Downs exits in ninth with ankle sprain
DETROIT -- Scott Downs needed crutches to make his way through the visitors' clubhouse at Comerica Park late Wednesday night. With his head hung, the Blue Jays' reliever disappeared down a hallway and is now likely headed to the disabled list.
Downs sprained his right ankle while sprinting to back up home plate during a play in the ninth inning of Toronto's 4-3 win over Detroit -- an injury that instantly creates a hole in the Blue Jays' dominant bullpen.
"That's a big loss," Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston said. "I can't tell you how much he's done for this club since I've been here. Time after time, night after night, he's just been outstanding. If we lose him for a while, it's really going to hurt us."
With a 4-0 lead in the ninth inning, Gaston turned to the left-handed Downs, even though Toronto's talented setup man had worked in each of the previous two games in Detroit. It marked just the second time this season that Downs was being called upon to appear in three consecutive games.
Downs issued a leadoff walk to Placido Polanco and then watched Magglio Ordonez send an offering down the line in right field for a single. While Polanco made his way around second base and toward third, Downs ran into foul territory and tumbled to the grass in front of the Tigers' dugout.
Downs fell at the feet of Detroit's Miguel Cabrera, who was in the on-deck circle, motioning for someone to come to the pitcher's aid. Gaston didn't see when Downs slipped, but Toronto's manager believes the wet conditions -- caused by a rain delay earlier in the game -- might have contributed.
"I was watching the ball," Gaston said. "I just noticed that Cabrera was pointing at me to come get him. I didn't see him go down at all. I was watching the runners. I think he must have tried to stop or slip or something. It was wet out there. It could be a costly win for us tonight."
Brandon League took over on the mound for Downs and, adding insult to injury, the injured Toronto lefty had his run of 17 2/3 consecutive shutout innings come to a close. Cabrera grounded out to third base to score Polanco and, following a costly error on a missed catch in center field by Toronto's Alex Rios, Ordonez later scored on a two-run single by Edgar Renteria.
The one earned run charged to Downs represented only the fourth he's allowed since April, giving the lefty a 0.78 ERA over his last 43 appearances. Entering the game, Downs' 1.25 ERA was the third-best mark among relievers in baseball and he leads Toronto's pitching staff with 54 appearances this season.
Gaston said he might've turned to another reliever in the ninth had the Jays scored more than four runs up to that point. Now that Downs is likely out of the picture, Gaston said Toronto could potentially promote lefty John Parrish from Triple-A Syracuse, and he added that lefty Jesse Carlson could possibly help out in the eighth inning.
No matter what the Jays do going forward, Toronto's bullpen -- ranked first in the Majors with a 2.87 ERA, entering Wednesday -- took a major hit in losing Downs, who signed a three-year contract worth $10 million over the offseason.
Copyright 2008 Sporting Life UK Ltd, All Rights Reserved.
Big Papi says wrist is fine after scare
KANSAS CITY -- Yes, David Ortiz did feel some kind of clicking sensation in his left wrist during his final at-bat of Monday's 4-3 loss to the Royals. No, it does not appear to be any kind of setback with regard to the big slugger's return from a torn tendon sheath in that wrist that sidelined him for seven weeks.
Since returning to the lineup on July 25, Ortiz has been in the lineup for every game. Tuesday was no exception, as he was right back in there, batting third for Red Sox manager Terry Francona.
"I feel fine today. I feel fine," said Ortiz. "I'm going to keep on playing. Of course, Tito talked to me about at some point, slowing me down for a minute. I'll be out there."
The medical staff warned both Francona and Ortiz that "irregularities" such as Monday's "clicking" would happen at times during the slugger's comeback.
"I think we said all along that we knew that was going to happen," Francona said. "He's OK. I think the reports of his demise are greatly exaggerated. I think he felt it, which, I think we knew he would."
Following Monday's game, Ortiz told the Boston Herald of the discomfort.
"My last at-bat, it kind of pulled back a little bit," Ortiz told the Herald. "You feel that click, and you get a little concerned about it."
But not until the reports surfaced on Tuesday did he discuss the situation with Francona and the training staff.
In other words, it didn't appear to be anything to be overly concerned with.
"I have to deal with it for the rest of the season," Ortiz said. "It's going to have its good days and bad days. It's not like it's normally supposed to be. The injury, that tendon right there, some days it feels right, some days it doesn't. It's part of the injury. The doctor warned me about it. He said, 'You're going to be like that until you stop playing for a few months."'
Francona will be mindful of giving Ortiz a day off when or if he needs one.
"I asked him that," Francona said. "I said, 'If you need a day off, you tell me.' He said, 'I know.' I said, 'Just tell me.' Having David back nine out of 10 [games] is better than nothing. I just said a little bit ago, 'If you need a day off, you just make sure you tell me.' He goes, 'I don't need a day off.'"
Ortiz came busting out of the gate immediately following his return, hitting .391 in the first six games with a homer and four RBIs. But in the following four games entering Tuesday, he was 1-for-15 with no RBIs.
According to Ortiz, the recovery from this injury is as much mental as it is physical.
"The thing is, sometimes, like last night, I was hitting and I felt a little click when I swing and at some point it gets in your head, you know what I mean?" Ortiz said. "Should I take another swing or should I hold it? You know what I mean? It happens. That's the way injuries are."
With the Red Sox trailing the Tampa Bay Rays by three games in the American League East, don't expect Ortiz to be lobbying for much time off, if any.
"I've got to play," said Ortiz. "I have to."
Copyright 2001-2008 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved.
Bucs' Bay may be dealt to Boston
PITTSBURGH -- The Pirates, Red Sox and Marlins are believed to be on the verge of finalizing a blockbuster trade before Thursday's 4 p.m. ET deadline that would send Pittsburgh's Jason Bay to Boston.
With baseball sources in all three cities having confirmed talks between the three teams, the prominent players on the move would be Bay, Boston's Manny Ramirez, who would be dealt to Florida, and Florida's Jeremy Hermida, who would end up in Pittsburgh.
Sources have confirmed that other players are also a part of the talks, with the Pirates likely landing at least two other prospects along with the 24-year-old Hermida.
There are a number of factors that have complicated the deal, including the fact that Manny would have to waive his 10-and-5 clause before being dealt. With 10 years of Major League service time and five years with the Red Sox, Manny can block any potential trade.
That, however, seems highly unlikely considering Ramirez's recent comments about wanting to part ways with the Red Sox, and the fact that he already has a home in South Florida.
In addition to Bay, both John Grabow and Jack Wilson's names are believed to have been discussed by all three teams. Packaging Grabow and Bay together for the Red Sox may potentially net the Pirates a little higher return than Bay alone.
The Red Sox have made inquiries about Wilson as well, potentially adding yet another wrinkle to an already complicated deal.
There also remains the possibility of a two-team deal that would send Manny to Florida and Hermida to Boston. In that case, the Pirates would be left out. And, if so, Pittsburgh is expected to rekindle talks with Tampa Bay, which still has Bay atop its wish list.
The two clubs were in discussions Wednesday, but those talks seem to have died down with the Pirates preferring the package of players they would get from Florida and Boston.
Landing Hermida and some prospects would follow right in suit with general manager Neal Huntington's rebuilding plans. The Pirates would retain Hermida's rights for the next three seasons, as the corner outfielder would not be eligible for free agency until 2011. The club also continues to look to strengthen the pitching depth within the system, which has made garnering pitching prospects a recent priority.
Conversely, the Pirates are guaranteed just one more year of having Bay. The left fielder will make $7.5 million in 2009, which is the final year of a four-year contract. After that, he'd become a free agent.
Copyright 2001-2008 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved.
Glaus' long ball a walk-off winner
ST. LOUIS -- Just when it looked as if they were dead in the water, the Cardinals found a way.
Then again, that has been their mantra all year long -- never quit and keep a short-term memory.
By beating the Mets, 8-7, on Wednesday night, the Cardinals escaped from what could have been their second straight loss at home. And with the National League Central-leading Cubs coming to town over the weekend, keeping close to their rivals becomes that much more important.
Troy Glaus became the latest hero for the Cardinals, a list that has grown to include someone new nearly every day. With two outs in the bottom of the ninth, Glaus capped off another fantasy-driven ending when he hit his fifth career walk-off home run.
Even as an 11-year veteran, games like this never get old for Glaus.
"It's been awhile for me to be on the receiving end," Glaus said. "After that, it all feels good."
It was an odd night for the Cardinals. They sat through a 47-minute rain delay in the third inning -- the game lasted three hours and 21 minutes -- took an early lead only to see the bullpen blow it and knocked around one of the all-time great pitchers.
Whatever the case, they'll take it.
"A win is a win," as they say, but boy do the Cardinals like to keep it close. Now 18-14 in one-run games, 37 percent of the club's first-half contests have been decided by a lone run.
"I'm getting too old for this," manager Tony La Russa said.
Compounding the level of strangeness, St. Louis faced Pedro Martinez -- a pitcher known for dominating every single player that plays for the home team at Busch. Coming into Wednesday night, the Cardinals had batted a combined .182 with one home run against Martinez.
The one home run was by Glaus, hit when they both played in the American League. It took five batters into the game for him to add home run No. 2.
Glaus, who went 2-for-4 with two home runs and four RBIs, took a 3-2 pitch and sent it 411 feet over the center-field wall for a three-run homer. Martinez, who once averaged sub-3.00 ERAs and 18-plus wins a year, still had Glaus paying homage.
"He knows how to pitch, he knows what he's doing," Glaus said, "He's changing speeds, working the ball in and out. The velocity wasn't as high as probably the last time that I faced him, but he's still Pedro."
Up, 4-0, after the first inning, all St. Louis needed was a solid outing from Joel Pineiro.
But when Pineiro left the game in the fifth, the score was tied at 4 after the Mets knocked 11 hits off the Cardinals' starter.
"It was just one of those nights where I missed 50 percent of my spots," Pineiro said.
Rick Ankiel bailed out Pineiro, who is now winless in his past nine starts, with a solo home run in the bottom of the fifth.
But with a 5-4 lead in the seventh inning, the St. Louis bullpen faltered. Inheriting a runner, Mark Mulder gave up two singles and a sacrifice fly in his second appearance since returning from the disabled list.
"That was really a tough bloop to give up," La Russa said of the go-ahead run. "The seventh run was another one. ... But we gave up some tough runs on less than good contact."
With most of the fans having left due to the rain and needing a jolt to get the Cardinals back in the game, La Russa called on Chris Duncan to pinch-hit in the eighth.
Duncan, who appears to have turned around his struggles from the beginning of the year, hit a line-drive home run to right field to tie the game.
"That was the game-changing at-bat, more than anything else," Glaus said. "That was a lift. First pitch, boom."
Copyright 2001-2008 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved.
Stults no longer shut out
LOS ANGELES -- When Eric Stults showed up for Spring Training, there were $50 million worth of starting pitchers in the clubhouse and no room for him in any rotation west of Las Vegas.
But Joe Torre says there's room for Stults in Los Angeles now after the rookie left-hander threw a four-hit shutout as the Dodgers beat the White Sox, 5-0, on Wednesday night.
"From here to the All-Star break we have no days off, so if we have to have an extra starter, it won't hurt the guys who are nursing injuries," Torre said after watching Stults follow his strong seasonal debut in Cincinnati with Wednesday night's masterpiece, filling in for Brad Penny. "He'll get an opportunity."
Injuries to Penny and Hiroki Kuroda have given afterthoughts such as Stults and Chan Ho Park the kind of opportunities they really didn't get even in Spring Training.
"He didn't pitch well enough in Spring Training," Torre said of Stults, who had a 4.66 ERA in 9 2/3 spring innings and only one start, in China against the Padres on March 16, charged with two runs in four innings. It wasn't enough to impress the boss and Stults was optioned out when the team returned to the United States.
For the 28-year-old Stults -- whose $392,000 salary is $2,000 above the Majors' minimum wage -- nothing has come easy, so he wasn't crushed by that setback, only more determined to prove he belonged. When Penny and Kuroda went down almost simultaneously, Stults got the call because of a 3.59 ERA. He had a losing record at Triple-A (5-6), but with two wins has doubled his career total and now has the only winning record of any Dodgers starter, active or disabled.
He never pitched longer than seven innings in any of 14 Minor League starts this year, hadn't had a complete game since 2006 at Las Vegas or a shutout since pitching for tiny Bethel (Ind.) College in 2002. Now in his ninth career start he has more shutouts as a Dodger than Penny and Chad Billingsley combined.
Not a bad comeback story for a 15th-round Draft pick who underwent Tommy John elbow reconstruction in 2003. Stults has always had his path to the big leagues blocked, often by fellow left-hander Hong-Chih Kuo, who throws harder. Through brief callups, he came into this season with a 2-4 Major League mark that included his clutch win at Shea Stadium during the 2006 pennant race, but he regressed last year.
"I wasn't frustrated with what happened in Spring Training. I knew the situation going in," said Stults, who watched the club pass him by and sign Kuroda during the offseason to a $35.3 million contract a year after signing Jason Schmidt. "They're the Dodgers. They're expected to win and have pressure to get guys they want in there.
"For me, this is a turnaround year. I just wanted to prove I could pitch in the Major Leagues, that was my goal. Brad got hurt and I hope he gets healthy soon, but that opened the door for me."
Stults had an early lead to work with as the Dodgers scored twice in the first against Gavin Floyd, with a big assist from a dropped fly ball by right fielder Jermaine Dye while Matt Kemp scored from first base running through Larry Bowa's stop sign. They added three runs in the fourth, two on a double by third baseman Blake DeWitt, his first RBIs in 19 games. Stults even added a sacrifice fly to score DeWitt.
Meanwhile, after allowing a pair of singles (one off James Loney's glove) in the first inning, he was rolling through the White Sox. They had only one other runner reach second base and had only one hit after the fifth inning.
Torre decided to take Stults out after he retired the side in order in the eighth inning. But while Stults was receiving congratulations from teammates, catcher Russell Martin lobbied Torre to let Stults continue.
"How many times do you get the opportunity to throw a complete game?" asked Martin.
"He wanted the shutout as much as I did," said Stults.
Torre relented, a batter at a time. Stults took the mound and heaved a sigh.
"I was taking the moment in. I looked at the crowd," he said. "It was something special, something I'll never forget."
It almost didn't last more than that moment, as Stults went 3-0 to leadoff hitter Carlos Quentin, before battling back and getting him on a flyout. He got Dye on another fly and finished it off when Nick Swisher lined out to Juan Pierre in left field on the 116th pitch.
The win moved the Dodgers to within three games of first-place Arizona. It was only the third time since May 17 that the Dodgers defeated a pitcher with a winning record.
Copyright 2001-2008 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved.
Blanton, A's struggle against Haren
PHOENIX -- The tables were turned on the A's exactly 180 degrees on Wednesday night at Chase Field.
One night after going on an offensive rampage, scoring 15 runs -- eight off former Cy Young Award winner Brandon Webb -- the A's learned how the Diamondbacks felt the night before, as they were blown out, 11-1.
A's starter Joe Blanton had his shortest outing of the season, tagged for eight runs in three innings. D-backs center fielder Chris Young hit a three-run homer as part of a five-run first inning.
In the third inning, a familiar face, former A's ace Dan Haren, stroked a two-out, bases-loaded double off Blanton (3-10) after he intentionally walked No. 8 hitter Jeff Salazar.
"It just seemed like the location of his pitches wasn't where he wanted them," said A's manager Bob Geren. "It looked like he was going to get out of the one inning and then he gave up the breaking-ball home run. That was a big blow."
Just as Webb did in Game 1 of the series for the D-backs, Blanton successfully eluded talking to reporters following his debacle. The A's are now 4-12 in Blanton's starts.
"There's really not a lot to say," Geren said. "It just wasn't our night. They scored early off our starter. They gave a big lead to a good pitcher on the other side, and they took advantage of it. ... We got out of the game pretty early and never really got back into it."
Second baseman Mark Ellis, who had his eight-game hitting streak end, was hit by a pitch on his left hand in the eighth inning, and later left the game with team doctors to receive a precautionary X-ray.
Geren said the hand swelled up a lot, but Ellis could move it just fine, adding that "it's not a real concern at the moment."
Ellis was replaced by Rajai Davis, who made his first career appearance in the infield.
The A's could only muster four hits, one night after getting 15. One of the hits was from right fielder Ryan Sweeney, who extended his hitting streak to a career-high 12 games.
As for Haren (7-4), the A's couldn't solve their former teammate, who was making his first start against them. Haren went seven innings, allowing just one run on four hits and one walk, tacking on eight strikeouts, as he lowered his ERA to 3.26.
"I played behind him for three years, but that doesn't prepare you to face him," said shortstop Bobby Crosby, who went 0-for-3 off Haren. "I knew we were going to have a battle today."
Haren, a good friend of Blanton's, said it was tough watching him struggle.
"That's kind of bittersweet," Haren said. "Obviously, I want to win the game, but like I said before, he's probably one of my best friends. Those games happen, and he's had some tough luck this year and kind of a rough one for him today, but the guy is an innings-eater.
"He's going to go out and battle and give you a chance to win every time out. When I was in Oakland, I saw him pitch through so many little things that I know other people wouldn't pitch through. He's a guy anyone would want to have on their team."
As for what to expect in the rubber match of the series, Geren said he doesn't think it will be anything like what happened in the first two games, a 14-run win, followed by a 10-run loss.
"It always comes down to pitching," Geren said. "Look at last night. Their pitcher couldn't throw the ball where he wanted to with pinpoint control.
"It will probably be 2-1 tomorrow; who knows?"
Copyright 2001-2008 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved.
On-air comments irk Rangers' Bradley
KANSAS CITY -- Milton Bradley apparently didn't like what he heard from a TV broadcaster and tried going upstairs to tell him.
Minutes after Wednesday's game ended, Bradley rushed from the dugout to just outside the Royals' TV booth, attempting to confront Ryan Lefebvre, the announcer who had commented about him during the broadcast.
Rangers general manager Jon Daniels ran up the stairs to the fourth floor and manager Ron Washington took the elevator to head Bradley off. They caught him when he was about 20 feet away from the TV booth. A security guard kept Bradley from entering the room, where Lefebvre was conducting postgame.
Bradley, who was Texas' designated hitter, apparently heard some comments from Lefebvre while he was in the clubhouse between at-bats. Lefebvre insisted he wasn't singling out Bradley.
"From what I remember, we were complimenting Josh Hamilton and how he's turned his life around and been accountable for his mistakes," Lefebvre said. "Frank [White] and I were just having a conversation that it's a shame it doesn't appear Milton Bradley is doing the same in his life."
Bradley returned downstairs to the clubhouse with Daniels and Washington immediately after they cut him off.
"He was upset," Daniels said. "Somebody that doesn't know him was effectively passing judgment on TV. The guy's been a tremendous teammate and a good guy for us and it's obvious he was hurt by those comments."
Joel Goldberg, another Royals TV announcer, was coming upstairs to the booth from the field when Daniels, Washington and Bradley passed by. He'd never seen anything like it.
"It was the bizarre site of walking up the stairs," Goldberg said, "and seeing two people who had just been on the field three minutes ago walking down the stairs."
Bradley entered a winning clubhouse filled with the sound of rap music. The tunes stopped a few minutes later when he opened his mouth.
"All I want to do is play baseball, and make a better living for my kid," Bradley said, sobbing at the same time. "I love you guys. I'm strong, but I'm not that strong."
Soon after Bradley returned to the clubhouse, Washington and Daniels requested a meeting with Lefebvre. Lefebvre said he repeated what he remembered of the discussion he had on the air about Bradley. He didn't speak with Bradley in the clubhouse and said Daniels and Washington recommended that the two don't meet.
After his rant, Bradley faced his locker with his head down. A few teammates went over to comfort him. Most stayed away.
Lefebvre maintains he and his broadcast partner, White, a former Royals player, weren't intentionally trying to insult Bradley.
"This wasn't a Milton Bradley rip session," Lefebvre said. "It was just based on the pictures we've seen of him in the series walking from the dugout all the way to right field. Dropping his bat. Making gestures to the fans in right field and above the dugout, taunting them. He's the only person in baseball I know who does that kind of stuff."
Copyright 2001-2008 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved.
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