addition at-bats until Gibbons returns.
Carpenter to return Tuesday
Chris Carpenter (back) had another successful bullpen session on Friday and is set to rejoin the St. Louis rotation on Tursday.
"I threw everything, all of my pitches," Carpenter said. "It was longer, and I definitely felt good." You'll want Carpenter back in your lineup for his outing against the Reds.
Crawford day-to-day with knee injury
Carl Crawford is day-to-day with a left knee injury sustained during Thursday's game.
Crawford was hurt while acting up following an out call at home plate. "Strained knee, stiffness, no structural damage," manager Joe Maddon said. "Day-to-day. If doesn't play tomorrow, he will play Saturday." If Crawford can't go on Friday, it's likely that Russell Branyan will get a start.
6/1 Updates
Gonzalez signs with Long Island Ducks
Juan Gonzalez agreed to terms on a deal Thursday to play for the Long Island Ducks of the independent Atlantic League.
Gonzalez is expected to join the Ducks on Saturday. If all goes well, perhaps he'll join a major league team for the final three months of the season.
Dodgers place Kent on DL, recall Guzman
Dodgers placed second baseman Jeff Kent on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to May 28, because of a sprained left wrist.
Kent received an injection on Thursday and might have been ready to play before his 15 days were up, but with Ramon Martinez also hurting, the Dodgers needed to free up a roster spot. The vacancy went to top prospect Joel Guzman, who could see some time at third base. Willy Aybar and Martinez will share time at second base.
Colon goes four scoreless in rehab start
Bartolo Colon (shoulder) pitched four scoreless innings in his rehab start for Single-A Rancho Cucamonga on Thursday.
Colon allowed two hits, walked one and struck out three. "The arm's not bothering me at all, so I just want to take it easy, and hopefully the injury won't come back," Colon said through a translator. "I just have to go out and throw my pitches." Colon will start for Triple-A Salt Lake on Tuesday and will likely rejoin the Tigers next weekend.
Sheffield placed on DL with torn wrist ligament
Yankees placed outfielder Gary Sheffield on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to Tuesday, with a torn ligament and dislocated tendon in his left wrist.
The dislocated tendon shouldn't take as much time as the ligament, but it's not going to help his recovery any. While the Yankees have yet to comment, it seems very possible that Sheffield will miss the bulk of the remainder of the season.
Tigers' Maroth to undergo elbow surgery
Source: Tigers.mlb.com
Mike Maroth will undergo arthroscopic surgery Friday to remove bone chips in his left elbow.
How things have changed for the Tigers the last few days. Bone chips are a lot better than ligament damage, but Maroth still might miss two to three months. The Tigers aren't currently providing any timetable for his return. Roman Colon is filling in for him in the rotation.
5/31 Updates
Coffey takes over as Cincinnati's closer
Source: Cincinnati Post
After Todd Coffey earned his second save Wednesday against the Cubs, Reds manager Jerry Narron indicated that he's now the team's closer.
Asked if Coffey would get the ball in the next save situation, Narron said, "I believe he will." Coffey has a 1.20 ERA to David Weathers' 3.24 mark. He's not going to keep pitching like this, but he'll probably do well enough to keep the closer's role for the rest of the season.
Schmidt expected to make next start
Jason Schmidt should be fine to make his next start after leaving Wednesday's game with a cramp in his right leg.
"I'm good. I feel fine," Schmidt said. "Every now and then I get a few of these. I probably should drink more water before I go out there." Schmidt picked up a win for allowing one run and striking out 10 in 5 2/3 innings against the Marlins tonight.
Peavy's start in jeopardy due to sore shoulder
The Padres are considering having Jake Peavy skip his next start as he continues to deal with shoulder soreness.
They have Thursday off, so they could move Mike Thompson and Chris Young up a day without any problem. "It's been going on a while, four or five starts," Peavy said of the soreness in his shoulder. "They're saying this is the last time in a while they can push me back without altering the rotation. We might take that route with the off-day, which would make my next start Tuesday in Milwaukee."
Cubs' Lee has cast removed
Derrek Lee, on the DL as he recovers from two fractured bones just above his wrist joint, had his cast removed on Wednesday.
Lee is still likely 10-14 days away from beginning baseball activities. The best-case scenario would have him returning a week after that. It may take a little longer, but the Cubs are quite optimistic that he'll return before the end of June.
Angels extend Escobar through 2009
Angels agreed to terms with RHP Kelvim Escobar on a three-year contract extension through 2009.
No terms yet. Had Escobar remained healthy the rest of the season, he almost certainly would have received a four-year deal as a free agent this winter, possibly at $10 million per year. The 30-year-old right-hander is an injury risk going forward, so the Angels are taking a chance by signing him. Still, he was one of the best investments among the pending free-agent starters.
Jays' Wells sidelined with shoulder injury
Source: Sportsnet.ca
Vernon Wells is out of Wednesday's starting lineup with a left shoulder injury.
All those home runs last night wore him out. "I did something to my shoulder," Wells told Sportsnet. "I can't really figure out when I aggravated it. It's definitely got some pain in it and hopefully it will be better after tonight. Then we got an off-day tomorrow (Thursday) and hopefully I'll be back in the lineup on Friday." The Jays have Alex Rios in center and Eric Hinske in right field tonight.
Cubs acquire Nevin from Rangers for Hairston
Cubs acquired first baseman Phil Nevin and cash from the Rangers for second baseman-outfielder Jerry Hairston Jr.
The Cubs have two options here. They could use Nevin as their first baseman against left-handers until Derrek Lee comes back, which is probably the best choice. Alternatively, they could make Nevin a regular and put Todd Walker back at second. While getting Tony Womack out of the lineup is rarely a bad thing, that would weaken the defense without really upgrading the offense. Womack might actually hit righties better than Nevin. Once Derrek Lee comes back, the Cubs may try Nevin in the outfield. If he proves capable, he'd be a fine platoon partner for Jacque Jones against lefties. If he can't handle right field, he wouldn't be more than a pinch-hitter after Lee returns. Nevin is worth using in NL-only leagues for the short-term. He's not a good enough bet for long-term value to be worthy of a high waiver claim.
Ellis out 3-6 weeks with broken thumb
Mark Ellis has a broken right thumb and is expected to miss three to six weeks.
Ellis is hitting just .226/.302/.323 in 164 at-bats, but this is still a significant loss for the A's. Mike Rouse could be called up to share time with Marco Scutaro and Antonio Perez at second base. Keith Ginter would be a better choice, but the A's apparently don't want to make room for him on the 40-man roster. Scutaro figures to get the majority of the starts, even though he's been ice cold of late.
Royals fire Baird, make Moore new GM
Royals fired general manager Allard Baird; named Dayton Moore general manager, effective June 8; named Muzzy Jackson interim general manager.
Jackson will run the team through the draft next week, which may have been a term of Moore's hiring. Otherwise, the Royals would be stealing all of the Braves' picks. We don't know that Moore will be a great GM, but the 39-year-old has been a key figure in perhaps baseball's best front office and he is very well regarded. That he'll have complete control over baseball operations should leave Royals fans more optimistic about the future than they have been in quite some time.
Pena to undergo surgery to repair broken hamate
Wily Mo Pena will undergo surgery Thursday to repair a broken left hamate bone.
Pena figures to miss four to six weeks following the operation. It's fortunate that he waited until Coco Crisp returned to get hurt, but Pena's absence will still hurt the Red Sox against left-handers. Also, his power stroke might not immediately come back after he returns. Trot Nixon will be in the lineup against most left-handers until Pena comes back.
Red Sox place Wells on 15-day DL
Red Sox placed LHP David Wells on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to May 27, with a bruised right knee.
David Pauley will start in his place on Wednesday. It's the third DL stint this season for Wells, who was hit by a comebacker in his start against the Rays on Friday.
Astros, Clemens agreed to deal
Astros agreed to terms with RHP Roger Clemens on a minor league contract.
Clemens will get a one-year, $22,000,022 contract when he is officially added to the major league roster. If that happens June 22 as planned, he would earn $12,632,307 over the rest of the season. Clemens is scheduled to make three minor league starts, the first coming on June 6. "The ball's in my court now," Clemens said. "This was a difficult decision on my part in a number of situations. I have to now take the next step and get my body ready to come back, get effective, win games."
Report: Baird out as Royals GM
Source: Kansas City Star
Royals GM Allard Baird was told Wednesday that he's been fired by the Royals. Braves assistant Dayton Moore is in line to replace him.
It's not offical yet, but it looks like the Royals are finally going in the right direction. Sources told the Kansas City Star that Moore is getting a five-year contract and complete control over baseball operations. He'll officially take over the GM role after next week's draft.
Padres' Young takes no-hitter into eighth inning
Chris Young took a no-hitter into the eighth in a victory over Colorado on Tuesday night. He ended up allowing one hit in eight scoreless innings.
With Young at 110 pitches, the Padres went to Trevor Hoffman in the ninth. He allowed a single before finishing up the 2-0 win. Young struck out eight and walked two in his best start as a major leaguer. He's 4-3 with a 3.80 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP, making him an asset even in shallow mixed leagues.
Yankees' Rivera goes three innings for victory
In his longest regular-season appearance in 10 years, Mariano Rivera pitched three scoreless innings to earn the victory as the Yankees beat the Tigers 11-6 in 11 innings on Tuesday.
Rivera threw just 16 pitches in the first two innings, so it figured that he would come back out for a third once Jason Giambi homered in the top of the 11th. The surprise was that he pitched even after the Yankees added four more runs. Rivera needed to throw only 25 pitches at all, as the Tigers barely tried to make him work. Detroit still has the best record in baseball, but we'll see how well that holds up with a schedule turning difficult for the first time. The win puts the Yankees even with the Red Sox atop the AL East.
5/30 Updates
Wells has three-homer game in win over Boston
Vernon Wells homered three times Tuesday as the Blue Jays defeated the Red Sox 8-5.
Well, it was the first time the Red Sox had ever faced Wells. How were they supposed to know that he's as vulnerable to pitches low and away as any good hitter in baseball? Maybe they'll learn next time that belt-high fastballs and changeups aren't the way to go. Wells' three-homer game was the Jays' first since Carlos Delgado had one in 2001. He has 15 homers this season, eight of them coming against Boston.
Harden could return Sunday
Rich Harden will pitch two innings for Triple-A Sacramento on Wednesday. If he does well, he'll come off the DL to start Sunday's game.
Harden would be facing the Twins, so even though he probably wouldn't go more than five innings, he could be worth activating right away in fantasy leagues. The right-hander has been out since April 27 with a torn muscle in his back.
Cardinals place Carpenter on 15-day DL
Cardinals placed RHP Chris Carpenter on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to May 20, with bursitis under his right shoulder blade.
Carpenter threw in the bullpen on Tuesday and said he felt no pain. The plan is for him to throw again on Friday and return to the St. Louis rotation next Monday or Tuesday. Anthony Reyes is filling in for him tonight.
Gagne activated, serves two-game suspension
Dodgers activated RHP Eric Gagne from the 15-day disabled list.
Only a slight change of plans. Gagne will immediately serve the two-game suspension he received for arguing while on the disabled list last year. As a result, he'll still be available for the first time on Thursday. He's expected to return the closer's role right away.