THT Daily: Wild and Crazy Games

Major League News for August 30

Yesterday’s Results
Today’s Games
Standings
Game of the Day
Yesterday’s Home Runs
Top Minor League Performances
Player News
Stats

Yesterday’s Results

American League
NYA     2  DET     0    (Recap and Boxscore) Wang: 7.2 IP, 0 R, 16th win
DET     5  NYA     3    (Recap and Boxscore) See below
CHA     5  TB      4    (Recap and Boxscore) TB blows 4 R lead
CLE     3  TOR     2    (Recap and Boxscore) 10 innings: Hafner: 2 HR
KC      4  MIN     3    (Recap and Boxscore) Cuddyer: 3-3, 2 HR
OAK     7  BOS     2    (Recap and Boxscore) BOS: Only 2 W in last 14 G
LAA     5  SEA     3    (Recap and Boxscore)
BAL     7  TEX     4    (Recap and Boxscore) 10 innings

National League
ATL     5  SF      3    (Recap and Boxscore) LaRoche: 4-4, 3 2B, 3B
PHI     5  WAS     1    (Recap and Boxscore) Hamels: 8 IP, 1 R
HOU     1  MIL     0    (Recap and Boxscore) Bush/Clemens: 7 IP, 0 R; crazy ending
PIT    10  CHN     9    (Recap and Boxscore) 11 innings; Dempster blows 2R lead
STL    13  FLA     6    (Recap and Boxscore)
SD      4  ARI     1    (Recap and Boxscore)
NYN    11  COL     3    (Recap and Boxscore) Valentin: 2 HR; Wright: 5 RBI
LAN     7  CIN     3    (Recap and Boxscore) Maddux: 7 IP, 2 R

Today’s Games

Visitors                        Home                             Starts
DET - Bonderman J. (11-6, 3.92) NYY - Johnson R.* (14-10, 4.96)    1:05
KC - De La Rosa J.* (1-1, 7.48) MIN - Santana J.* (15-5, 3.01)     1:10
TB - Hammel J. (0-2, 7.71)      CWS - Vazquez J. (11-8, 5.06)      2:05
PHI - Wolf R.* (3-0, 5.58)      WAS - Astacio P. (3-4, 6.10)       7:05
TOR - Halladay R. (16-4, 3.12)  BOS - Wells D.* (2-3, 4.98)        7:05
SF - Morris M. (9-11, 4.47)     ATL - Smoltz J. (12-6, 3.36)       7:35
BAL - Cabrera D. (7-8, 4.63)    TEX - Eaton A. (3-4, 5.17)         8:05
MIL - Davis D.* (9-8, 5.17)     HOU - Pettitte A.* (12-13, 4.56    8:05
FLA - Willis D.* (9-10, 4.01)   STL - Suppan J. (10-7, 4.77)       8:10
NYM - Perez O.* (2-10, 6.78)    COL - Francis J.* (10-10, 3.53)    9:05

Standings

The graphics next to each team are called “sparklines.” They depict each team’s performance over the last month. Each “up” bar is a victory and a “down” bar is a loss. There are horizontal lines for home games and red bars represent games decided by two runs or less. “PWins” is short for Projected Wins, based on each team’s Run Differential, and is often a better measure of a team’s true strength. Other team graphs and stats can be found on our Team Page.

American League East        Pwins  Diff
NYA     78  53 .595    0.0   76      2      
BOS     71  62 .534    8.0   68      3      
TOR     69  64 .519   10.0   69      0      
BAL     60  72 .455   18.5   58      2      
TB      52  81 .391   27.0   54     -2      
American League Central
DET     83  50 .624    0.0   81      2      
CHA     78  54 .591    4.5   76      2      
MIN     76  55 .580    6.0   73      3      
CLE     63  69 .477   19.5   72     -9      
KC      49  85 .366   34.5   50     -1      
American League West
OAK     77  56 .579    0.0   71      6      
LAA     70  64 .522    7.5   69      1      
TEX     68  66 .507    9.5   70     -2      
SEA     63  70 .474   14.0   64     -1      

National League East         Pwins Diff
NYN     82  49 .626    0.0   77      5      
PHI     67  65 .508   15.5   67      0      
FLA     65  67 .492   17.5   65      0      
ATL     63  68 .481   19.0   69     -6      
WAS     55  77 .417   27.5   56     -1      
National League Central
STL     70  61 .534    0.0   67      3      
CIN     67  67 .500    4.5   64      3      
HOU     65  68 .489    6.0   67     -2      
MIL     62  71 .466    9.0   58      4      
CHN     54  79 .406   17.0   54      0      
PIT     53  81 .396   18.5   58     -5      
National League West
LAN     71  62 .534    0.0   72     -1      
SD      68  65 .511    3.0   67      1      
SF      65  68 .489    6.0   67     -2      
ARI     64  69 .481    7.0   64      0      
COL     61  71 .462    9.5   66     -5      

Wildcard Standings
American League
CHA     78  54 .591    0.0
MIN     76  55 .580    1.5
BOS     71  62 .534    7.5
LAA     70  64 .522    9.0
TOR     69  64 .519    9.5
National League
SD      68  65 .511    0.0
PHI     67  65 .508    0.5
CIN     67  67 .500    1.5
FLA     65  67 .492    2.5
HOU     65  68 .489    3.0

Game of the Day

Detroit avoided a doubleheader sweep by beating the Yankees, 5-3, thanks to a ninth-inning home run by Craig Monroe. Monroe’s three-run homer off Scott Proctor with two outs in the ninth ensured that Detroit’s lead in the AL Central wouldn’t drop to 3½ games.

It was the seventh time this year Detroit has won when trailing after eight innings. Proctor is 0 for 7 in save opportunities.

DETROIT (5) VS NY YANKEES (3) - FINAL (2ND GAME)

DETROIT                ab  r  h rbi bb so lob   avg
C Granderson cf         3  1  1  0   2  0   2  .262
C Monroe lf             5  1  2  3   0  1   2  .273
D Young dh              5  0  0  0   0  2   2  .250
M Ordonez rf            3  1  1  0   1  0   1  .288
C Guillen ss            4  1  1  1   0  2   3  .311
S Casey 1b              4  0  2  1   0  0   2  .289
N Perez 2b              4  0  1  0   0  0   1  .172
B Inge 3b               3  1  1  0   1  1   0  .248
V Wilson c              2  0  0  0   0  2   0  .263
 a-I Rodriguez ph-c     2  0  0  0   0  0   1  .297

Totals                 35  5  9  5   4  8  14

a-grounded to catcher for V Wilson in the 7th.

BATTING: 2B - M Ordonez (27, J Wright); C Monroe (29, B Bruney). HR - C Guillen 
(16, 2nd inning off J Wright 0 on, 0 Out), C Monroe (23, 9th inning off S 
Proctor 2 on, 2 Out). RBI - C Guillen (72), S Casey (19), C Monroe 3 (74). 
2-out RBI - S Casey, C Monroe 3. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - S 
Casey 1, C Granderson 2. Team LOB - 7. 
 
NY YANKEES             ab  r  h rbi bb so lob   avg
J Damon cf              4  0  0  0   0  1   3  .297
M Cabrera lf            3  1  1  0   1  0   0  .285
D Jeter ss              3  1  1  2   1  0   1  .339
J Giambi dh             3  0  0  0   1  2   2  .260
A Rodriguez 3b          4  0  0  1   0  0   2  .275
R Cano 2b               4  0  0  0   0  1   1  .332
B Williams rf           3  0  0  0   0  0   0  .283
 B Abreu rf             1  0  0  0   0  0   0  .355
C Wilson 1b             2  0  0  0   0  0   0  .244
 a-A Guiel ph-1b        1  0  0  0   0  0   0  .233
S Fasano c              2  1  1  0   0  0   1  .138

Totals                 30  3  3  3   3  4  10

a-hit by pitch for C Wilson in the 7th.

BATTING: 2B - S Fasano (3, W Ledezma); M Cabrera (19, W Ledezma); D Jeter (31, 
F Rodney). RBI - D Jeter 2 (83), A Rodriguez (94). Runners left in scoring 
position, 2 out - J Damon 2, R Cano 1. Team LOB - 5. 
 
BASERUNNING: SB - D Jeter (27, 3rd base off F Rodney/V Wilson), A Guiel (1, 
2nd base off F Rodney/I Rodriguez). 
 
----------------------------------------------------
    DETROIT         - 010 100 003   --   5
    NY YANKEES      - 000 003 000   --   3
----------------------------------------------------

DETROIT                      ip       h   r  er  bb  so  hr    era
W Ledezma                     5 1/3   2   2   2   1   2   0   2.27
F Rodney (B, 3)               1 2/3   1   1   1   1   1   0   3.20
J Walker                        2/3   0   0   0   1   1   0   1.46
J Grilli (W, 2-2)               1/3   0   0   0   0   0   0   3.56
T Jones (S, 35)               1       0   0   0   0   0   0   4.35

NY YANKEES                   ip       h   r  er  bb  so  hr    era
J Wright                      6 1/3   6   2   2   1   5   1   4.62
B Bruney (H, 1)                 2/3   2   0   0   0   0   0   1.59
R Villone (H, 7)              1       0   0   0   1   2   0   3.27
S Proctor (L, 5-4; B, 7)      1       1   3   3   2   1   1   3.87

B Bruney pitched to 1 batter in the 8th.

IBB - J Giambi (by F Rodney), M Ordonez (by R Villone). HBP - S Fasano (by W 
Ledezma); A Guiel (by F Rodney). Pitches-strikes: W Ledezma 68-41; F Rodney 
30-17; J Walker 15-7; J Grilli 1-1; T Jones 11-10; J Wright 85-55; B Bruney 
17-11; R Villone 20-10; S Proctor 31-20. Ground balls-fly balls: W Ledezma 8-6; 
F Rodney 2-2; J Walker 0-1; J Grilli 0-1; T Jones 1-2; J Wright 7-6; B Bruney 
1-1; R Villone 1-0; S Proctor 1-1. Batters faced: W Ledezma 20; F Rodney 8; J 
Walker 3; J Grilli 1; T Jones 3; J Wright 25; B Bruney 4; R Villone 4; S 
Proctor 6. 
 
UMPIRES: HP--Mike Everitt. 1B--James Hoye. 2B--Larry Young. 3B--Chad 
Fairchild. 

T--3:06. Att--54,509. 
Weather: 73 degrees, cloudy. Wind: 3 mph, left to right.

The following graph tracks the game’s Win Probability, courtesy of Fan Graphs.

Yesterday’s Home Runs

The following stats are provided by Hit Tracker, which logs the projected distance of each home run (if it were to land uninterrupted at field level) and its “standard” distance, which is corrected for weather conditions. You can read their daily updates at the Hit Tracker Blog.

Cleveland’s Travis Hafner hit the two shortest home runs of the 27 hit in the major leagues, 376 feet in the 3rd inning off Toronto’s Shawn Marcum and 360 feet in the 8th inning off Jeremy Accardo. The interesting thing is, these two homers were also the two hardest hit of the day, at 116.7 and 117.7 mph, respectively. Each was a screaming line drive into the right field bullpen, with the first getting a bit more air than the second (21.4 degrees elevation to 18.8 degrees).

Hitter                    Pitcher                      True Dist  Std. Dist.  HR #
Cuddyer, Michael  MIN     Hudson, Luke       KC           434        428      19
Saenz, Olmedo     LAD     Belisle, Matt      CIN          442        426      10
Soriano, Alfonso  WAS     Hamels, Cole       PHI          440        426      43
Guillen, Carlos   DET     Wright, Jaret      NYY          429        426      16
Teixeira, Mark    TEX     Benson, Kris       BAL          445        423      23
Iguchi, Tadahito  CWS     Meadows, Brian     TB           413        416      14
Baldelli, Rocco   TB      Garland, Jon       CWS          406        415       7
Pujols, Albert    STL     Nolasco, Ricky     FLA          408        411      39
Alfonzo, Eliezer  SF      Wickman, Bob       ATL          418        409      11
Monroe, Craig     DET     Proctor, Scott     NYY          408        409      23
Peralta, Jhonny   CLE     Ryan, B.J.         TOR          386        402      12
Furcal, Rafael    LAD     Belisle, Matt      CIN          420        401       9
Kielty, Bobby     OAK     Schilling, Curt    BOS          409        399       7
Markakis, Nick    BAL     Tejeda, Robinson   TEX          413        392      13
Hafner, Travis    CLE     Marcum, Shaun      TOR          376        392      41
Anderson, Garret  LAA     Woods, Jake        SEA          389        391      15
Laird, Gerald     TEX     Benson, Kris       BAL          400        389       7
Wright, David     NYM     Fogg, Josh         COL          435        388      23
Ellis, Mark       OAK     Schilling, Curt    BOS          388        387      10
Cuddyer, Michael  MIN     Nelson, Joe        KC           392        386      20
Valentin, Jose    NYM     Ramirez, Ramon     COL          436        385      14
Wilson, Craig     NYY     Robertson, Nate    DET          404        383      16
Betemit, Wilson   LAD     Schoeneweis, Scott CIN          396        377      16
Hafner, Travis    CLE     Accardo, Jeremy    TOR          360        373      42
LaRue, Jason      CIN     Maddux, Greg       LAD          384        371       6
Delgado, Carlos   NYM     Affeldt, Jeremy    COL          378        339      34
Valentin, Jose    NYM     Fogg, Josh         COL          NA         NA       13

Top Minor League Games

The following list, provided by First Inning, includes the top minor league batting (based on Runs Created) and pitching (based on Game Score) performances from yesterday.

ORG LVL PLAYER            POS AB  H 2B 3B HR BB SO  Notes
ATL AAA Anthony Lerew       P  2  2  0  0  1  0  0   
BAL A-  Brandon Tripp      RF  4  3  1  0  1  0  0  3 runs scored
HOU AAA Brooks Conrad      2B  3  2  0  0  2  0  0  3 runs scored
MIN A+  Erold Andrus       LF  5  3  0  1  1  0  0  4 RBI
OAK AA  Danny Putnam       RF  5  3  0  0  2  0  0  Hit 4 HR over past three days
OAK A+  Gregorio Petit     SS  3  2  0  0  2  1  0  4 RBI
SD  A-  Matt Stocco         C  3  2  0  0  2  0  0   
SEA AAA Adam Jones         CF  6  5  2  0  0  0  0  3 runs scored
SEA AAA Jon Nelson         1B  5  3  1  0  2  0  1  5 RBI
SF  A+  John Bowker        RF  4  3  1  1  0  1  0   
 
ORG LVL PLAYER             IP   H  R ER SO BB HR  Notes
ARI A-  Scott Souther      7.0  5  0  0  6  2  0   
CHC A-  Jose Ceda          5.0  1  0  0  6  1  0  26 K over last 17 IP
CIN A   Travis Wood        6.0  2  0  0  5  3  0   
KC  AA  Seung Song         7.0  3  0  0  4  4  0   
LA  AAA Eric Stults        7.0  4  2  2 10  1  1   
MIN AA  Nick Blackburn     7.0  5  0  0  5  2  0   
SD  A-  Brooks Dunn        6.0  5  0  0  8  0  0   
SEA A+  Justin Jordan      6.0  0  0  0  6  0  0   
TB  A-  Ryan Owen          7.0  4  0  0  8  0  0   

Player News

Player news items are provided by CBS SportsLine.com.

Roy Oswalt and the Houston Astros agreed to a five-year, $73 million contract extension on his 29th birthday Tuesday, the biggest multiyear deal ever given to an Astros pitcher. The Astros will pay Oswalt $13 million in each of the next two seasons and $14 million in 2009. He will get $15 million in 2010 and $16 million in 2011. The deal has a no-trade clause and an option for a sixth year.

Greg Maddux earned his 330th win to move into 10th place on the career list, and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Cincinnati Reds 7-3 Wednesday night for their fifth straight victory. Maddux (12-11) allowed two runs and eight hits in seven innings while walking none, striking out three and throwing 77 pitches before being relieved by Brett Tomko to start the eighth. Maddux, who pitched six hitless innings Aug. 3 in Cincinnati in his first game with the Dodgers, is 5-0 against the Reds with a 2.40 ERA this season. According to Elias, it was the 202nd start in which Maddux didn’t walk a batter, by far the highest total in the live-ball era. Robin Roberts ranks second with 168.

Both the Pirates and Cubs had 20 hits in Pittsburgh’s 10-9 11-inning win. The Cubs had scored two runs in the top of the 11th to take a 9-7 lead, but the Pirates rallied for three runs off Ryan Dempster, capped by Freddy Sanchez’s two-run single. Sanchez is the NL batting leader with a .347 average and is better still in clutch situations, with a .423 average (52-for-123) with runners in scoring position.

For the first time in the 131-year history of the franchise, the Cubs lost consecutive games in which they held a lead in extra innings. On both Tuesday night and Wednesday afternoon, the Cubs scored in the top of the 11th and the Pirates won the game in the bottom of the inning. (Source: Elias)

The Houston/Milwaukee game had a wild finish. With the score knotted 0-0 in the bottom of the ninth, the Astros loaded the bases with one out. Aubrey Huff then hit a grounder down the line that first baseman Jeff Cirillo grabbed with a dive. He touched first — taking away a force at the plate — and then threw to catcher Damian Miller. But Miller simply stepped on the plate, apparently not realizing he needed to make a tag. Thanks to his mistake, Lamb slid home with the winning run on Huff’s RBI groundout.

The Red Sox’s 7-2 loss in Oakland on Wednesday was their 21st during August (8-21). That tied the all-time record for losses in a month by a team that started the month in first place. Also, the Red Sox scored 19 runs on the nine-game road trip that ended in Oakland. According to Elias, that equaled the fewest runs that the Sox have ever scored on a road trip of nine or more games.

Barry Zito outpitched Curt Schilling on a day the Boston ace became the 14th pitcher with 3,000 career strikeouts and the Oakland Athletics beat the Red Sox 7-2 Wednesday to complete a three-game sweep. Zito (15-8) pitched 6 1/3 strong innings to win his third straight start, receiving a standing ovation when he left after striking out Alex Cora on his 112th pitch. The lefty, likely in his final season for the A’s, escaped a bases-loaded jam in the sixth. He allowed eight hits and one run, struck out eight and walked two.

Red Sox slugger David Ortiz will remain at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston until Thursday as a precaution and for further tests on his heart. Manager Terry Francona had yet to speak to Ortiz on Wednesday morning but did talk to team internist Larry Ronan about the DH’s condition. “Larry said he’s had no more episodes. That’s good,” Francona said. “They’re going to do more testing today and tomorrow. From my understanding, he’s doing OK.” Ortiz was admitted to a hospital on Aug. 19 for a full examination and tests. Based on the results of those findings, he was cleared to return when his condition had improved.

Boston scratched center fielder Coco Crisp on Wednesday less than an hour before the first pitch with an injured left shoulder. He was hurt making a diving catch to rob Jay Payton of a hit in the fourth inning of Tuesday night’s 2-1 loss to the A’s.

Meanwhile, left fielder Manny Ramirez was back in Boston nursing a sore right knee that has sidelined him for four games in a row and six out of seven. Outfielder Wily Mo Pena was having his troublesome left wrist looked at by doctors Wednesday. He missed his sixth consecutive game.

Andrew Miller, selected by Detroit with the sixth pick of June’s amateur draft, made his major league debut Wednesday at New York after pitching just five innings in the minors. The 6-foot-6 left-hander from the University of North Carolina pitched a hitless eighth, hitting a batter with a pitch. “It was a rush. I’ve got so much adrenaline going, I can’t really tell you what I was thinking,” Miller said. “My heart is still racing.”

Right-hander Brad Radke, whose start had already been pushed back by three days, will miss his next scheduled turn on Saturday because of persistent pain in his shoulder. Radke tried to play catch Wednesday, but couldn’t. He has been pitching with a torn labrum. “He didn’t feel really good when he tried to flip it out there,” manager Ron Gardenhire said. “It’s kind of a little setback. We’ll just have to ad-lib a little bit.”

Seattle Mariners reliever Rafael Soriano was released from the hospital Wednesday, less than 24 hours after being hit in the head by a line drive. Doctors said the right-hander sustained a mild concussion when Los Angeles Angels slugger Vladimir Guerrero hit an eighth-inning liner that struck Soriano just behind his right ear Tuesday night. The pitcher spent the night at Harborview Medical Center under the care of Dr. Richard Ellenbogen, chief of neurosurgery at the hospital. Soriano had an X-ray and two CT scans that revealed no fractures or internal swelling of the brain. Other than being tired and still having a slight residual headache, Soriano was doing quite well.

Minnesota Twins left-hander Francisco Liriano threw off a mound Wednesday for the first time since going on the disabled list Aug. 8 with a strained ligament in his pitching arm. Liriano threw about 45 pitches, only fastballs and changeups, in a 20-minute session. “I’m feeling really good,” Liriano said after the workout. “Nothing’s bothering me so far.” Ron Gardenhire is taking extra precautions with the 22-year-old Liriano, and is unwilling to risk his long-term future to improve the team’s playoff chances this year. “There’s no timetable,” Gardenhire said. “We’re going to take it slow and let the doctors and trainers decide when he’s ready to come back.”

John Lackey (11-9), 0-2 with an 9.74 in three previous starts against the Mariners this season, allowed three runs and nine hits in 6 1/3 innings for his 11th win on Wednesday at Seattle.

Orioles starter Kris Benson pitched seven strong innings Wednesday, allowing two runs and five hits, and handed a 4-2 lead to his bullpen. But the Rangers rallied to tie it at 4 with a two-run eighth and Benson settled for a no-decision.

Chien-Ming Wang has overtaken Randy Johnson and Mike Mussina to become the New York Yankees’ ace. Wang tied Toronto’s Roy Halladay for the major league lead with his 16th win, combining on a four-hitter and leading the Yankees over the Detroit Tigers 2-0 in the opener of Wednesday’s day-night doubleheader.

Jon Garland (16-4) got his 16th win to tie for the major league lead, surviving a rough start when he gave up three first-inning runs, including a leadoff homer to Rocco Baldelli on Wednesday against Tampa Bay. Jermaine Dye continued to add to his MVP credentials, going 2-for-2 in late-inning pressure situations and scoring the winning run in the eighth inning of the White Sox’s 5-4 victory over the Devil Rays.

St. Louis Cardinals catcher Gary Bennett sprained his lower back while stretching to make a tag at the plate and left Wednesday night’s game against the Florida Marlins after two innings.

Indians starter Jeremy Sowers allowed two runs and six hits over 5 2/3 innings in a no-decision on Wednesday against Toronto. The left-hander is 5-0 with a 1.72 ERA in eight starts since July 22, when he pitched the first of consecutive shutouts.

Travis Hafner went 2-for-4 with two homers on Wednesday against Toronto. Hafner’s fourth multihomer game this season and 12th of his career gave him 116 RBI, including 109 as the designated hitter. That ties the club record for a DH set by Andre Thornton in 1982.

Chuck James held the Giants to two runs on six hits in seven innings for his third straight win on Wednesday against San Francisco. He kept Barry Bonds from doing any damage by hitting the 42-year-old slugger in the back with a pitch and walking him twice.

Adam LaRoche hit three doubles and a triple, and drove in three runs to lead Atlanta past the San Francisco Giants 5-3 on Wednesday night as the Braves matched their longest home winning streak of the season.

Cole Hamels pitched eight strong innings to lead the Philadelphia Phillies to a 5-1 victory over the Washington Nationals on Wednesday night. The 22-year-old Hamels (7-7), who started the season with Class-A Clearwater, had little trouble in this one. He gave up only four hits and two walks before Arthur Rhodes came on in the ninth. Hamels threw 104 pitches, 69 for strikes, in one of his best efforts.

The Brewers lost their season-high sixth straight road game, wasting a strong effort from Dave Bush on Wednesday against Houston. Bush allowed only two hits over seven scoreless innings with four strikeouts.

Roger Clemens struck out nine in seven shutout innings to give the Houston Astros a 1-0 win over the Milwaukee Brewers. The Astros won their season-high fifth straight by salvaging another solid outing from Clemens, who matched his season high for strikeouts. But his teammates again had trouble scoring with their 44-year-old ace on the mound, and he wound up with another no-decision.

KC’s Luke Hudson allowed two runs on five hits with five Ks to earn his seventh victory at Minnesota, while Minnesota’s Boof Bonser allowed three runs on seven hits with eight strikeouts in the game.

Mike Thompson allowed one run on four hits in 5 1/3 innings for his first victory in eight starts on Wednesday at Arizona. He was 0-4 with five no decisions, including a relief appearance, since his last win June 20 at Texas.

Carl Pavano won’t pitch for at least two weeks while his broken ribs heal, ending his chances of rejoining the New York Yankees’ starting rotation this year and perhaps finishing his season.

Cubs rookie right-hander Juan Mateo sustained a deep bone bruise when he was struck on the right forearm by a Jose Bautista line drive in the third inning on Wednesday at Pittsburgh, but X-rays did not reveal any fracture. The right-hander made his fifth career start since being called up Aug. 1, giving up three runs and four hits in two-plus innings before leaving with a no-decision.

The Orioles claimed C Danny Ardoin off waivers from the Rockies and added him to the roster. Also, they designated LHP Tim Byrdak for assignment. They have 10 days to trade, release or outright him to the minor leagues.

RHP Anthony Reyes, demoted to Triple-A Memphis earlier this month, was the Pacific Coast League pitcher of the week after going 2-0 and allowing no runs in 13 innings with 17 strikeouts.

RHP Kyle Davies (groin) is heading back to the majors after another impressive rehab start in the minors. Davies is set to pitch in Saturday’s doubleheader at Philadelphia after winning both starts at Triple-A Richmond, allowing only one run and seven hits in 15 innings.

Omar Vizquel became the third player in major-league history to see action in 2,400 games as a shortstop. Luis Aparacio and Ozzie Smith are the others.

The Phillies traded SS Angel Chavez to Baltimore to complete the deal for OF Jeff Conine.

Dustin Hermanson, who is rehabbing with Triple-A Charlotte, is expected to return to the White Sox in September. Hermanson has not pitched in the majors this season because of back problems.

The Reds signed RHP Jason Johnson to a minor-league contract and assigned him to Triple-A Louisville of the IL.

The Rockies purchased the contract of SS Troy Tulowitzki from Double-A Tulsa of the Texas League. Also, they optioned 2B Luis Gonzalez to Colorado Springs of the PCL.

The Red Sox purchased the contract of RHP Mike Burns from Triple-A Pawtucket of the IL, optioned LHP Kason Gabbard to Pawtucket and called up and placed RHP David Pauley on the 60-day DL.

The Rangers acquired outfielder Victor Diaz from the Mets on Wednesday for minor-league catcher Mike Nickeas. Diaz was on the Mets’ opening day roster and hit .182 (2-for-11) in six games before being sent to Triple-A Norfolk, where he hit .224 with eight home runs and 38 RBI in 103 games. Texas assigned Diaz to Triple-A Oklahoma. The Rangers made room on their 40-man roster when outfielder Adam Hyzdu was outrighted to Oklahoma. Nickeas split the season between Double-A Frisco and Class-A Bakersfield.

Fernando Cabrera has struck out 16 and not allowed a run over 8 1/3 innings spanning his last 16 outings. “He’s definitely commanding his fastball better,” manager Eric Wedge said. Cabrera is 2-2 with a 5.01 ERA in 38 outings overall.

Lyle Overbay is fourth in the AL with 39 doubles and leads all major leaguers with 126 since the start of the 2004 season.

Hideki Matsui took BP on Wednesday for the first time since the Yankees left fielder broke his left wrist in May. Matsui took 35 swings at pitches thrown by coach Mitch Seoane in an indoor batting cage at Yankee Stadium before the start of New York’s day-night doubleheader against Detroit. “I think everything was good. I didn’t have any pain,” Matsui said through a translator.

David Wells could be on the verge of getting dealt. Also, Lenny DiNardo has been pulled from his recent rehab start, according to the Boston Herald.

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