Rolen's return date to Jays uncertain
TORONTO -- With only a week left before Scott Rolen is eligible to come off the disabled list, Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston is unsure exactly when his third baseman will be healthy enough for a return to the lineup.
Rolen, who has been on the 15-day DL since Aug. 10 with fatigue in his left shoulder, is currently in Florida, where he is undergoing treatment for the injury. He is eligible to return in time for Toronto's road series against Tampa Bay next Tuesday.
While Gaston indicated that Rolen would meet up with the Jays during the series in St. Petersburg, he was not certain that the third baseman would be ready to rejoin the Toronto lineup. With the Jays heading to New York following their series in Tampa Bay, it is quite possible that Rolen could stay in Florida and continue to receive treatment.
"We'll see him when we go down [to Florida]," Gaston said, prior to Tuesday's series opener against the Yankees at Rogers Centre. "He'd probably be there until we get [his shoulder] straight and until he starts to feel better. It's still a little sore at times."
Gaston also added that Rolen is not playing any baseball in Florida, but is instead receiving rehab that would help "break up" the tissue in his shoulder in order to provide him with more flexibility. If the 33-year-old Rolen does not soon participate in any game action, though, it may prove difficult for him to return to the Toronto lineup as early as next week.
When Rolen was placed on the DL at the end of the Jays' last homestand, he described the rehab he was undergoing as sort of a deep massage. He also said that he found it difficult to swing a bat while undergoing such treatment.
"The rehab is pretty intense -- digging pretty deep into the shoulder and the capsule trying to loosen up some tissue," Rolen said at the time. "When we're doing that and I'm trying to play and swing a baseball bat at the same time, we're kind of counteracting what we're doing.
"If we give it time to cool down a little bit and get in there and dig and get after that without having to swing the bat and undo it, that's hopefully going to help it recover a little better."
Rolen's left shoulder has been a problem in the past, as he has undergone three operations on it since 2005. The third baseman also missed the first 23 games of this season with a right finger injury. In 88 games this year, he is batting .252 with seven homers and 38 RBIs.
Copyright 2001-2008 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved.
Hughes shows positive signs in rehab
PAWTUCKET, R.I. -- Despite making a second straight impressive rehab start for the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees, Phil Hughes has no idea as to when he might get a call to New York.
But Hughes delivered a performance on Tuesday night that indicated he might not be all that far away from another trip to the Bronx.
Hughes, who last pitched in the big leagues on April 29 because of a stress fracture in his right rib cage, tossed 5 1/3 innings as the Yankees outlasted the Pawtucket Red Sox, 8-6, in 11 innings at McCoy Stadium.
Besides hitting 93-94 mph consistently on the stadium radar gun, Hughes threw 50 of his 84 pitches for strikes. He allowed two runs on three hits, walked one and struck out four.
"I felt fine, just like the last few times out," Hughes, who was on an 85-pitch count, said. "I wanted to mix in more changeups. I threw some in counts that I normally wouldn't throw them in. But we decided to go with it because I wanted to get a few more in.
"Overall, I felt pretty good. I haven't felt the rib [his ninth rib] since I was in Tampa, Fla. It's kind of a long process, but it's good to be back and throwing the ball pretty well. Obviously, things didn't go real well up there at the beginning of the year. I'm sure they want to see me prove myself down here again, so however many starts they feel that is, I'll roll with it.
"Basically, I haven't heard anything."
Acting manager Butch Wynegar stated that barring a change in plans, Hughes is scheduled to make another rehab start on Sunday at Lehigh Valley. But, he added, "It could change overnight and he could be called up for his next start at the big league level."
Wynegar, a catcher in his playing days, was impressed with the way that Hughes worked with Chad Moeller, especially when it came to throwing more changeups than usual.
"I thought Chad Moeller did a real nice job with him, using all his pitches," Wynegar said. "There were a few occasions where he threw his breaking ball behind in the count and he threw it for strikes. He mixed his changeup in well.
"For Phil to be successful at the Major League level, he has to be able to do that. When you get a pitcher that can throw something other than a fastball when he's behind in the count, the hitter can't sit back on the fastball. There's a little doubt in his mind. I thought that's what Phil did well."
The only way Hughes' start varied from his previous start with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre plus the two he made for Class A Charleston was the number of changeups he threw.
"The only thing I know of was to make sure he threw enough changeups," Wynegar said. "That's the pitch he needs to be able to command. That was the biggest objective, making sure he reached a quota of changeups mixed in there.
"It's another pitch to keep hitters on their toes. You can't sit back and look fastball against Phil because he had the good breaking ball going. When you change something front to back like that, with the changeup, it puts a third pitch in the hitter's minds and can keep him off-balance."
Hughes allowed two hard-hit balls -- a first-inning liner to right field by Joe Thurston and a ground-rule double by Gil Velazquez in the third -- while cruising through the first 5 1/3 innings.
Velazquez's leadoff double was the lone threat mounted by Pawtucket until Hughes was removed. But after Velazaquez advanced to third on Jeff Natale's groundout to second, Hughes fanned Jeff Bailey on a 94-mph fastball and retired Thurston on a soft liner to first.
Then, with one out in the sixth, Bailey doubled to left-center and Thurston walked, which prompted Wynegar to remove Hughes in favor of Mark Melancon. But Melancon promptly uncorked a wild pitch and Keith Ginter blooped a two-run single to center that tied the game at 2.
"I guess my next outing will be around 90-plus pitches," Hughes said. "From that aspect, I feel ready to go. And physically, I feel fine."
Copyright 2008 Sporting Life UK Ltd, All Rights Reserved.
Martinez works out Wednesday morning
ST. PETERSBURG -- The bone chips that cost him at least two months of the 2008 season and caused him plenty of pain before that are sitting at home.
The doctor who removed the bone fragments -- a couple of which are the size of a fingernail -- from Victor Martinez's right elbow gave them to the Indians' catcher as a bizarre souvenir, of sorts.
"I'm going to burn them," Martinez joked.
Martinez can't change what happened to his elbow, but he still hopes to put a positive ending on what has otherwise been a miserable 2008. And he took an important step toward that goal Wednesday morning at Tropicana Field.
In taking batting practice from both sides of the plate, throwing to the bases from behind the plate and running the bases, Martinez was a ballplayer again.
But he's still not a ballplayer ready for a rehab assignment. The Indians had hoped to send Martinez out this weekend, when the club travels to Toronto, yet manager Eric Wedge said Martinez will need a few more of these work days before he's ready for actual game activity.
"This is almost like Spring Training for him," Wedge said. "He's still getting his legs under him. He did a lot [Wednesday], and we'll see how he feels [Thursday]."
Though Martinez obviously wants to get back to the Indians as quickly as possible, he's not being pushy. He played with unbearable elbow pain for a month and doesn't want to repeat that process.
Actually, Martinez said his elbow first began to bother him "two or three years ago."
"It would swell up, but then it would go back down," Martinez said.
He said the elbow might remain swollen for a week or two but eventually subside. This year, however, when the elbow swelled up in mid-May, it stayed that way. Martinez kept playing, his numbers kept declining, and he and the Indians finally had to pull the plug in mid-June, when the surgery was performed.
Eight weeks after surgery, Martinez said his elbow finally feels free and easy.
"It's been a long time since I felt like that," he said.
He still has to be careful with the elbow, as evidenced by the fact that several of his throws to second on Wednesday bounced in the dirt. But he hopes to ease into maximum effort in the coming days.
The Indians originally hoped to have Martinez back in the middle of August, though it's obvious after Wednesday's prognosis that he'll need a rehab that would push his return more toward the latter portion of the month.
And when Martinez comes back, he'll be joining a team that has been bolstered by the play of his backup, Kelly Shoppach, who was on hand to watch all of Martinez's workout Wednesday and root his teammate on.
Wedge said the Indians will have to limit Martinez's time behind the plate -- giving him starts at DH and first base -- because of the elbow. But keeping Shoppach's hot bat in the lineup has also become a necessity for this team.
As for how this situation will play out in 2009, that's anybody's guess.
"We haven't even thought about that," Wedge said. "That's so far away."
Martinez probably felt far away from playing when he was handed those bone chips, but he felt much closer Wednesday.
"I really had a good day today," he said.
Copyright 2001-2008 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved.
Dodger Stadium to host Classic finals
LOS ANGELES -- Dodger Stadium is returning to the international stage.
With an official announcement Thursday afternoon, Dodgers owner Frank McCourt confirmed that his home ballpark will host the semifinals and final round of the 2009 World Baseball Classic, March 21-23.
It is the second installment of the international tournament that again will feature 16 nations. Japan claimed the inaugural crown played at San Diego's PETCO Park in 2006.
"We are excited and honored to be hosting the championships of the 2009 World Baseball Classic," McCourt said. "We have embraced the international game for a long time and it is only fitting that we open the gates to Dodger Stadium to the fans from all around the world."
The '09 Classic will open March 5 at four first-round sites, all outside of the United States. Tokyo, Mexico City, Toronto and San Juan, Puerto Rico, have been slated as opening-round venues and will feature a double-elimination format in a switch from '06 that was round-robin.
The second round will be held at Miami's Dolphin Stadium and PETCO Park. Second-round play, March 14-19, also will be double elimination.
At Dodger Stadium, play will shift to single elimination for both the semifinals and final with teams from the two second-round pools crossing over. The winner of each pool will play the runner-up in the opposite pool in the semifinal.
But the kicker in the deal for 2009 and the World Baseball Classic was getting the championship to the City of Angels.
"Given what the Dodgers organization has meant internationally and given the city, the diversity and the culture, the languages spoken and the weather, it is a natural fit," MLB president and chief operating officer Bob DuPuy said.
Dodger Stadium may already have had a Classic on its resume, but the ballpark was undergoing renovations in 2006 and was unable to even enter a bid.
Long-term projects to further make over the venerable ballpark that is celebrating its 45th anniversary in the 50th year of the franchise's relocation to Southern California are also under way. Field level renovations are complete and feature new box seating and a pair of new restaurants near each foul pole.
Renovation in the loge level and new clubhouses is slated for the upcoming offseason with its first showcase expected to be the Classic.
"It is inevitable that we would be in Los Angeles for the semifinals and finals. There is no city that has the mix of the things that we need. Weather, fan base and diversity," said Gene Orza, chief operating officer of Major League Baseball Players Association. "This organization is truly a leader in the whole idea of how global the reach of baseball is. The Dodgers have been at the forefront of the internationalization of the sport."
Japan, which defeated Cuba, 10-6, in the 2006 World Baseball Classic final, will defend its crown. The Classic likely will expand its field for the 2013 event, with 24 teams a probable goal.
"After the 2006 tournament, it was only days later that I was receiving letters from other federations around the world that wanted to be in," said Paul Archey, MLB senior vice president of baseball operations.
Archey also said the move from round-robin to a double-elimination format will streamline the event and forestall any complications that were created by a tiebreaking system that used a formula based on runs scored.
"We made that change to get rid of the tiebreaker system," Archey said. "We had a very difficult tiebreaker system in 2006 that gave us a hard time figuring out who advances. Now who advances will rely totally on what happens on the field. We think it will create more compelling first-round matchups."
In first-round action at the Tokyo Dome for Pool A, China will join Chinese Taipei, Korea and host Japan. In Mexico City's Foro Sol Stadium in Pool B, Mexico will host Australia, Cuba and South Africa.
The U.S. will travel to Toronto's Rogers Centre for Pool C and play Italy, Venezuela and Canada. Puerto Rico will stay home in Pool D for games at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan against the Dominican Republic, Panama and the Netherlands.
The World Baseball Classic had initially been slated to begin in 2005 with a four-year rotation that would avoid Olympic and World Cup years. A personnel problem with one nation pushed the first Classic to 2006, but the schedule of 2009 and 2013 remained.
DuPuy said twice as many cities submitted bids to be one of the host venues for next year's Classic and added there may be a consideration of an Asian city hosting the final rounds at a future date.
Attendance figures for the 2006 Classic was more than 740,000 fans from 48 of the 50 states and 15 countries. There were also 486 players that participated with 235 of those from Major League organizations.
For Orza there was one true measure of the tournament, though, and it passed.
"The real test of the games was not how many fans that showed up. It was the degree that players that played in it wanted to play in it again, but also the players that didn't play in it wanted in," Orza said. "Since 2006, I've had players want to play in it again or asking to keep them in mind."
Dodger Stadium will roll out its carpet of many colors for the international baseball stage in March and will be ready for its closeup.
"We think the final games of the 2009 World Baseball Classic will be the biggest international event in the history of baseball," McCourt said.
Copyright 2001-2008 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved.
Bloomquist delivers winner for Seattle
SEATTLE -- It wasn't so much that the Mariners overcame a four-run deficit on Tuesday night against the Blue Jays but the unique manner in which the events unfolded.
First it was a home run to right field that a confused Adrian Beltre barely saw.
Then, with Seattle down by a run in the bottom of the eighth, it was the struggling and power-deficient Richie Sexson who drew his bat back and unleashed the swing his team and Seattle fans have been waiting more than a month to see -- knocking his first homer since May 24 into the left-field stands to tie the game and wake up a Safeco Field crowd.
And finally, it was utility man Willie Bloomquist lining a ball into the left-center-field gap with two on in the ninth inning to complete the comeback and send 24,586 fans home with a walk-off 7-6 win.
"Well I just was kinda hoping it wasn't going to curve back and hook to the left fielder," said Bloomquist, who added that the pitch was a slider. "I was hoping it was going to stay straight there and fortunately it did and got in the gap ... obviously you play the game to win, and so it's still an exciting moment and a lot of fun."
With the score tied 6-6, Raul Ibanez opened the ninth inning with a walk. He was then sacrificed by Jose Vidro to second base. Toronto intentionally walked Beltre before replacing Scott Downs on the mound with Shawn Camp, as Bloomquist came to the plate for what would be the game's final at-bat.
After several comebacks that have fallen just short this season, the unlikely turnaround finally went Seattle's way and allowed it to avoid a second straight loss to the Blue Jays.
"Even though in our situation, guys are still playing hard and not giving up," Bloomquist said. "So we're still going to play hard and do the best we can to win every game we can."
But while Bloomquist's heroics sparked a Mariners rush onto the field, the plays that put him in that position were equally captivating.
With Seattle down 6-3 in the seventh, Beltre hit a line shot to right field. But he then paused near the batter's box, as if unsure of what he had just done, before lurching forward toward first base as the ball barely disappeared over the wall.
"I swung, I knew I made contact but I had no idea where the ball was," he said. "And I was just looking for it to see if I can see it, I heard the crowd kinda get into it. ... I saw the ball going to right field. A little late, but I saw it."
Beltre also had a seat in the dugout to see Sexson's shot to left an inning later, a hit that the Mariners desperately needed with a lineup that favors singles. Sexson was not around in the clubhouse after to discuss his breakthrough, but Beltre was happy for his teammate.
"I felt great for him because he's been swinging the bat really well the last three weeks and had nothing to show for it," he said. "He gets some hits here and there, but the fact that he can now relax and hit the ball somewhere, he got the home run out of the way -- a lot of home runs are going to come after this one."
Manager Jim Riggleman had similar sentiments.
"You feel good for all of them," he said. "[They've been] ... competing so hard and not getting anything for it ... you just really feel good for them."
The late-inning chaos overshadowed what had been an interesting night for Mariners pitching and a rather controlling performance from the Blue Jays until the seventh.
Ryan Rowland-Smith, a reliever starting in place of the injured Felix Hernandez, looked like the right choice through the first three innings on Tuesday in his first Major League start. He allowed just one single during the time and conserved his pitches.
But things fell apart in the fourth.
Rowland-Smith started by allowing a single, a walk, a double and a hit batsman to give Toronto its first run and load the bases with no outs.
After a Scott Rolen popup for an out, Toronto scored its second run of the inning on an odd fielder's choice. Gregg Zaun ripped a line drive into left field just past the leap of shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt, but Vernon Wells froze at second base on the hit and was forced out at third while the lead runner scored. A single by Adam Lind brought home a third run.
"It wasn't so much physically as more say, just facing the guys a second time through the lineup," said Rowland-Smith, who mentioned he was nervous before the game. "Not that I was trying to do too much, but trying to do different things than I was doing the first time through."
The Seattle offense was gifted two runs in the fourth thanks to an error from Blue Jays pitcher Jesse Litsch and three base hits. But when Mariners second baseman Jose Lopez showcased his own generosity in the sixth by letting a grounder slip between his legs, the Blue Jays jumped on the opportunity and recorded a walk and two hits in succession to pile on three more runs for a 6-2 lead.
Copyright 2001-2008 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved.
Injured Dodgers closer to coming back
LOS ANGELES -- Disabled shortstop Rafael Furcal passed a physical hurdle, as well as a psychological one, on Thursday morning.
During his most thorough workout since being sidelined by a bulging disk in his back more than six weeks ago, Furcal ranged far to his right for a ground ball off the bat of coach Larry Bowa's fungo, reached to backhand the ball, then twisted his body back to the left while uncorking a long throw to first base.
It was a play almost identical to the one Furcal pulled on Mets third baseman David Wright on May 5 that Furcal now believes caused his injury. He said he felt fine after Thursday's workout, which included running the rim of the infield three times, but a bigger test will be whether he can get out of bed on Friday.
After Thursday's game, Furcal said he still felt fine. If he's OK on Friday, he could begin a Minor League rehabilitation assignment next week and might be back in the Dodgers lineup before the All-Star break.
Furcal could have some familiar company in the Minor Leagues. Jason Schmidt, a year out from shoulder surgery, will start on Saturday for Triple-A Las Vegas. Nomar Garciaparra reports progress with his calf problem and might start games next week. Outfielder Andruw Jones said he's running without pain and might join Furcal on an assignment next week.
"But he'll be playing before me," Jones said, reiterating his prediction of a return when play resumes after the All-Star break. "Me and Furky had a little race. We tied."
Reliever Scott Proctor, disabled on Wednesday, was scheduled to undergo an MRI on his sore elbow Thursday.
Disabled pitchers Hiroki Kuroda and Brad Penny will throw Saturday. Kuroda was originally scheduled to throw a simulated game on Friday, but manager Joe Torre said it was pushed back a day because he had a stiff neck unrelated to his original shoulder injury. Kuroda is making faster progress than Penny and could return next week.
Copyright 2001-2008 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved.
Gossage anticipating Hall induction
NEW YORK -- The long summer had come down to this: First and third, two out, ninth inning, a one-run lead and the storybook ending walking to the plate, prepared and equipped to undo all the Yankees had done in the previous 2 1/2 months.
If Rich Gossage had been seated, he would have squirmed in his seat. Instead, he was standing on the rubber at Fenway Park as Carl Yastrzemski brought peril to the batter's box. Gossage's brain squirmed instead; then it transported him from urban New England to rural Colorado. And the Yankees closer had a heart-to-heart with his wobbly knees.
"I starting asking myself, 'Why are you so nervous? This is supposed to be fun. What's the worst thing that can happen? If you lose, you'll be back home in Colorado tomorrow, hunting elk.'"
The elk didn't see Gossage for another month. The worst never happened. Yaz popped up.
It had been earlier that season when the Yankees were imploding -- changing managers and whatnot -- and the Red Sox were making the competition in the American League East a race in name only, that Goosage brought another relaxation technique to Yankees. The aftermath of any and every game, win or lose, was a quiet serenade provided by a cassette of Willie Nelson's peaceful "Stardust" album.
"I still love that album," Gossage said Wednesday morning. "Then, I played it because I liked it and because it was so calming. And we needed that. Things were blowing up. I know some of the guys would have liked something a little livelier. Oscar [Gamble] used to bust my chops about it. He got sick of it. But I think it gave us a way to get rid of the game."
Gossage always knew how to relax -- Colorado, Willie Nelson, a couple of beers. He dresses for dinner in jeans and T-shirt. His job with the Yankees and eight other teams was the baseball equivalent of a high-wire act, and he handled it, more often than not, with a slow heartbeat and that "What's the worst thing that can happen?" logic.
Anxiety, he once said, "gets in the way of enjoying what you're doing. I'd just as soon take it easy. "
Gossage fully intends to enjoy himself next month when the Baseball Hall of Fame opens its doors to him. Be assured he will find a way to relax before the day he is inducted.
"I'll be all right," he said. "I'll be thinking of something relaxing to get me through it."
For now, anxiety spares Gossage. Anticipation is holding a place for it. Since the day he was elected to the Hall -- in his ninth year of eligibility -- in December, the anticipation has increased exponentially. He has embraced every facet of the experience.
"But really," Gossage said, "I don't know what to expect. Other guys who are in -- Rollie [Fingers], Eck [Dennis Eckersley] and [Bruce] Sutter ... they said it will change my life. And it has already."
Gossage was in New York on Wednesday, making a series of appearances and speaking with various media outlets for AutoTrader.com. He was to conduct an afternoon clinic at Yankee Stadium. Later, he was to have Yankees players sign the hood of a special Chevy Tahoe that is to be auctioned off for charity. He will make similar appearance at five other ballparks, all for the benefit of charity.
It all makes for a busy summer for the Hall of Fame designate. His induction is July 27. Between now and then, there are appearances to make, baseballs and photographs to sign, hands to shake, an acceptance speech to write -- he hasn't started it yet -- and reality to embrace.
"I know it's real," he says. "But once in a while I'll just say, 'Is this really real?' And I really can't grasp it. The whole thing is some weird, out-of-body experience."
He said at times his career, which lasted 1972 to 1994, seemed to have passed in the time occupied by a finger snap.
"It's like a kid at Disneyland who waits in line for three hours to get on his favorite ride and the ride's over in a minute," he said. "Except in my case, the ride lasted for 23 years."
And now there is more come. Some people would call it the best part. But playing was what Gossage enjoyed most. Induction into the Hall of Fame is what happens now "because I can't break a pane of glass now."
The Cooperstown ceremonies will bring Graig Nettles and Mickey Rivers, teammates from his Yankees tenure. Chuck Tanner, the White Sox manager who moved Gossage to the bullpen, had been invited; Dick Allen, too.
"[Allen] taught me how to get hitters out from a hitter's standpoint," Gossage said. "I wish Thurman [Munson] could be there. Catfish [Hunter] too.
"It's going to be crazy. I'll just take it all in. Calm down and enjoy it. It's a pretty cool thing I'm doing. I appreciate it so much."
Copyright 2001-2008 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved.
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