National League notebook
Arizona: RF Justin Upton was back in the lineup after missing a start Tuesday because of a jammed left thumb. Upton entered in a double-switch in the 11th inning of a 4-2, 11-inning victory Tuesday after being fitted with a protective pad that made it easier for him to swing a bat. ... RHP Trevor Cahill's first D-backs start was a bit unusual -- he walked six, five in the first two innings, but allowed only two hits over six innings and left with a 2-1 lead. Cahill got out of the first two innings unscathed with a double play in the first and a strikeout with the bases loaded in the second. "I didn't really know where it was going," said Cahill, obtained from Oakland over the winter.
Atlanta: RH closer Craig Kimbrel was in the rare position Tuesday of knowing he'd be coming into the game, regardless of the situation, unless RHP Tommy Hanson was going for a complete game. Kimbrel had yet to pitch this season and manager Fredi Gonzalez wanted him to get the work. As it turned out, Gonzalez used the back end of his bullpen exactly as it's supposed to be used, and Kimbrel got the save in the Braves' first win. ... 1B Freddie Freeman moved up to third in the batting order Tuesday as Gonzalez tried to spark the offense. Third is where 3B Chipper Jones traditionally bats, and he was making his season debut after coming off the disabled list (left knee surgery). But Jones hit sixth Tuesday as he worked his way back into an offensive groove. Freeman struck out three times in five at-bats.
Chicago: CF Marlon Byrd was 0-for-3, and manager Dale Sveum pinch-hit rookie backup C Steve Clevenger for Byrd in the ninth. Clevenger hit a double. "If Marlon is swinging the bat well, I probably don't make that move," Sveum said. "Save it for another day." ... RHP Ryan Dempster has turned in two quality starts but has nothing to show for it. He took the loss Wednesday, and his record is 0-1 with a 1.88 ERA. "He pitched great; he pitched awesome," Sveum said.
Cincinnati: Cramping in his left hamstring forced 2B Brandon Phillips to miss his second consecutive start since signing a six-year, $72.5 million contract extension before Tuesday's game. Manager Dusty Baker said he hopes Phillips will be back this weekend. ... SS Zack Cozart extended his season-opening hitting streak to six games with two singles on Wednesday. According to Elias Sports Bureau, that's the longest hitting streak by a Cincinnati rookie to open the season since Frankie Baumholtz hit in six straight to open the 1947 season.
Colorado: Last year, the Rockies got off to an 11-2 start, the best in the majors, and didn't lose three straight games until May 5-8, when they dropped four in a row. The Rockies were shut out for the first time last year 3-0 by Pittsburgh at Coors Field in game No. 24. This year, they've already lost three in a row and were shut out in the fourth game of the season. "It's disappointing for sure, but nobody is going to panic," SS Troy Tulowitzki said. "Last year, we got off to a great start, and look how it turned out (73-89)." ... The Rockies scored 10 runs in their first four games and were hitting .180 (24-for-133) with a .308 on-base percentage and a .225 slugging percentage. They were 3-for-20 (.150) with runners in scoring position.
Houston: CF Jordan Schafer, one of the four players the Astros acquired last July in return for CF Michael Bourn, went 3-for-5 and stole a career-high three bases Tuesday. It was the fifth career multiple-steal game for Schafer, who is batting .316. The last Astros player to steal three bases in a game was Bourn on May 15, 2010. ... SS Jed Lowrie (sprained right thumb) went 1-for-3 and drove in two runs Tuesday in his first rehab game with Class AAA Oklahoma City. Lowrie was scheduled to play one more game and then rejoin the Astros on Friday.
Los Angeles: LHP Clayton Kershaw started his third consecutive home opener Tuesday and allowed just one run in his seven innings, just five days removed from having the stomach flu. Kershaw was pulled after just 88 pitches, in part because of the after effects of his illness but also because his spot in the batting order came up and the Dodgers needed a run. "I don't think he's quite 100 percent," manager Don Mattingly said. ... RF Andre Ethier celebrated his 30th birthday Tuesday by getting his fifth extra-base hit in five games, the game-winning home run in the eighth inning. Ethier said he has made a conscious effort to relax more this season and that his teammates are to thank for that, especially Tony Gwynn Jr., Mark Ellis and Matt Kemp. "This is the best clubhouse I have been in in my seven years here," Ethier said.
Miami: Manager Ozzie Guillen met with the team for 10 minutes and apologized for the distraction he created with his controversial comments about Fidel Castro. "It's something he wanted to do," LF Logan Morrison said. "He shouldn't feel embarrassed around us. He shouldn't have to apologize to us for anything. It was mistake he has admitted to. He said he was sorry. That should be good enough and move on. He doesn't have to come in here and do what he did. I'm sure we all appreciated it." Bench coach Joey Cora will manage while Guillen serves a five-game suspension. ... LHP Mark Buerhle said he won't try to open any mayonnaise jars before his start today at Philadelphia. That's what he did before his Marlins debut last week, and he sliced the thumb on his pitching hand. "It was just a complete freak thing," he said.
Milwaukee: LF Ryan Braun did not start for the first time this season. Manager Ron Roenicke said Braun had some slight tightness in his chest but could have played if necessary. With Braun out of the lineup, OF Norichika Aoki got his first major league start. C Jonathan Lucroy was out of the lineup for the same reason as Braun, and RF Corey Hart was given a planned day off. ... OF Nyjer Morgan started in right field even though he came into the game 0-for-15 with eight strikeouts against Cubs starter Ryan Dempster. Morgan went 0-for-2 against Dempster and 0-for-3 for the game.
New York: 3B David Wright (fractured right pinkie finger) sat out his second consecutive game and might be headed to the disabled list. Wright did feel better Wednesday morning, leading manager Terry Collins to say he "would not be surprised" if Wright played Friday. But much will depend upon how much the swelling in Wright's finger diminishes by then. ... 1B Ike Davis singled in the sixth inning to snap an 0-for-18 skid to start the year. No Mets player had gone 0-for-19 to open a season since Todd Pratt in 2001. Davis, who missed the final four months of last season because of a bone bruise in his left ankle, is 1-for-20 with two walks and nine strikeouts.
Philadelphia: 2B Chase Utley (sore left knee) remained in Phoenix, where he is getting daily treatment from physical therapist Brett Fischer. The Phillies should have a better idea of where Utley is at physically next week, when he is expected to travel with the team on a West Coast trip through San Francisco, San Diego and Phoenix. ... RH reliever Jose Contreras will pitch in back-to-back games for the first time in his rehab at high-A Clearwater (Fla.) today and Friday. Contreras, who had elbow surgery in September, could be activated from the disabled list this weekend.
Pittsburgh: OF Nate McLouth made his first start, spelling RF Jose Tabata, off to a 3-for-18 start. The struggles aren't new. Tabata hasn't been driving the ball with much authority since the start of spring training. ... LF Alex Presley was challenged by management to be more efficient atop the order, including drawing walks to raise his on-base percentage. He hadn't drawn a walk through Tuesday, but his .353 average (6-for-17) with two RBI and a steal was leading the team. "I'm working on my overall game," Presley said, "and I'm looking to improve in a lot of areas."
St. Louis: 1B Lance Berkman didn't play Wednesday after straining his left calf running out a triple the night before. "If it gets any worse, then it really becomes an issue," Berkman said. He is classified as day-to-day, but with bad weather forecast for St. Louis this weekend when the team opens its home schedule, his availability is in question. "They'll shock it, ice it, do all sorts of hocus pocus," he said. ... LHP Jaime Garcia, knocked out in the fifth with the score tied 3-3, was the first Cardinals starter in the first seven games not to make it until at least the sixth inning. "I wasn't the best," Garcia said. "They (the Reds) have a good lineup. I was getting ahead, but I wasn't putting them away. I have to work on that in my next bullpen."
San Diego: The Padres are reorganizing their rotation after losing two starting pitchers -- RHPs Tim Stauffer (elbow) and Dustin Moseley (shoulder) -- in the span of a week. RHP Anthony Bass will come out of the bullpen to start tonight, and RHP Joe Wieland likely will be recalled from Class AAA Tucson to start Saturday against the Dodgers in Los Angeles. ... RHP Edinson Volquez gave up two runs in the first inning Tuesday after extending the inning by failing to cover first on Miguel Montero's grounder to the right side. Volquez temporarily froze when debris from Montero's shattered bat landed between the pitcher's mound and first.
San Francisco: C Buster Posey was a late scratch from the lineup because of shingles but hoped to play today. C Hector Sanchez was inserted into the cleanup spot in the order. ... Aubrey Huff got the start at first base even though manager Bruce Bochy had said Monday that Brandon Belt would be back in the lineup. Bochy wanted to give RF Nate Schierholtz his first start of the season, and Huff had played first Monday -- and had a double and two walks -- because Bochy was concerned about his lack of range in left field in Coors Field. ... LHP Barry Zito's next start is scheduled for Saturday against the Pirates. It's a home game, the first time Zito will pitch in front of Giants fans this year, and they'll likely greet him positively after he shut out the Rockies in his 2012 debut. On his nine scoreless innings, Zito said, "You don't want to try to go out there and pitch a shutout. It's pretty much impossible to get outs when you're trying to get outs instead of just making pitches."
Washington: RH closer Drew Storen underwent surgery to remove bone chips from his right elbow. He's expected to be out until around the All-Star break. ... LF Mark DeRosa got his first hit as a National after an 0-for-11 start and also had three walks. "We got a new team this year," SS Ian Desmond said. "The makeup in here is different. We have got a good group of veteran leadership and guys that are always under control and calm, like DeRosa comes out and gets three walks today. That is the kind of stuff we needed last year."
