MLB - Sports Rumors

Getty Images

When Ryan Braun went 0 for 5 Sunday against Pittsburgh with three strikeouts and two double-play grounders, there were fears across Milwaukee Brewers Nation that the intercostal tightness that had plagued Milwaukee's all-star leftfielder for a couple of weeks had resurfaced.

Not so, according to Braun.

"I just had a bad day," he said. "It can happen to anybody."

Braun proved he was feeling fine by going 3 for 5 with a big two-run homer Tuesday night in the Brewers' 12-0 romp over St. Louis. It continued the season-long torment of the Cardinals by Braun, who was batting .491 against them with seven homers and 13 RBI.

Manager Ned Yost said he never was concerned that Braun's health would remain an issue for the remainder of the season.

"They told me it was something that was minor," said Yost. "He said he feels great. It wasn't much to it. It makes the trainers nervous when it gets stiff because that's the precursor to pulling it. That's why we sat him out a week, so it wouldn't be a nagging thing."

Yost said he had no plans to give Braun days off the rest of the season other than days off on the schedule.

Source: Journal-Sentinel

• 12 Comments
• Permanent Link
• Email this Entry

Getty Images

Carlos Villanueva made the mistake Wednesday of forgetting the past. With his celebratory, brash and then profane gesture after escaping a bases-loaded, seventh-inning jam, the Milwaukee Brewers reliever may have helped instigate a game-changing four-run rally by the St. Louis Cardinals an inning later.

"I guess he did us a favor. He woke up a sleeping giant, obviously," said first baseman Albert Pujols.

The Brewers were only six outs shy of kicking the Cardinals deeper into third place when center fielder Joe Mather fouled out to end the seventh inning. Rather than coolly walk to his dugout, Villanueva struck a flex pose that did not escape Pujols' notice. Villanueva further inflamed the situation, according to Pujols and several teammates, by pointing and screaming at the home dugout. Pujols quickly rose from a crouch in the on-deck circle and responded to Villanueva, who replied by cursing Pujols in Spanish.

The situation almost escalated further when catcher Yadier Molina heard Villanueva's comments to Pujols. Molina moved toward Villanueva but was intercepted.

"I have no comment. Adam pitched a great game," Molina said, referring only to Cardinals starting pitcher Adam Wainwright.

"I don't care when a player does whatever he wants," Pujols said. "But when a player starts pointing into the dugout like he was doing and saying the things he was saying, a guy who respects the game like myself doesn't appreciate it. I had to let him know."

Source: Post-Dispatch

• 61 Comments
• Permanent Link
• Email this Entry

Getty Images

Maybe it was the second home run of Justin Upton's stint with Triple-A Tucson on Tuesday. Maybe it was the last four games for the Diamondbacks, when the offense has again sunk back into a slump. Whatever the reason, Melvin said Upton will be back in Phoenix for this weekend's Dodgers series, perhaps as early as Friday night but likely no later than Saturday.

"It sounds like he's made some significant strides in the last few days," Melvin said.

But it doesn't appear Melvin is ready for a wholesale overhaul of his defense - such as moving Chad Tracy to third base and Mark Reynolds to second - to get his most lethal bats all in the lineup. He is, however, looking for something better than the three-hit effort against the Padres Tuesday, which led to a shake-up on Wednesday. Conor Jackson moved up to the No. 2 spot while Chris Young was dropped to seventh along with rest days for Chris Snyder (replaced by Miguel Montero) and Augie Ojeda (replaced by Chris Burke).

"A couple of days of not-so-great results and not a great feeling, it was time to shake things up," Melvin said.

But after saying Reynolds has the defensive tools to play second, Melvin made it clear that "I like him at third.''

Source: East Valley Tribune

• 3 Comments
• Permanent Link
• Email this Entry

Getty Images

The Tampa Bay Rays figure there's nothing wrong with All-Star catcher Dioner Navarro that some rest shouldn't cure. Navarro underwent an MRI on Wednesday after cramping hamstrings forced him to leave Tuesday night's game in the sixth inning, and "everything is fine," Manager Joe Maddon said.

Shawn Riggans got the start Wednesday, but Navarro was available if needed in a late-game situation. Maddon indicated Navarro might get an additional day off tonight.

"It must have been a cramp, just like we thought it was initially," Maddon said. "He actually caught one where it was post-cramp, but after that it was getting a little bit sore, so we decided to get him out of there."

Source: Tampa Tribune

• 5 Comments
• Permanent Link
• Email this Entry

Getty Images

When the Arizona Diamondbacks arrived here on Monday, the bullpen chatter centered around Brandon Lyon's grip on the closer's spot.

For the next two days, the bare bulb was shined in the direction of setup man Jon Rauch, whose struggles continued with two more subpar appearances against the Padres.

Wednesday? Chad Qualls, come on down.

Qualls, who hadn't allowed a run in his last nine appearances and had gone a long way toward erasing a miserable May and June, was handed a 4-3 lead in the eighth inning but promptly gave up singles to Brian Giles, Chase Headley and series hero Jody Gerut in a 5-4 loss to the Padres.

Source: East Valley Tribune

• 10 Comments
• Permanent Link
• Email this Entry

Getty Images

Tanyon Sturtze sat at his locker Wednesday afternoon, packing his bags and shaking hands with teammates. Dodgers Manager Joe Torre had just told the reliever that the team had cut him.

That kind of scene is common in the major leagues. This one is not: Torre talked to Sturtze again a few minutes later, this time to tell him the Dodgers would not cut him Wednesday, leaving him in limbo beyond then.

Sturtze declined to comment. Torre described Sturtze's reaction to the developments this way: "He's not OK."

Torre had said for several days that the team would activate reliever Cory Wade on Wednesday. The Dodgers initially told Sturtze they would designate him for assignment to clear a roster spot for Wade. After a few minutes, they changed their minds.

"It's something that didn't just change in five minutes," Torre said. "We were wrestling with it."

Source: Los Angeles Times

• 14 Comments
• Permanent Link
• Email this Entry

Getty Images

Josh Beckett returns to the mound Friday night at Fenway against the White Sox, and he's hoping there will be no more of the tingling sensation he felt in his pitching hand (ring finger and pinkie) when he was beaten by the Toronto Blue Jays Aug. 17.

"I think scary is probably a good word for it," Beckett said. "I've had some sleepless nights thinking about all kinds of stuff. You generally think the worst."

It doesn't matter if you're a librarian, a television sports reporter, or a big league pitcher — a tingling sensation in the fingers is not good. It can make you wonder about all sorts of things, some of them life-threatening. If you throw baseballs for a living, it's potentially a career-ender.

That is why the best Red Sox moment in New York this week came when Beckett threw a 58-pitch, tingle-free bullpen session under the supervision of pitching coach John Farrell Tuesday afternoon.

"It went really well," Beckett reported. "I was excited afterward."

The Nation should be doubly excited. Face it, Sox fans, you can make a lot of noise about Jason Bay over Manny, middle-relief issues, the health of Mike Lowell and J.D. Drew, the acquisition of Mark Kotsay, and NESN's ratings for that awful "Sox Appeal," but nothing matters if Beckett goes on the shelf for September and October. Beckett is the reason the Sox won the World Series last year and he is their best bet if they hope to compete against the likes of the Angels and Cubs this year.

Source: Boston.com

• 45 Comments
• Permanent Link
• Email this Entry

Getty Images

The San Diego Padres probably have lost Scott Hairston to the disabled list. The outfielder, who has been platooning with Jody Gerut in center, probably suffered a broken left thumb Wednesday while trying to make a diving catch of a drive to left-center in the sixth inning.

"I thought I jammed the thumb on the dive, but the X-ray seems to show a chipped bone in the thumb," Hairston said.

Hairston will have an MRI exam Thursday morning.

"It feels terrible, so I don't think the MRI is going to be good news," Hairston said.

Since Chase Headley was promoted in June, Hairston has shared center field with Gerut, playing mostly against left-handed starters.

Hairston hit eight of his 17 homers in July but is only 9-for-43 with three doubles and no RBI this month as the streaking Gerut has seen more playing time.

Source: Union Tribune

• 6 Comments
• Permanent Link
• Email this Entry

Getty Images

This isn't even that much fun anymore. Burying the 2008 Yankees has become too darn easy — like practicing layups on an 8-foot rim or beating a 4-year-old at checkers. If you are a Yankee in 2008, the Red Sox are your daddy wrote Boston Globe columnist Dan Shaughnessy. The Sox pummeled the once-proud Bombers again Wednesday night. This time it was double-pumping Paul Byrd dazzling the billionaires' club with his 87-mile-per-hour heaters and old-timey dropballs in an 11-3 rout. Dustin Pedroia provided the exclamation point with a grand slam in Boston's seven-run eighth.

What a beating.

Jack Nicholson was on hand to watch the blood drain out of the Yankees' season. Who says he can't handle the truth?

The Yankees came into this series hoping for a sweep, announcing they needed at least two out of three. When they dropped the opener Tuesday, they were forced to put their season into the jittery hands of one Sidney Ponson. It's not a good sign when the only thing standing between you and virtual elimination is Sidney Ponson. The Yankees would have been better served by Sidney Wicks. Or Sydney Greenstreet. The Tub of Goo was gone before the end of the fifth, and the Yankees are gone before the end of August. Ponson is now 3-13 in 22 career starts against Boston. The humanity.

Today, the Sox play their final game ever in Yankee Stadium, and they have a chance to drive another nail into the Pinstripe coffin. With 30 games remaining, the Yankees are 10½ games out of first place in the American League East and seven games behind the Sox in the wild-card hunt.

Source: Boston.com

• 111 Comments
• Permanent Link
• Email this Entry