MLB Capsules: Morgan gets 8 games for Nats-Marlins brawl
Nyjer Morgan's wild week has landed him an eight-game suspension, one of nine punishments handed out Friday by Major League Baseball following a brawl between Washington Nationals and Florida Marlins.
MLB suspended Nationals outfielder Morgan and fined him an undisclosed amount for three separate incidents over the past week. Friday's penalty is in addition to a seven-game suspension he received Aug. 25 that is currently under appeal.
Six players, both managers and a coach were cited after a review of Wednesday night's odd and ugly game in Miami, won 16-10 by the Marlins. Florida pitcher Chris Volstad was suspended for six games, pitcher Alex Sanabia for five, first baseman Gaby Sanchez for three, and manager Edwin Rodriguez for one. Volstad and Rodriguez also were fined, as was pitcher Jose Veras.
All the Marlins players who were issued suspensions plan to appeal. Same for the Nationals.
"Whether I believe it's fair or not doesn't really matter," Sanchez said. "You're going to get punished, especially when a brawl like that happens."
For Washington, pitcher Doug Slaten and third base coach Pat Listach were suspended for three games, and manager Jim Riggleman for two games. Riggleman and Listach also were fined.
Listach's ban was trimmed to two games after Washington asked MLB to review his actions again.
"I'm a little surprised at (the suspensions and fines) overall," Riggleman said. "I thought they were a little heavy, certainly heavier than I expected. However, I think Major League Baseball is also sending out a message with these suspensions and especially with the fines, and that's that it doesn't want bench-clearing brawls in this sport."
All but two of the suspensions were scheduled to begin Friday. Sanabia's suspension was set to begin Wednesday in order to avoid overlapping with fellow pitcher Volstad's, and Listach's suspension is scheduled to begin Sunday to avoid overlapping with Riggleman's.
Rodriguez was serving his suspension Friday, with bench coach Brandon Hyde tabbed to manage Florida against Atlanta. Rodriguez said Volstad would next start on Tuesday, and Sanchez didn't expect the appeals to be heard until the Marlins — get this — visit Washington next weekend.
Bench coach John McLaren was in charge of the Nationals for Friday night's game at Pittsburgh.
But the focus is overwhelmingly on Morgan.
His current spate of notoriety began Aug. 21, when he threw a ball at a fan in the stands in Philadelphia. The appeal of his seven-game suspension for that misdeed is scheduled to be heard Tuesday.
"The perception of him, the last month or so, is not a good one," Marlins outfielder Logan Morrison said.
Then, last Saturday, Morgan ran over St. Louis Cardinals catcher Bryan Anderson in the bottom of the eighth inning at Nationals Park, even though Anderson didn't have the ball. Morgan neglected to touch home plate in the process and was called out. Riggleman benched Morgan the next day for what the manager called "unprofessional" play, and Morgan publicly disagreed with Riggleman's decision.
On Tuesday, Morgan ran over another catcher, this time Florida's Brett Hayes, while attempting to score from second on a ground ball in the 10th inning. Hayes held onto the ball to tag Morgan out, but the catcher separated his left shoulder on the play.
The Nationals were expecting retaliation on Wednesday, and it came. Volstad hit Morgan with a pitch in the fourth inning, but Morgan promptly answered by stealing second and third, even though the Nationals were trailing 14-3.
Volstad then threw his first pitch of the sixth behind Morgan, setting off a fight. Morgan charged the mound took a swing at Volstad, but Sanchez quickly arrived on the scene and clothes-lined Morgan, knocking off Morgan's batting helmet and sending him to the ground. Morgan, Volstad, Rodriguez and Veras were ejected. Morgan was loudly booed when he raised his arms to egg on the crowd as he was escorted off the field.
"I can't look back at it now and say I would do anything different," Sanchez said. "I wouldn't have. I'm out there trying to protect my pitcher."
Later in the game, Slaten and Riggleman were ejected after Sanchez was hit with a pitch with two outs in the seventh.
After the game, Riggleman backed Morgan, saying it was OK for the Marlins to throw at the outfielder once but not twice. Riggleman also had no problem with Morgan, who declined comment Friday, stealing the two bases.
On Friday, the manager said he hopes Morgan's reputation isn't damaged by all attention from MLB.
"I believe they are three separate incidents that just happened to occur close together," Riggleman said. "He has no history of problems in any of those three cities or against those three teams."
Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo said some of Morgan's actions have given him pause but "he's a young, aggressive player and sometimes things like that happen."
MLB's statement Friday said Morgan was being suspended for "unnecessarily" running over Anderson on Saturday, for "inappropriate comments" directed toward the fans on Tuesday, and for charging the mound and making inappropriate gestures and comments toward the fans on Wednesday.
Riggleman was also given an additional fine by Frank Robinson, senior vice president of major league operations, for "inappropriate comments regarding the incident."
American League
Manny blames himself for sour ending in Boston
BOSTON (AP) — White Sox slugger Manny Ramirez took the blame Friday for his rocky departure from Boston and said he would have joined the Red Sox if they had claimed him when he was placed on waivers this month.
Ramirez was back in Boston for the first time since the Los Angeles Dodgers handed him over to Chicago on Tuesday in a waiver deal. But the opener of the weekend series at Fenway Park was postponed because of the threat of severe weather from Hurricane Earl and will be made up in a day-night doubleheader Saturday.
The Red Sox traded Ramirez to the Dodgers on July 31, 2008, after the enigmatic outfielder made it clear he wanted out of Boston. He made critical comments about the franchise and there were reports of at least two physical confrontations, one with teammate Kevin Youkilis and another with team traveling secretary Jack McCormick.
Ramirez told a group of reporters Friday that he apologized to Youkilis when he returned to Boston in June with Los Angeles.
"I said, 'Hey, what happened between you and me, I'm sorry. It was my fault,'" Ramirez said, according to The Boston Globe. "It takes a real man to go and tell a person, 'Hey, it was my fault,' and that's what I did."
Ramirez batted .312 with 274 homers and 868 RBIs in 7½ seasons with the Red Sox. He was the first World Series MVP in Red Sox history, earning the honor in 2004 when Boston won the title for the first time since 1918; he was also a key part of the team that won it in '07.
But his antics were just as outsized as his statistics.
He high-fived a fan in Baltimore — after making a leaping catch, but before throwing the ball in to finish a double play. Against the Angels, he dived for a fly then rolled onto the ball that had fallen in front of him. By the time he retrieved it, Maicer Izturis had a triple. He cut off a throw — in shallow left — from center fielder Johnny Damon.
A few days before the 2008 trading deadline, he told the team he couldn't play because of a knee problem but couldn't say which knee was hurt. MRIs showed no damage. A few days later he was traded to the Dodgers in a six-player, three-team deal that brought Jason Bay to Boston.
"I think everything was my fault," Ramirez said. "You've got to be a real man to realize when you do wrong. Hey, it was my fault, right? I'm already past that stage. I'm happy. I'm in a new team."
The 38-year-old Ramirez batted .311 with eight homers and 40 RBIs in 66 games with the Dodgers this season, but was on the disabled list from July 20 to Aug. 20 with a right calf strain and missed 33 games. He went 1 for 3 in his first game for the White Sox, a 6-4 win at Cleveland on Wednesday.
Ramirez's return to Fenway is an intriguing subplot to a key series between the AL contenders.
The pitching rotation remains the same with Friday's scheduled starters, Chicago's John Danks (12-9) and Boston's Clay Buchholz (15-5), scheduled for the first game and Gavin Floyd (9-11) slated to face Red Sox right-hander John Lackey (12-8) in the second.
A's Eric Chavez knows baseball days could be over
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Eric Chavez acknowledged yet again his career very well could be over. His season most definitely is.
Despite all the injuries and missed games in recent years, the countless hours of rehab and time away from the Oakland Athletics, he's not ready to utter the word retire.
Not just yet. The 32-year-old Chavez loves baseball too much to walk away if there's still any chance — however slim — that he could get healthy enough again and return to his former productive self.
The six-time Gold Glove third baseman was recently playing rehab games in the Arizona Rookie League when he had to stop because two bulging disks in his neck became too bothersome each time he batted. It also affected his surgically repaired right shoulder.
"I don't know if I'll ever play baseball again," Chavez said Friday. "I'm not going to make a formal statement about (retiring). I'm not going to give up on it that I might (come back) but I'm not going to say I'm going to either. I'm going to kind of let time be the answer."
Chavez returned to the Bay Area from his home in Arizona for this nine-game homestand to visit with teammates and others at the Coliseum, knowing it could be goodbye after 13 years in the big leagues with the franchise. He's the longest-tenured member of the A's.
"Whoo hoo, Eric!" Angels star Torii Hunter hollered on his way to the indoor batting cage. The two embraced and shared a few words.
A designated hitter of late because of all his injuries, Chavez has played in only 33 games this season.
He played only eight games last season. That's after he played in just 23 games in 2008, and 90 in '07. He has undergone five operations since Sept. 5, 2007, including two microdiscectomy surgeries in different spots in his back. He also has undergone three shoulder surgeries.
He said before this year began that if he sustains another serious injury, it likely would be time to walk away from baseball. Chavez is in the final season of a $66 million, six-year contract extension he signed in March 2004 that includes a 2011 club option.
"At some point you just have to realize what you're dealing with is what it is. I don't even know what my options would be going into next year, if I'd have any at all," Chavez said before Oakland opened a weekend series with the AL West-rival Los Angeles Angels. "Obviously I've spent a lot of time in rehab, in therapy, and I'm just kind of over that point. I think I've done everything I can to try to be healthy and it hasn't worked out."
Earlier this season, he said he had been experiencing spasms on both sides of his neck since getting hurt during a spring training drill in which a minor leaguer collided with his right shoulder. The impact jerked his neck to the left in what Chavez described as a "whiplash" motion.
And it hasn't fully healed. Chavez, who is considering a future career in broadcasting or coaching, said he could no longer play at the level he needed to and that "my head was barely above water" when he was playing this season.
"He was playing a few games in Arizona and it didn't go well," A's manager Bob Geren said. "He was playing and had to stop."
Chavez had hoped to be coming back to play this weekend. Instead, he planned to be in the dugout — just not on the active roster.
"When I left here I kind of knew the outcome, what the percentages were," Chavez said. "I figured I'd take a few months off. I tried to play in the Rookie League about a week and a half ago and I was working out and workouts were going good. I got in a game situation and it was kind of the same thing again. It's just one of those things I was kind of battling all year. I just knew it wasn't going to happen. ...
"Even though I wanted to really bad, I wanted to come back, even if I didn't really play a lot, just be with the team, be in uniform and maybe get some at-bats here and there, it just wasn't going to happen."
If this is it, Chavez appreciates that those around him have noticed how hard he plays. For the last few years, he's done it through pain.
Chavez won six straight Gold Gloves at third base from 2001-06. He is a career .267 hitter with 230 home runs and 787 RBIs in 1,320 games.
"People come up to me and say, 'I'm a Yankee fan, I'm a Red Sox fan, I'm a so-and-so fan, but I love the way you play the game,'" Chavez said. "That's been one of the coolest things for me to hear. Oakland's been a big part of who I am and what I've become the last 12 years. So it's important for me to close out that chapter."
-- Janie McCauley
A-Rod confirms that he and agent Boras have split
NEW YORK (AP) — Alex Rodriguez and longtime agent Scott Boras have split.
"I'm not going to get into the details, but I will tell you that Scott and I had a good run," the New York Yankees slugger said Friday. "Nothing drastic happened, it's just at this point in my career my goal is to finish as a New York Yankee and be a world champion again. And some of the things I needed 20 years ago I really don't need now."
It's unlikely that Rodriguez will have to negotiate another contract during his playing career. The third baseman is in the third season of a record $275 million, 10-year deal that carries through the 2017 season, when he will turn 42.
Rodriguez has said he negotiated that contract without Boras' help. The three-time MVP opted out of his previous deal after the 2007 season but criticized Boras for the timing of that announcement, which came during Game 4 of the World Series between Boston and Colorado.
The players' association said its database still had Boras listed as Rodriguez's agent, but that could just be a matter of paperwork.
Boras negotiated the $252 million, 10-year contract Rodriguez signed with the Texas Rangers before the 2001 season. A-Rod, now seventh on baseball's career list with 604 home runs, was traded to the Yankees in February 2004.
Last year, he admitted using steroids from 2001-03 with Texas.
Currently sidelined with a strained left calf, Rodriguez is eligible to come off the disabled list Sunday. He took batting practice and grounders on the field Friday before the Yankees played Toronto. He also ran the bases and said he felt no pain.
"Today was a good day," Rodriguez said. "That was a good test. Tomorrow's another one."
New York manager Joe Girardi said the plan is still for his cleanup hitter to return to the lineup Sunday, but Rodriguez put the timetable at Sunday to Tuesday.
"I'm going to wait and see," he said. "I don't want to over-promise."
To get more work in, Rodriguez said he'll face injured pitcher Andy Pettitte in simulated at-bats Saturday. Pettitte has been out since July 19 with a strained left groin and is trying to get back in the rotation.
Rodriguez said he'll wear cleats and push himself harder on Saturday. He plans to run the bases again, going first to third and scoring from second.
"Just want to make sure we cover everything before we get back out there," he said. "But today felt pretty good."
Rodriguez is hitting .265 with 21 homers and 97 RBIs for the AL East leaders, who finish their three-game series with Toronto on Sunday.
"Tell him to take another day. Don't rush yourself back," Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston said with a chuckle.
In other news, Yankees right fielder Nick Swisher was not in the starting lineup because of a stiff left knee that knocked him out of Thursday's game against Oakland after one inning. Austin Kearns started in right.
Derek Jeter was rested, with Eduardo Nunez starting in his place at shortstop.
-- Mike Fitzpatrick
Baker likely to miss a few starts with elbow
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota Twins right-hander Scott Baker will probably miss two starts because of tendinitis in his pitching elbow, manager Ron Gardenhire said.
Baker lasted just two innings in his start on Thursday night. He had a cortisone shot after leaving the game and said on Friday that his elbow already is feeling a little better.
Baker had a cortisone shot in early July to combat the same problem. But he said he started feeling discomfort again in the elbow in the first inning against Detroit and had to leave after having problems locating his pitches in the second inning.
"I can deal with the discomfort," Baker said. "But when it started to affect my pitches, I wasn't able to finish them and able to get the ball down. Once that was the case, I wasn't doing my team any good and I wasn't doing myself any good."
After having to use starters Brian Duensing and Nick Blackburn in a 13-inning loss to the Tigers on Thursday night, the Twins had to scramble to reshuffle their rotation. They recalled Matt Fox from Triple-A to make his first career start on Friday night against Texas.
Carl Pavano will start Saturday and Blackburn on Sunday. Kevin Slowey will be reinstated from the disabled list in time to start Monday with Duensing getting backed up to Wednesday.
The Twins also recalled right-handers Rob Delaney and Alex Burnett from Triple-A to help an overworked and banged-up bullpen. Gardenhire said Matt Guerrier and Jesse Crain were unavailable for the series opener against Texas because of overuse and setup man Brian Fuentes, whose back locked up on him on Tuesday, said he was not available, either.
Outfielder Jason Kubel, who has been out for three days after being hit on the left wrist by a pitch on Tuesday, had an MRI and X-ray and said neither test revealed significant damage. Kubel planned to take part in batting practice on Saturday and hoped to be ready to play on Sunday.
"I was really worried about that and our worse fear is if something is broken in there and we miss him too," Gardenhire said. "So to hear he's doing fine, he came out and told me he's taking swings and is going to take some more during the game and may be available to pinch hit tomorrow."
The Twins did have some good news with the return of Orlando Hudson and Jim Thome. Hudson missed the previous two games with an ankle injury and Thome has not started this week because of a stiff back.
-- Jon Krawczynski
Royals get Bannister, Hochevar back from DL
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Brian Bannister and Luke Hochevar were reinstated from the disabled list Friday and will go back into the Kansas City Royals rotation, while catcher Jason Kendall had surgery to repair extensive damage to his right rotator cuff.
Bannister will start Wednesday against the Minnesota Twins, after missing 23 games with right rotator cuff tendinitis. Hochevar will follow him to the mound that day, both on a limited pitch count, after missing 71 games with a right elbow sprain.
Hochevar completed his minor league rehab assignment Thursday with Triple-A Omaha, throwing 42 pitches in three innings against Round Rock and allowing only one run on two hits.
Right-hander Bryan Bullington will go from the starting rotation to the bullpen for Kansas City, after losing his past three starts. Bullington is 1-4 with a 6.11 ERA in 10 games.
The 36-year-old Kendall had surgery Friday in Los Angeles to repair a torn right rotator cuff. He was the Royals' starting catcher in 118 of the first 132 games, hitting .256 with only 18 extra-base hits, all doubles.
Dr. Neal Elallatrache performed the procedure.
"It's month-to-month now. It's not day to day," Royals manager Ned Yost said Friday. "We're looking at somewhere between eight to 12 months. It is something he is going to have be careful with. He's a tough guy, but this is something you can't rush.
"It was a long surgery for rotator cuff surgery, 2 hours and 45 minutes. They had to repair three of the four muscles, two of them were completely torn off the bone and the other was torn to the point where they had to repair it."
Kendall is only the third player in the major leagues since World War II to have at least 450 plate-appearances in a season with no triples or home runs. He caught his 2,000th game no July 26, becoming the fifth player in big league history to reach that milestone.
"He doesn't have a lot of patience in terms of this, but this is serious," Yost said. "He doesn't have enough tissue left in there to anchor it down again. He's got to do this right. If he does it right, he can comeback and reach his goal of catching another five or six years.
"He's got to be extremely patient and extremely smart about his situation. Hopefully, we don't have to employ a straitjacket, but it's going to be a constant daily reminder."
Brayan Pena will split catching duties with September call up Lucas May, who had never appeared in a big league game entering Friday night. Pena had caught only 70 games before this season in the majors, but he's been the regular backstop since Kendall went down.
Red Sox 2B Dustin Pedroia has surgery on foot
BOSTON (AP) — Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia has undergone season-ending surgery for a broken bone in his left foot.
A screw was inserted into the foot in Friday's operation. The 2008 AL MVP finished the season with 12 homers, 41 RBIs and a .288 batting average.
Pedroia fouled a ball off his foot on June 25. He was sidelined until Aug. 17 and played in just two games before pain in his foot sent him back to the disabled list.
Pedroia said before Thursday's game in Baltimore, where Boston wrapped up a three-game series, that the operation would help the foot heal.
The injury limited him to 75 games this season after he averaged 150 the past three seasons.
Twins' Valencia leaves game with hamstring injury
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota Twins third baseman Danny Valencia left the game against Texas in the seventh inning on Friday night with a tight right hamstring.
Valencia singled with one out in the seventh. He broke for second on a foul ball off the bat of Jason Repko and came up lame. Twins trainers came out to check on him, and he left the game.
The team said he was pulled for precautionary reasons and is listed as day to day.
The rookie had two more singles to raise his batting average to .343.
Matt Tolbert was inserted as a pinch runner to replace Valencia.
Tigers C Laird scratched from lineup
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Detroit catcher Gerald Laird was scratched from the Tigers' lineup against Kansas City on Friday night with tightness in his lower back.
Laird, hitting .306 over his past 17 games, hit the game-winning home run in the 13th inning in the Tigers' 10-9 victory at Minnesota on Thursday.
Alex Avila, who was in the lineup as the designated hitter, replaced Laird behind the plate. Johnny Damon was the DH.
National League
Hampton gets call-up from D-backs
PHOENIX (AP) — After Tommy John surgery, another operation to repair a torn tendon and, most recently, a procedure to fix his damaged left shoulder, Mike Hampton is beginning to feel like an overhauled Chevy.
"I'm as close to a bionic man as you're going to get out there," he said Friday.
One thing that hasn't stopped working: his drive.
So when the left-hander was faced with surgery to repair a torn labrum and rotator cuff last September, there was never a doubt. Even at 37, after 15 years in the majors and three major operations, Hampton still felt like he had something left, like he could help a big-league team.
The Arizona Diamondbacks did, too, and gave the two-time All-Star his return ticket to the majors on Friday, purchasing his contract after a two-week stint at Triple-A Reno. Arizona also recalled left-hander Zach Kroenke, who was 7-3 with a 3.51 ERA in 40 games, including nine starts, at Reno.
"I'm not ready to give it up, not ready to quit — it's never been an option," said Hampton, who lives in Scottsdale. "I guess when the drive and the hunger and the competitive edge, when that's over, I don't feel that anymore then it's time to walk away. Right now, I still feel pretty strong."
When healthy, Hampton has been an effective starting pitcher, going 148-115 with a 4.07 ERA with five teams, including twice with Houston, Arizona's opponent this weekend.
The problem has been staying healthy.
An All-Star with Houston in 1999 and again with Colorado two years later, Hampton has made just 46 starts over the past six seasons and didn't pitch at all in 2006 and 2007 because of the elbow surgeries. He pitched 13 games for Atlanta after opening the season on the DL with a strained pectoral muscle in 2008 and made 21 starts for the Astros last season before having shoulder surgery.
A starter for most of his career, Hampton returns to the majors as a reliever, a move he and the Diamondbacks hope will take some of the strain off his scar-covered left arm.
Hampton signed with Arizona on Aug. 21 and was effective in four appearances in Reno, going 1-0 with a 2.70 ERA. Interim Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson said he doesn't yet know how he'll use Hampton, but likes the idea of having a gritty veteran in the bullpen.
"He's made all the money in the world, so he's not motivated by that," Gibson said. "He likes to compete, he's a fierce competitor. He really wants to come back."
-- John Marshall
Strasburg has Tommy John surgery in California
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Nationals rookie phenom Stephen Strasburg had reconstructive elbow surgery Friday that could keep him out of the starting rotation until the 2012 season.
Lewis Yocum performed the procedure in Inglewood, Calif., in which a piece of ligament was taken from the 22-year-old right-hander's left leg and transplanted into his pitching elbow.
The Nationals said that Strasburg will be released from the hospital Saturday and begin rehab on Monday at the Scripps Clinic in La Jolla, Calif., near his home in San Diego.
"Everything went very smoothly and the reports were very good," Washington general manager Mike Rizzo said Friday night, before a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
"He'll start his rehab in a couple of days and we're very confident he will come back strong from this surgery," Rizzo added. "I really feel this is just a blip in what is going to be an outstanding career for Stephen."
Strasburg made his much anticipated major league debut on June 8 against Pittsburgh at Washington, when he struck out 14 batters in seven innings. He finished with a 5-3 record and 2.91 ERA in 12 starts, striking out 92 in 68 innings.
Strasburg was the first overall pick in the 2009 amateur draft from San Diego State. He signed for a draft-record $15.1 million.
In other news, the Nationals activated right-hander Garrett Mock from the 60-day disabled list Friday and optioned him to Triple-A Syracuse, and transferred left-fielder Josh Willingham from the 15-day to the 60-day DL.
Mock made just one start for the Nationals this season before going on the disabled list April 11 because of a ruptured right cervical disc that required surgery. He has made five rehabilitation starts in Washington's farm system with a 5.40 ERA.
Willingham, who is recovering knee surgery, has been out since Aug. 16 and will not return this season. He hit .268 with 16 home runs and 56 RBIs in 114 games.
Cueto leaves Reds to attend to family emergency
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Cincinnati Reds pitcher Johnny Cueto missed the team's first series against the St. Louis Cardinals since he played a principal role in their fracas last month, attending to what the team called a family emergency in the Dominican Republic.
Manager Dusty Baker thought Cueto, who last pitched on Wednesday, would be back in time for his next turn in the rotation Tuesday at Colorado. He said Cueto would run and throw while away during what the manager termed a "pretty serious emergency."
Cueto, second on the team in wins with a 12-4 record and 3.41 ERA, was suspended seven games for his actions during a brawl with the Cardinals in Cincinnati last month. Cueto kicked Jason LaRue and Chris Carpenter, and LaRue sustained a concussion and subsequently was placed on the 60-day disabled list.
Major League Baseball assigned the umpires who worked that game to the three-game series in St. Louis starting Friday night with Jeff Kellogg at home plate, Larry Vanover at first, Jeff Nelson at second and Mike Carlson at third.
Baker said his team had not been warned, and added the Reds weren't warned the day after the fight, either.
"If they were going to warn, you'd have thought they were going to warn that day," Baker said. "We're just here to play ball."
Baker expected Brandon Phillips, whose disagreement with Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina precipitated the fight, would get booed.
"Probably none of us will get a very good reception," the manager said. "But that's what happens when we had what we had, and we're on the road in their town for the first time. So you expect it."
Phillips made his first start since getting hit by a pitch Aug. 25. He didn't want to talk about playing the Cardinals.
"I think I'll just pass," Phillips told the Associated Press. "There's no high road and no low road. I'm just reading my magazine."
The Reds trailed the Cardinals by a game after getting swept in a three-game series Aug. 9-11, but entered Friday eight games up in the NL Central. The Cardinals were 5-13 since then and had dropped eight of nine.
"There's guys in this clubhouse that I don't think you can say are underachieving," Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said. "A lot of the same guys that have given us some of our best moments and put us in a winning position are the same guys — pitchers and hitters.
"Unless you think they've given up, other than acknowledging that you're struggling and getting beat, beating them up would make things worse."
The Reds activated shortstop Orlando Cabrera from the 15-day disabled list. Cabrera was not in the lineup but Baker said he would play Saturday.
Baker said Jay Bruce, who missed his third straight start with pain in his right side, could also play Saturday.
-- R.B. Fallstrom
Cubs' Gorzelanny to miss start
CHICAGO (AP) — Cubs pitcher Tom Gorzelanny will miss a start because of a bruised left hand.
Interim manager Mike Quade says it's "not out of the question" that he'll miss more time, after Pittsburgh's Jose Tabata lined a shot off the pitcher's hand on Wednesday.
Gorzelanny was scheduled to pitch Tuesday, but the rehabbing Carlos Silva or Casey Coleman will likely take his place. Silva has been sidelined since Aug. 1 because of a heart problem that required surgery.
Catcher Geovany Soto was back in the lineup against the New York Mets on Friday after being sidelined for three games with swelling in his right knee.
The Cubs also recalled catcher Welington Castillo from Triple-A Iowa.
It's the second stint in the majors this season for Castillo, who was with the team from Aug. 10-22. He appeared in two games and went 1 for 6 with a double, his first career hit.
Cubs' Hendry, Sanberg meet for lunch
CHICAGO (AP) — Cubs general manager Jim Hendry says he had lunch with Ryne Sandberg but did not formally interview the Hall of Famer for the manager's job.
They dined together this week in Albuquerque, where the Triple-A Iowa affiliate was playing. Sandberg, the legendary Cubs second baseman, manages the club and is a candidate to take over in Chicago after the season.
Hendry says the Cubs are "not in any rush to complete the interview processes."
Lou Piniella announced in July that he planned to retire at the end of the season. But Piniella wound up stepping down on Aug. 22 because his mother was seriously ill.
Mike Quade took over on an interim basis after serving as the third base coach. He is also a candidate.
Mets' Santana still day to day
CHICAGO (AP) — New York Mets ace Johan Santana remains day to day with a strained left pectoral muscle.
Manager Jerry Manuel said the injury is "nothing they think is serious" but is not sure if Santana will miss a start. He's scheduled to pitch Tuesday against Washington.
Santana left following the fifth inning of Thursday's 4-2 win over Atlanta. Manuel says Santana will probably throw some long toss on Saturday and possibly a bullpen session.
Santana had little to say before Friday's game against the Chicago Cubs, telling reporters "I'm good, guys" as he walked into the trainer's room. He also declined comment after the Mets' 7-6 loss.
Angel Pagan has been limited lately by tendinitis in his forearm, and shortstop Jose Reyes has been sidelined since Aug. 26 because of a strained right oblique. Manuel says the Mets haven't discussed shutting him down "at this point."
Nationals activate RHP Mock, send him to Triple-A
PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Washington Nationals activated right-hander Garrett Mock from the 60-day disabled list on Friday and optioned him to Triple-A Syracuse.
The Nationals also transferred left fielder Josh Willingham from the 15-day DL to the 60-day DL.
Mock made just one start for the Nationals this season before going on the disabled list on April 11 because of a ruptured right cervical disc that required surgery. He has made five rehab starts, going 0-0 with a 5.40 ERA.
Willingham, who is recovering knee surgery, has been out since Aug. 16 and will not return this season. He hit .268 with 16 home runs and 56 RBIs in 114 games.
Rockies reinstate RHP Cook from 15-day DL
DENVER (AP) — The Colorado Rockies have activated right-hander Aaron Cook from the 15-day disabled list and will start the sinkerball specialist Friday night in San Diego.
Cook has been sidelined for a month with a right toe injury. He enters the game on a three-game skid, allowing five runs in each of those starts. Cook is 4-8 this season with a 5.34 ERA.
The 31-year-old Cook is the franchise's all-time leader in wins (67), innings pitched (1,204) and games started (187).
Padres recall RH reliever Adam Russell
SAN DIEGO (AP) — The San Diego Padres have recalled right-hander Adam Russell from Triple-A Portland.
In three previous stints with the Padres this season, Russell posted a 3.72 ERA in six relief appearances. He made 50 appearances for the Beavers this year, going 4-9 with a 4.88 ERA.
Russell has gone 7-1 with a 4.50 ERA in 43 relief appearances during parts of three big league seasons with the White Sox and Padres.
Elsewhere
N.M. high court permits ballpark injury lawsuit
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The New Mexico Supreme Court is allowing a family to sue because their son was hit in the head by a ball during batting practice before an Albuquerque Isotopes game.
The court on Friday outlined a new legal standard in New Mexico for determining the liability of owners and operators of a commercial baseball stadium for spectator injuries. The justices said stadium operators must exercise "ordinary care" not to increase the inherent risk to spectators of being hit by a baseball.
The Triple-A Isotopes and the city of Albuquerque sought to have the lawsuit dismissed.
Four-year-old Emilio Crespin was at a picnic table beyond the left field wall on July 21, 2003, when Dave Matranga of the New Orleans Zephyrs hit a ball that fractured the boy's skull.
