American League team-by-team notebook -- Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Baltimore: RHP Tommy Hunter has made consecutive quality starts (six or more innings, three or fewer earned runs) since returning from his latest minor league demotion. He is 1-1 with a 2.51 ERA in two starts this month after going 3-4 with a 6.11 ERA in his first 15 games (13 starts). ... Class AAA Norfolk (Va.) RHP Joel Pineiro, 33, was due to undergo season-ending surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff. In five starts in the Baltimore farm system this year, Pineiro went 1-0 with a 2.96 ERA.
Boston: Manager Bobby Valentine decided that Jon Lester wouldn't benefit from additional time to correct his problems, so the left-hander will start Saturday at Yankee Stadium. Lester is 0-3 with a 15.32 ERA in his past three starts. ... RHP Daisuke Matsuzaka will throw his first bullpen session Wednesday since going on the disabled list July 3 with a strained muscle near his right shoulder. Also, RH reliever Andrew Bailey (right thumb surgery in April) will throw batting practice. If everything goes well, both may be able to begin a rehab assignments within the next few weeks.
Chicago: LHP John Danks (shoulder strain) threw a bullpen session, and he'll be re-examined Wednesday. "Hopefully we can get him on the mound for a few side days heading into August and give him a little bit of a spring-training-type regimen and get him back sometime at the end of August," GM Ken Williams said. ... C A.J. Pierzynski sat out the start due to a slight right side muscle strain. He is listed as day-to-day.
Cleveland: IF/OF Brent Lillibridge was acquired from Boston in exchange for minor league RHP Jose De La Torre. Lillibridge had hit a combined .165 (13-for-79) with two RBI for the Red Sox and White Sox this season. The Indians cleared a spot for Lillibridge on the 40-man roster by moving 3B Lonnie Chisenhall (broken right forearm) from the 15-day disabled list to the 60-day DL. ... RHP Roberto Hernandez, returning from a suspension for identity fraud, will make his first minor league start Thursday for low-A Lake County (Eastlake, Ohio). He is scheduled to throw four or five innings, a maximum of 75 pitches.
Detroit: IF Danny Worth was optioned to Class AAA Toledo (Ohio) for the fourth time this season, clearing a roster spot for newly acquired 2B Omar Infante. Worth, 26, batted .215 with three RBI in 35 games. ... RHP Al Alburquerque has been sent to high-A Lakeland (Fla.) to begin a rehab assignment. Alburquerque, who threw two innings of live batting practice Saturday, has been recovering all season from right elbow surgery.
Kansas City: Royals pitchers had issued an AL-high 344 walks entering play Tuesday. In losses Sunday and Monday, four batters walked by Kansas City pitchers scored. "The walks are kind of hurting us right now in crucial situations," manager Ned Yost said. "We've got to find ways to eliminate that." ... LHP Bruce Chen is winless in his past five starts, going 0-2 with a 9.25 ERA. He allowed three runs on five hits in 5 1/3 innings during a no-decision Monday in the Royals' 6-3 loss at Anaheim.
Los Angeles: IF Jean Segura made his major league debut, starting for SS Erick Aybar, who remained sidelined since fouling a ball off his right foot Saturday. X-rays showed a "line" on Aybar's big toe, and the Angels were awaiting a definitive analysis from medical director Lewis Yocum. ... RHP Barry Enright was acquired from the Diamondbacks for a player to be named or cash considerations. Enright made a total of 24 starts for Arizona in 2010 and 2011, going 7-11 with a 4.87 ERA. He was 8-6 with a 5.87 ERA in 21 starts for Class AAA Reno this season. The Angels optioned him to Class AAA Salt Lake (Salt Lake City).
Minnesota: 1B/DH Justin Morneau was activated after spending three days on paternity leave. 1B Chris Parmelee, who went 2-for-5 in his latest major league stint, was optioned to Class AAA Rochester (N.Y.). In 40 games for Minnesota overall this year, Parmelee has hit .204 with two homers and six RBI. ... C Joe Mauer, who played just 82 games last year, has started 86 of the Twins' 97 games this season, including 25 starts at DH and 19 at first base. "Definitely, going over to first and DH'ing has helped me get out there more," he told the St. Paul (Minn.) Pioneer Press.
New York: RH reliever Joba Chamberlain should rejoin the Yankees by the first week of August, GM Brian Cashman told ESPNNewYork.com. Chamberlain had Tommy John surgery in June 2011, and he severely injured his right ankle in March. He had allowed one earned run in six innings on a minor league rehab assignment through Monday. .. After pitching seven innings of one-run ball Monday to beat Seattle, RHP Hiroki Kuroda improved to 4-0 with a 2.85 ERA in his past six starts. He has struck out 41 and walked six over 41 innings in that span. Over his past 11 starts, Kuroda is 7-1 with a 2.49 ERA.
Oakland: 2B Jemile Weeks, who had batted first or second all season despite having a .216 average and a .301 on-base percentage through Monday, was dropped to ninth in the order for the series opener at Toronto. In his previous six games, he was 2-for-22 with no extra-base hits and one RBI. ... RH reliever Joey Devine is scheduled to start a throwing program next month, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. Devine underwent Tommy John surgery in April, the second reconstructive elbow procedure of his career.
Seattle: 1B Justin Smoak, who was in a 3-for-39 slump that had lowered his average to .189, was sent down to Class AAA Tacoma (Wash.) after Monday's game. "I need to go down and get back to where I was a couple of months ago," Smoak said. 1B Mike Carp, who had been out since June 11 due to right shoulder inflammation, was activated from the disabled list. ... OF Trayvon Robinson was called up from Tacoma to replace OF Ichiro Suzuki on the roster. Robinson, 24, had hit .265 with a .331 on-base percentage, nine homers and 19 steals in 83 Class AAA games. He batted .210 in 44 games for Seattle last year.
Tampa Bay: LF Sam Fuld, who had been out all season after spring surgery on his right wrist, was activated from the 60-day disabled list and got the start. He filled the roster vacancy created when RH reliever Brandon Gomes was optioned to Class AAA Durham (N.C.) on Monday. 3B Evan Longoria (hamstring) moved from the 15-day DL to the 60-day DL to clear a place for Fuld on the 40-man roster. ... Manager Joe Maddon on DH/OF Hideki Matsui: "I know he's been struggling, but at any moment it could possibly pop up and bite you in a good way."
Texas: RHP Roy Oswalt received an anti-inflammation injection in his lower back Monday, the day he missed his scheduled start against the Red Sox, and he reported significant improvement the next day. He expects to start Sunday against the White Sox. ... RH reliever Mark Lowe (right ribcage muscle strain) threw his second bullpen session in three days. He might be ready to begin a rehab assignment Sunday or Monday.
Toronto: RH reliever Sergio Santos had shoulder surgery Tuesday, and the club will announce the results Wednesday. Santos has been out since April 21 with what was described as shoulder inflammation. After he experienced discomfort during his throwing program as he tried to come back, it was announced July 15 that he would need surgery for a suspected labrum injury. ... RHP Brandon Morrow, out since mid-June due to a strained left side muscle, will throw batting practice Wednesday. If that goes well, he will begin a rehab assignment Sunday with high-A Dunedin (Fla.).
