Baseball Capsules: Mets give vote of confidence to Manuel, Minaya
Comments 0WASHINGTON — New York Mets manager Jerry Manuel's job is safe.
Mets general manager Omar Minaya gave the vote of confidence during the fourth inning of New York's game against the Washington Nationals on Monday night. Minaya said that he recently spoke with Mets chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon, and Wilpon was supportive.
"I want you to be our general manager, and I want Jerry to be our manager," Minaya said he was told by Wilpon.
Minaya, who's in his fifth season as the Mets' GM, said the conversation occurred "a couple of weeks ago."
Minaya said he told Wilpon: "Jeff, thank you for that vote. I don't think about those things, and Jerry (doesn't) either."
Minaya said he understood there would be talk about firings since the injury-ravaged Mets entered Monday five games under .500 (43-48) and nine games back of Philadelphia in the NL East.
The team with the second-highest payroll in the majors was expected to compete for a division title in the first year of their new ballpark.
"When you lose, people are going to come up with those things," Minaya said.
After the Mets defeated Washington 6-2, Manuel said that he enjoyed receiving the news from Wilpon.
"There was a conversation that did take place that was encouraging," Manuel said.
Manuel said Wilpon urged the team not to give up on the season.
The manager said he was told, "We're in this to the end."
Manuel became manager on June 18, 2008, replacing Willie Randolph. After last season, his contract was extended through 2010.
Manuel said he didn't change his lifestyle after talking with Wilpon.
"You don't go buy a new house," Manuel joked.
Mets put Nieve on DL; recall Cory Sullivan
WASHINGTON — The injury-plagued New York Mets placed right-hander Fernando Nieve on the 15-day disabled list with a torn muscle in his right thigh. He is expected to be out at least six weeks.
Outfielder Cory Sullivan was recalled from Triple-A Buffalo to take Nieve's spot.
Nieve injured the thigh trying to beat out a grounder in the second inning against Atlanta on Sunday night. Nieve, who is 3-3 with a 2.95 ERA, is the ninth Mets player on the DL. They have six players on the 15-day and three on the 60-day DL.
The 29-year-old Sullivan is batting .290 with two home runs and 24 RBIs with the Bisons. Sullivan played the last four seasons with Colorado, and has a .279 average.
Sullivan's stay with the Mets could be a short one. New York needs a starting pitcher to take Nieve's place on Saturday, and indications are that Jonathon Niese will be recalled from Buffalo.
Niese has not allowed more than two earned runs in any of his last eight starts at Triple-A Buffalo. He pitched seven innings of two-hit, shutout ball Saturday night against Toledo.
Pedro getting closer to return to majors
CLEARWATER, Fla. — Pedro Martinez is moving closer to getting back on the mound.
The Philadelphia Phillies' new right-hander took the first step Monday toward making a rehab start as he prepares for a return to the major leagues.
"I'm ready, I'm ready," the three-time Cy Young Award winner said after throwing long toss. "I did it (throwing) in the Dominican, now I am ready to do it here."
The 37-year-old Martinez, who last week signed a one-year, $1 million contract with the Phillies, is on the 15-day disabled list because of a shoulder strain. Philadelphia is mapping out a plan to get him back in the big leagues.
"Now I am going to get into a regular routine," said Martinez, who last pitched in the World Baseball Classic for the Dominican Republic. "Throw a simulated game, a side session and from there do any work to get into a game."
Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. was in Clearwater to watch Martinez's throwing session.
"We'll try and get him up on the mound (Tuesday) and see how he feels, then progress accordingly," Amaro said.
Martinez was medically cleared to pitch in a simulated game on Tuesday.
Class A Clearwater is on the road until Sunday, when the team will face the St. Lucie Mets. That could be the stage for Martinez's first rehab start.
"We haven't made any final decisions as when he is pitching yet," Amaro said. "He's kind of day to day, and when we decide he is going to get up on the mound and ready to throw a rehab we will be sure to let people know."
Amaro declined to discuss the Phillies' interest in acquiring Toronto ace Roy Halladay, who could be available before baseball's July 31 trade deadline.
"We don't talk about other teams," Amaro said. "I know we are trying to improve our club. If we can do it in the rotation or the bullpen that is probably our biggest priority."
Reds C Hernandez on DL with knee injury
CINCINNATI — The Reds placed catcher Ramon Hernandez on the 15-day disabled list Monday to treat a knee injury.
Hernandez will have surgery to clean out his left knee on Tuesday. He's expected to be sidelined for up to six weeks. Hernandez, who has been bothered by the knee for about two months, is batting .249 with five homers and 36 RBIs.
The Reds called up catcher Craig Tatum from Triple-A Louisville, where he batted .239 with three homers and 21 RBIs.
The Reds also swapped relievers, optioning right-hander Robert Manuel (0.00 ERA in three appearances) to Louisville and calling up right-hander Jared Burton for his third stint with the Reds. Burton had no record in 29 appearances with a 4.81 ERA.
Also, reliever Mike Lincoln had successful surgery to replace a bulging disc in his neck.
The right-hander underwent a two-hour operation Monday in St. Louis, where an orthopedic spine specialist fixed the problem. Lincoln is expected to make a full recovery and could resume throwing in September.
The 34-year-old didn't play professionally from 2005-07 after he got his right elbow rebuilt. He revived his career by signing with the Reds last year, then going 2-5 with a 4.48 ERA in 64 appearances.
He was 1-1 with an 8.22 ERA in 19 games when he went on the disabled list June 17 because of the neck.
Arizona recalls INF Roberts from Triple-A Reno
DENVER — The Arizona Diamondbacks recalled infielder Ryan Roberts from Triple-A Reno to fill the roster spot vacated by Felipe Lopez, who was traded to Milwaukee on Sunday.
Roberts was in the Diamondbacks' lineup Monday night, batting second and playing second base against the Rockies. Arizona manager A.J. Hinch said he will play a lot at second.
Roberts began the season with Arizona and batted .257 with seven doubles and five RBIs in 53 games. He was optioned to Reno on July 4 and hit .310 in 10 games for the Aces.
Lopez was traded to the Brewers for minor league outfielder Cole Gillespie and right-hander Roque Mercedes. Gillespie was assigned to Reno and Mercedes was sent to Double-A Mobile.
American League
Steinbrenner: Yankees can win title
NEW YORK — Hal Steinbrenner was direct and to the point, much as his famous father always was.
"I think we've got a championship-caliber team," he said. "I absolutely believe that we have the team that can win the championship."
Making his first extensive public comments about the New York Yankees since opening day, the new controlling owner praised his players, manager Joe Girardi and general manager Brian Cashman. And, already, he's looking ahead to Aug. 6-9, when the Boston Red Sox come to Yankee Stadium.
"That four-game series is going to be a big one," he said. "But the guys believe they can beat anybody, and that has not changed, and that's an important thing."
Boston, tied with New York for the AL East lead, is 8-0 against the Yankees this year, the best Red Sox start to a season against their rival since winning the first 14 meetings against the Highlanders in 1912.
Steinbrenner met with Girardi before Monday night's game against Baltimore. Especially after failing to make the playoffs last year in the first season of a three-year contract, Girardi understands what is required.
"I know the expectations. I knew it when I took the job in year one," he said. "I knew it coming into this year, and, you know, for however long I manage. Expectations are going to be on the next guy too. It's never going to change."
Steinbrenner wouldn't say what would happen if the Yankees don't make it to the postseason yet again following their run of 13 consecutive playoff appearances. He also left little to the imagination.
"We expect to win every year. We've said that. We always say that," he said. "Our job is to field a championship-caliber team every year, and that's what we strive to do. So, Joe knows who he's working for."
Steinbrenner sounded pleased with his team's offseason moves, saying the newcomers were "a breath of fresh of air." The Yankees signed free-agent pitchers CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett and first baseman Mark Teixeira, and acquired right fielder Nick Swisher in a trade.
Swisher, especially, has changed the clubhouse demeanor with his propensity to play loud music.
"I'm seeing some looseness this year in the players, I'm seeing some, you know, some emotion, and that's a great thing," Steinbrenner said. "We've managed to limit the injuries — we're doing a little bit better than last year in that area. And I just think there's a lot of motivation. I think these guys are pumped, and I think they're showing it. We're firing on all cylinders at times and struggling a little bit at other times in certain areas. But overall, pretty happy."
With the Blue Jays offering to trade Roy Halladay, the Yankees are interested. But they're skeptical that Toronto would deal the 2003 AL Cy Young Award winner to a division rival.
"If we need something, there's only certain ways sometimes you're going to be able to get it," Steinbrenner said, speaking generally. "And everybody trades away young talent at some point for a trade that they deem, you know, absolutely necessary, but I don't like doing it. But, again, we look at all possibilities and we look at all alternatives."
NOTES: Steinbrenner isn't dwelling on all the home runs at new Yankee Stadium. A major league-leading 152 have been hit in 46 games, eight shy of last year's total for the full season at original Yankee Stadium. "I want a full year of data," he said. "Right now it's not a big enough sample size for me to even address that."
-- Ronald Blum
Wang has setback, feels pain when playing catch
NEW YORK — Chien-Ming Wang had a setback in his recovery from a strained right shoulder, making it unlikely he will return to the New York Yankees anytime soon.
Wang's biceps felt tender when he played catch before Monday night's game against Baltimore and won't attempt to throw again until Friday.
"It's not exactly the news that I wanted," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "It's not what you want to hear because we were hoping that two weeks' rest is enough for him to get on a throwing program."
The 29-year-old right-hander has not appeared in a game since July 4, when he left a start against Toronto after 5 1-3 innings.
"We're going to give him a few more days and some more strengthening before he goes back out," Girardi said. "I think anything you're dealing with cuff issues or shoulder tendinitis or whatever you want to describe it as, I mean, there's concern. And whatever he's able to do, we would love to have. But I think any time someone is injured and you're not sure when they're exactly going to be back, you can't really count on them in a sense."
Wang injured his right foot while running the bases at Houston on June 15 last year and missed the rest of the season. Hit hard at the start of this year, he didn't pitch for the Yankees from April 18 to May 22 because of what the team described as weakness in the adductor muscles in his hips
He is 1-6 with a 9.64 ERA, getting his first win of the year at the Mets on June 28. Alfredo Aceves made a spot start in his absence and Sergio Mitre is to take over as the No. 5 starter on Tuesday night against Baltimore.
"Sergio Mitre has a chance to step up and fill the void for us," Girardi said. "The key for him is his sinker. If his sinker is going, he's going to give us some distance."
New York doesn't want to shift Phil Hughes back to the rotation, saying it would take three to four weeks to get him back to 100 pitches. If another starter gets hurt after Damaso Marte returns, it likely would be Aceves moving from the bullpen.
Marte, on the disabled list since May 3 with weakness and tendinitis in his pitching shoulder, is to make an injury rehabilitation appearance Tuesday with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre following two-inning outings Thursday and Saturday for the Gulf Coast Yankees.
-- Ronald Blum
Angels, Royals postponed due to rain
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — With light rain falling, Los Angeles Angels manager Mike Scioscia decided to keep outfielder Juan Rivera and his balky hamstring out of the lineup.
Vladimir Guerrero and Torii Hunter are still out, so the last thing Scioscia wanted to do was lose his cleanup hitter for an extended period, too.
"What you're going to find, if you play the outfield on a soggy field, the running on the field will slow down," he said. "It's almost like you're running on a beach, where you have to work harder. That's something we probably would want to stay away from."
Turns out Rivera would have gotten the day off anyway.
Monday's game between the Angels and the Kansas City Royals was postponed due to rain and will be made up as part of a doubleheader on Tuesday.
Scioscia made the decision to keep Rivera, who strained his right hamstring Sunday against Oakland, out of the lineup as light rain fell about three hours before the game. The rain picked up to a steady downpour about an hour later and the game was called around 8:40 p.m. — more than 90 minutes after its scheduled start.
The Royals stuck with their original plan and will have right-hander Sidney Ponson, Monday's scheduled starter, pitch the first game, with left-hander Bruce Chen getting the nightcap.
Rookie Sean O'Sullivan was scheduled to start Monday's game for Los Angeles, but he gets the second game on Tuesday so right-hander Ervin Santana can keep with his regular routine.
The teams discussed making up the game in early September, when the Angels return to Kansas City, but decided against it — even with more storms forecast for Tuesday.
"I'm glad the games are scheduled tomorrow," Scioscia said. "Our August and September are already packed with two makeup dates with Oakland and New York from rainouts."
The Royals could probably use the break.
Kansas City entered Monday's game on a six-game losing streak and dropped a season-worst 17 games below .500 (37-54) after Sunday's 4-3 loss to Tampa Bay.
The Royals have struggled all season with hitting and have had problems with the rotation at times after a superb start. Now the bullpen is causing problems, too.
Closer Joakim Soria has been solid, earning saves in six straight games, 14 of 16 overall. The problem is the Royals can't get the ball to him.
The bullpen blew three straight leads in a weekend series against Tampa Bay, giving up the winning run in the eighth inning each time to complete the sweep. Kansas City's bullpen has allowed 19 earned runs over its last 18 innings after posting a 2.78 ERA the previous 18 games.
"We'll keep playing to the best of our ability until somebody comes to the forefront in the eighth inning," Royals manager Trey Hillman said.
The AL West-leading Angels are headed in the opposite direction.
Los Angeles has won six of seven and moved a season-high 14 games over .500 with Sunday's 11-6 win over Oakland. And they're doing it without Guerrero or Hunter.
Guerrero has been out since July 8 with a strained muscle behind his left knee and a lower hamstring strain. He has picked up his conditioning and played catch on Monday, though Scioscia said he will likely spend the rest of the season as the Angels' designated hitter when he returns.
Hunter, who went on the DL the same day as Guerrero with an adductor strain, is a bit further from his return. The centerfielder is still limited to riding a bike and walking, and spent a half hour walking around the warning track in Oakland before Sunday's game.
"After three weeks (on the DL), they will be evaluated when we get back to Southern California," Scioscia said. "There are still some hurdles at the end they have to get over, but they are feeling better."
-- John Marshall
Giambi goes on 15-day DL
OAKLAND, Calif. — Jason Giambi's legs have been bothering him for months. His extended slump has affected the slugger, too.
The Oakland Athletics placed their first baseman and designated hitter on the 15-day disabled list Monday with a strained right quadriceps muscle, a nagging injury that has been just part of the problem.
The A's said the injury wasn't considered career-threatening, but couldn't provide a timeline for when Giambi might be ready to return. The 38-year-old Giambi has been dealing with sore legs for much of the season, with his hamstrings also causing him trouble.
He won't make the next road trip, which begins in New York on Thursday with four games against his old team at new Yankee Stadium.
General manager Billy Beane said the A's needed a healthy body given the fact Giambi couldn't play as regularly.
"It got to a point it was difficult to consistently make a lineup with him," Beane said.
Manager Bob Geren said there wasn't one incident that he knew of in which Giambi was hurt, but the first baseman slid into the bag while on defense Sunday to make a play during Brett Anderson's bid at a perfect game. Giambi was removed from the team's 10-inning, 1-0 loss to the Los Angeles Angels in the top of the ninth and replaced by Bobby Crosby. Geren said Monday that move was intended to get fresh legs in the game.
"I'm not aware of a specific play," Geren said. "He's given me his all. ... It's just something we're going to try to get Jason healthy. It's something that's been coming on."
Geren acknowledged the mental break also could be good for Giambi, who made a brief stop at the ballpark Monday but wasn't around to talk to reporters.
"Sometimes that can be beneficial if you want to look at a positive," Geren said.
Giambi, in his first season back with his original team following seven years with the New York Yankees, began the day Monday with the lowest batting average in the majors among regulars at .193. He is 7 for 57 over his last 19 games, and has 11 homers and 40 RBIs in 83 games on the year.
That's a far cry from the player he was for the A's during his first stint with the club from 1995-2001. He won the AL MVP in 2000.
"Knowing Jason as long as I have, he expects a lot out of himself," Beane said. "He takes his performances to heart and takes them personally. He feels a responsibility not just to himself but to everybody around him. He's disappointed in the first half he had and feels like he's capable of more."
Geren said the club could use Giambi primarily as a designated hitter upon his return because "sometimes it's easier on a lot of people's bodies."
To replace Giambi, the A's recalled first baseman Daric Barton from Triple-A Sacramento and put him in the starting lineup for the opener of a three-game series against the Minnesota Twins. This is Barton's second stint with the A's after he batted .118 with one RBI in 12 games in June.
But Barton has provided plenty of signs he's coming around. He was hitting .321 with six homers and 16 RBIs with a .463 on-base percentage in 15 games for the River Cats since being sent down June 28. Beane acknowledged this could be a key evaluation period of Barton by the club.
"He started off very slowly in Sacramento," Beane said. "But since his first couple of weeks he's been playing great."
The A's have used the disabled list 13 times this season. They set an Oakland record in 2008 with 25 DL stints and have placed 60 players on the disabled list since the start of the 2007 season.
-- Janie McCauley
White Sox activate Quentin
CHICAGO — White Sox outfielder Carlos Quentin was activated from the disabled list on Monday after missing nearly two months because of plantar fasciitis in his left foot.
Quentin, who had 36 homers and 100 RBIs last season in his first year with Chicago, got off to a slow start and had not played since May 25. He was batting .229 with eight homers and 20 RBIs before Monday's game against Tampa Bay.
Chicago optioned outfielder Brian Anderson to Triple-A Charlotte to make room for the slugger.
"I feel confident that I'll be able to put forth my best effort, understanding that it's an injury that could be sore," said Quentin, who was batting sixth and starting in left field. "But it's nothing compared to what I experienced in the past. So I feel very confident."
Quentin's return gives the White Sox another big bat at the start of a stretch of 18 straight games against teams with winning records, with series against Detroit, Minnesota, the New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Angels following this four-game set with the Rays. That's assuming he approaches what he did a year ago, when he was a leading candidate for the AL MVP award before missing the final month with a fractured wrist.
"He makes the lineup stronger, makes the lineup better, makes the team different," manager Ozzie Guillen said. "There's no doubt about it. Hopefully, we don't have to deal with this anymore."
Guillen called sending down Anderson, who was batting .238 with two home runs and 13 RBIs, a "very tough move" and said he needs more playing time. The White Sox kept DeWayne Wise, who can back up in the outfield and pinch run.
"If people think we don't like Brian, yes we do," Guillen said. "Brian didn't produce the way we needed him to. We gave him four years in a row a shot to be the everyday center fielder, and he doesn't work. If Brian came out here and showed us he could do the job, he'd be our center fielder."
Guillen also said he liked what he saw from Freddy Garcia during Monday's bullpen session and that Bartolo Colon would start during Friday's doubleheader at Detroit if he's ready to return from left knee inflammation.
Garcia, who was signed by the White Sox on June 4, likely will throw another session this week before he starts rehabbing in the minors. He had surgery on his right shoulder in August 2007 and made only 14 starts the past two seasons with Philadelphia and Detroit. The New York Mets released him following two bad starts for Triple-A Buffalo in April.
-- Andrew Seligman
Hernandez recalled from minors by Orioles
NEW YORK — Right-hander David Herandez has been recalled from Double-A Bowie by the Baltimore Orioles.
The 24-year-old, slated to start against the Yankees on Monday night, was 2-2 with a 3.94 ERA in five starts and one relief appearance with the Orioles this season.
Baltimore likely will make another roster move Tuesday, when right-hander Cla Meredith is expected to arrive following Sunday's trade from San Diego that sent infielder Oscar Salazar to the Padres.
60 immigrants to take oath at Tigers-Mariners game
DETROIT — A federal judge will swear in 60 immigrants from 23 countries as U.S. citizens at Comerica Park before the start of a game between baseball's Detroit Tigers and Seattle Mariners.
District Judge Nancy Edmunds will preside over the ceremony. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services agency says Indian-born Yasmeen Suri will sing "The Star Spangled Banner" and "God Bless America." Suri became a U.S. citizen earlier.
The ceremony starts at 6:30 p.m., 35 minutes before the start of the American League game.
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