MLB News

"Last night marked the end of a long, strange trip for David Ortiz. It began with an awkward check swing in Baltimore, the same night Manny Ramirez hit his 500th career home run. The journey moved forward, with days turning into weeks, an arm-length cast turning into a simple brace and the comfort of major league clubhouses morphing into the cozy confines befitting Double-A dressers. Fifty-five days after the pain emanating from a torn sheath covering a tendon in his left wrist began, Ortiz drove away from Hadlock Field in his Cadillac Escalade and headed for Boston and his familiar No. 3 spot in the Red Sox lineup. “It feels good,” said Ortiz of his wrist after distributing a takeout meal ..."

"The Braves' hopes for a second-half resurgence were dealt another blow Wednesday night when Chipper Jones injured his left hamstring in a game against the Florida Marlins. The major-league hitting leader pulled up and grabbed his leg after crossing first base on a groundout to end the fourth inning at Dolphin Stadium. Jones, 36, hobbled off the field with assistance from Braves trainer Jeff Porter. General manager Frank Wren said the injury was not believed to be serious, and Jones will be reevaluated Friday before the Braves open a three-game series at Philadelphia. They are off Thursday. Jones, who is hitting .369, has been plagued by injuries in the past four seasons. This season he has ..."

"Elbow tightness forced Braves pitcher Tim Hudson to leave after six scoreless innings of Wednesday night's victory against the Florida Marlins. He'll be reevaluted Thursday. Hudson (11-7) allowed only three hits and one walk with six strikeouts, and threw 47 strikes in 68 pitches. He was shown on the TV broadcast pointing to his right elbow in the dugout after the sixth inning. If Hudson can't make his next scheduled start Tuesday against St. Louis, it's possible that Mike Hampton could be activated from the disabled list to replace him. Hampton has been out all season recovering from pectoral muscle strains and, most recently, a groin strain."

"Closer Matt Capps (shoulder) is progressing with his rehab program in Bradenton, Fla. "Things are going better than anticipated, but we are still weeks away from full activity," general manager Neal Huntington said. "If all goes well, he will be (throwing) off a mound within the next two weeks." Huntington added that there's been no need for a second medical exam."

"The Chicago Cubs have culled the number of bids for the team to five, all at $1 billion or more, and tossed out an offer from a group regarded as the favorite of Major League Baseball, sources said Wednesday. The Cubs, owned by Tribune Co., have rejected an offer from a large investment group led by John Canning Jr., chairman of Madison Dearborn Partners LLC. Canning, a part owner of the Milwaukee Brewers, is a close associate of baseball Commissioner Bud Selig. Making the cut as the Cubs winnowed the list of bids from an original 10 respondents was Mark Cuban, owner of basketball’s Dallas Mavericks, said a source familiar with the process. The identity of the other finalists couldn’t be ..."

"Kerry Wood's blister remains bothersome, if not yet disabling. He had to ease his way through a scheduled bullpen session Wednesday, throwing only changeups, as the Cubs studied ways to replace him for the next week, if not longer. General Manager Jim Hendry continues to explore the market for trades, evaluating Oakland right-hander Huston Street and Colorado lefty Brian Fuentes, among others. But the guy apparently getting the most immediate consideration is Jeff Samardzija, the former Notre Dame receiver who is pitching well as a starter for Triple-A Iowa. Samardzija (25 strikeouts, five walks, 13 hits in 19 innings over his last three starts) is somewhat on schedule for a promotion, ..."

"Manny Ramirez surprised most of the Red Sox clubhouse yesterday morning by showing up for work with a sore right knee. With nobody knowing how or when he hurt it, manager Terry Francona had to take him out of the starting lineup. Ramirez was asked after the 6-3, 12-inning victory if he would be available tomorrow night against the Yankees. “Don’t worry about it,” was his reply. Said Francona: “He just showed up this morning. We weren’t ready for that. He came in and said ‘my right knee hurts.’ . . . There was nothing on the report last night.” Francona made light of it, referencing Ramirez’ jaywalking episode after Monday’s game. “Jaywalking,” said Francona. “You do it right, you won’t ..."

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The Blue Jays didn't lose a game last night but right-hander Jesse Litsch lost his job.

Following the suspension of last night's game because of a severe rain storm, the Blue Jays announced that Litsch was optioned to triple-A Syracuse with left-hander David Purcey being recalled to take his place.

The suspended game will resume at 12:05 this afternoon with the Jays holding a 2-1 lead in the sixth inning with two out and Scott Rolen at the plate with a 1-0 count.

Twenty minutes after its completion, the fourth and final regular scheduled game of the series will commence.

Litsch is 8-7 with a 4.46 ERA on the season but has been struggling recently as he has gone 1-6 in his ..."

"Pedro Martinez's father Pablo died in the Dominican Republic yesterday, succumbing after a long battle with brain cancer. He was 79. After hearing the news, the pitcher left Shea Stadium to take a charter flight to be with his family. "We are really, really sorry for Pedro, it's a sad day for him," manager Jerry Manuel said. "He came up, I think it was the seventh inning. I didn't have the chance to embrace him or anything like that. It's a sad day for him, I'm sure. We've all at some point or another felt the sting of death close. Our prayers will be with him." Martinez - who will miss tomorrow's scheduled start in the series opener against the St. Louis Cardinals - had flown back and ..."

"SportsBuy.com and the National Sports Collectors Convention are offering $25,000—a briefcase with 250 $100 bills inside—to notorious Cubs fan Steve Bartman if he comes out of hiding, attends the show and signs a single autograph. To collect the cash, all Bartman has to do is show up at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont at 1 p.m. next Thursday, prove his identity and sign a photo of the play. It would then be auctioned on the Web site, with the proceeds going to a Chicago-based charity, according to a news release for the event. "No one in sports memorabilia history has ever been paid $25,000 to sign one autograph—not Michael Jordan, Muhammad Ali, Joe DiMaggio, Babe Ruth, ..."

"While the cozy, air-conditioned confines of Tropicana Field have brought out the best in Rays starter James Shields, Wednesday's outing, at least through two innings, had all the trappings of a game Tampa Bay has gotten used to losing the past three weeks. Oakland's Emil Brown and Carlos Gonzalez hit back-to-back solo homers to start the second, putting the Rays in an early hole. But if Shields was rattled, he didn't show it. And if he was worried about the slumping Rays' offense getting him back in the game ... well, he wasn't. The once-slumbering Jonny Gomes and Ben Zobrist, who was right in thinking he would be optioned to Triple-A Durham after the game, provided an unlikely set of ..."

"Most teams are happy to go .500 on a road trip. With all the challenges the Red Sox have had putting up wins this year away from home, they were absolutely thrilled to salvage a 3-3 record on their West Coast swing. That’s not to say their 6-3 victory over the Mariners yesterday was a walk in the park. It took 12 innings, with the Red Sox bullpen, highlighted by 2 2/3 hitless innings by Justin Masterson in his relief debut, producing 6 2/3 scoreless innings of support. Mike Lowell’s two-run single in the 12th, followed by Sean Casey’s RBI single, gave the Red Sox the cushion they needed for the most pleasant of return trips home. A day off today, followed by a weekend of baseball against ..."

"Jeff Mathis hit a grand slam and drove in six runs, Casey Kotchman collected five hits and Mathis and Howie Kendrick had four apiece. For the first time in club history, three players had at least four hits in a nine-inning game. And, after the Angels pounded the Cleveland Indians, 14-11, the voices in the clubhouse suggested this offense might be for real. The Angels aren't going to set a season high for runs every day, but the trading deadline is one week away and no one is demanding reinforcements."

"As the players dressed and left the ballpark late Wednesday afternoon, the Yankees' general manager, Brian Cashman, was already in the air. The team heads to Boston on Thursday, but Cashman has a different agenda. With the nonwaiver trading deadline a week away, Cashman will meet with club executives in Tampa, Fla., to talk about strengthening the Yankees for the stretch run. Considering the timing, it could feel like shopping for groceries on a full stomach. With six victories in a row since the All-Star break, the Yankees might have what they need. "I don't think there's going to be anything earth-shattering," Mike Mussina said after beating the Minnesota Twins with eight shutout innings ..."

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Throwing a complete game is a big deal these days. Unless you're CC Sabathia feasting on a new league.

The 6-foot-7, 290-pound left-hander went nine innings for the third straight time for his new team, and the Milwaukee Brewers beat the St. Louis Cardinals 3-0 on Wednesday night.

"He's got unbelievable stuff," catcher Jason Kendall said. "That's a good team over there, but when you're on it doesn't matter who's hitting."

Ryan Braun had four hits, lacking a double for the cycle, and J.J. Hardy hit his 14th homer for the Brewers, who have won seven straight.

Milwaukee won the first three games of this four-game series behind stingy pitching, limiting the Cardinals ..."

"The Mets acknowledge the past. They respect and accept it, too. They just do not care to relive it. Painful reminders of their debacle of a loss from the night before surfaced at every turn Wednesday night, but the Mets repelled them all in their 6-3 victory against the Philadelphia Phillies at Shea Stadium. Again, their starting pitcher lasted deep into the game. Again, they built a three-run lead through eight innings. Again, their big hit was a home run. This time, the starter, John Maine, was rewarded for his effort with a win. This time, the bullpen, with closer Billy Wagner available and effective, fulfilled its responsibility. This time, that homer, a three-run blast by José Reyes ..."

"During one of baseball's labor wars, major-league teams agreed briefly to carry the minimum number of players required by their rules—24 rather than 25. Cubs manager Lou Piniella would have loved to be only one man short Wednesday night, when his Cubs ended a trip that raised questions about their staying power atop the National League Central. Alfonso Soriano was activated after a six-week stay on the disabled list but the Lou Crew nevertheless faced the Arizona Diamondbacks with the equivalent of a 23-man roster. This turned out not to be a fair fight as Soriano's return coincided with the depleted Cubs getting their groove back. Perhaps he counts for more than one player. Reed Johnson's ..."

"The White Sox hope they've found a springboard that vaults them further than even a dramatic 10-8 victory over Texas on Wednesday. They envision their five-run rally—capped by Carlos Quentin's three-run homer off C.J. Wilson—providing the air of invincibility that briefly deserted them and fueling their confidence heading into an important 10-game trip starting Friday at Detroit. "Once again they can play without me, but I can't manage without them," manager Ozzie Guillen said after home plate umpire Rob Drake ejected him in the seventh inning with the Sox trailing 8-4 and having committed four errors. "It showed me something. I think we played real poorly early in the game, real bad ..."

"They were flying out of Great American Small Park like Puffed Wheat and Puffed Rice out of a cannon. And when the Cincinnati Reds are hitting home runs, the Cincinnati Reds are winning — as in three Wednesday to account for eight runs in a 9-5 victory over the sad Diego Padres. Javier Valentin hit one with the bases empty in the fifth. Edwin Encarnacion hit one with one on in the sixth. Adam Dunn hit one with the bases loaded in the seventh. It enabled the Reds to take two of three from the Padres, their fourth of seven on the homestand with three remaining against Colorado."

"It was late Sunday afternoon in Denver, right after the Pirates had been flushed away in four by the Colorado Rockies, that Doug Mientkiewicz spoke in an otherwise silent clubhouse. And, as has happened so often, it was Mientkiewicz kicking harder than most in an 8-7 victory that brought a three-game sweep of the Houston Astros yesterday at Minute Maid Park: He matched a career high with four hits, reached base all five times up, doubled in one run and singled in the go-ahead run."

"The Braves got a victory they desperately needed Wednesday, but they can only hope they didn't pay a severe cost. Chipper Jones and Tim Hudson, their best hitter and best pitcher, each was injured during the Braves' 9-4 win against Florida at Dolphin Stadium, overshadowing a four-hit, three-RBI performance by rookie Gregor Blanco. Jones strained his left hamstring crossing first base on a fourth-inning groundout, and Hudson (11-7) came out after six innings with tightness in his upper right forearm near his pitching elbow. "We'll see how Chipper is," said manager Bobby Cox, whose Braves won the series 2-1. "Hudson, I think, will be fine." Jones will be reevaluated Friday before the Braves ..."

"It's easy for the Reds to look back at their post-All-Star break run - with the two blown saves and one extra-inning loss - and think: We could be 7-0. Reds manager Dusty Baker cautioned against that. "I heard some guys on the bench talking about it," Baker said. "I told them you can't think that way. You got to look forward. You start looking back and start thinking about what-ifs. "I told Adam Dunn about that famous song by Johnny Lee Hooker, 'Don't Look Back.' " Dunn didn't know who Hooker is. But the forward-looking advice wasn't lost on anyone. The Reds are in a pretty good place right now in wake of Wednesday's 9-5 victory over the San Diego Padres before a crowd of 22,970 on a ..."

"This time of year, older players on losing teams know they could be traded any day. Any big hit, such as Rich Aurilia's decisive two-run double in the eighth inning Wednesday night, could move an executive of a contending team to say, "I want that guy." After the Giants came from behind to beat the Nationals 6-4, Aurilia reiterated he is not worried about being moved. But his words contained what sounded like a gentle pitch to management to keep players such as himself and Omar Vizquel to guide the kids who choose to mine all of the information that can be had. "There's a wealth of knowledge in this clubhouse with a few guys," Aurilia said. "I hope people realize that and take advantage of ..."