National League notebook -- Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Arizona: SS Stephen Drew is scheduled to play back-to-back games today and Friday on his rehab assignment at Class AAA Reno after tripling in four at-bats Monday. It would mark Drew's first appearance in consecutive games since his right ankle surgery last July. ... RHP Takashi Saito (right calf) did not pitch Tuesday after struggling in his latest rehab outing at Reno on Monday, when he gave up four hits and two runs while getting only one out. "His calf was fine, but he didn't throw the ball very good," manager Kirk Gibson said.
Atlanta: RH reliever Anthony Varvaro was called up from Class AAA Gwinnett (Lawrenceville, Ga.), and RH reliever Cody Gearrin was sent back down. Gearrin gave up Yankees RF Nick Swisher's game-winning home run Tuesday. ... LH reliever Eric O'Flaherty has not been available since he woke up Monday morning with a sore left elbow. He has been taking anti-inflammatories, but manager Fredi Gonzalez thinks he might not be available for another day or two. ... 1B Freddie Freeman was out of the lineup because of continuing pain in his left hand, which was hit by a thrown ball a week earlier.
Chicago: RHP Ryan Dempster will start Friday on normal rest, and RHP Jeff Samardzija will be pushed back one extra day to Saturday. The Cubs have given Samardzija an extra day whenever they could this year because he is in his first full season as a starting pitcher. ... CF Tony Campana went into Wednesday leading the major leagues with 21 stolen bases after he swiped three more Tuesday. Campana did not join the Cubs from Class AAA (Des Moines) Iowa until April 21.
Cincinnati: The flu-like illness that swept through the Reds clubhouse abated some. Wilson Valdez started at shortstop in place of Zack Cozart. But Cozart, Devin Mesoraco, Mike Leake and Drew Stubbs were all at the ballpark after being sent home the day before. ... Leake, scratched from Wednesday's start because of the illness, expected to be able to start today. "I feel a lot better," he said. "I'm still a little weak."
Colorado: SS Troy Tulowitzki (left groin) was scheduled to play five innings for Class AAA Colorado Springs at the start of a brief rehab assignment but took himself out of the game and went back to Denver to be re-evaluated. Tulowitzki homered and singled, but after the single he felt a twinge while running the bases. "It scared him," Rockies manager Jim Tracy said. "So we took all precautions." ... RHP Alex White has pitched at least six innings in each of his last two starts and in five of seven starts this season going into today's outing. He has yielded six homers in 17 2/3 innings in his last three outings, all at Coors Field.
Houston: OF Fernando Martinez remained in Houston while the Astros went to San Francisco and saw specialists for his post-concussion syndrome, which has him on the concussion-specific seven-day disabled list. Manager Brad Mills was told that Martinez could be ready to begin physical activity in the next couple of days to see how he responds. ... LH reliever Fernando Abad (intercostal strain) got the save with 1 1/3 scoreless innings Tuesday in his second rehab outing for Class AAA Oklahoma City. Abad is eligible to come back anytime whenever the Astros deem him ready.
Los Angeles: IF Aaron Miles retired after hitting .235 with a .297 on-base percentage in 18 games with Class AAA Albuquerque. Miles, who was signed to a minor league contract on May 11, started 110 games for the Dodgers last year. ... IF/OF Elian Herrera started in center field for the fourth time this season. With Juan Uribe back at third base, Herrera will see more time in the outfield in addition to occasional time at third and second base.
Miami: The Clevelander, the bar with a swimming pool and dancing girls above the Marlins' bullpen at their new ballpark, has rubbed players the wrong way because fans there have been chanting "Let's go Heat!" while watching basketball games on TV. "I was like, 'Let's go Marlins!' I was yelling at them," RH closer Heath Bell said. ... SS Jose Reyes tripled in his first at-bat both Monday and Tuesday. That gave him 15 triples leading off games in his career, tied for first among active players with Seattle's Ichiro Suzuki.
Milwaukee: 3B Aramis Ramirez, who missed four games last week because of a quadriceps strain, was noticeably limping as he returned to the dugout after running the bases Tuesday but stayed in the game. He was the DH on Wednesday. ... RHP Marco Estrada (right quadriceps) threw a 30-pitch simulated game Tuesday. He was scheduled to throw a bullpen session and hopes to go on a rehab assignment this weekend.
New York: 1B Ike Davis was back in the lineup even though the Rays were starting a tough left-hander, David Price. Davis had sat out six of the last seven times the Mets faced a left-handed starter, but manager Terry Collins did not want to disrupt his Davis' momentum after he went 2-for-4 Tuesday with a three-run homer. ... RHP Jenrry Mejia, rehabbing from last May's Tommy John surgery, is scheduled to convert to relief work at Class AAA Buffalo later this week. After he pitches out of the bullpen for two weeks, the Mets will re-evaluate his situation and possibly promote him.
Philadelphia: 2B Freddy Galvis (Pars fracture in back) will wear a brace for three weeks. He got a second opinion Tuesday in New York, but it was the same as the Phillies' diagnosis Friday. Galvis will be re-evaluated after the three-week period, but isn't expected to return to the field before August. ... 3B Placido Polanco (sprained left wrist, cut on left index finger) was in the lineup for the first time since he was injured June 5.
Pittsburgh: RHP Brad Lincoln will remain in the rotation at least through his next scheduled start Sunday, manager Clint Hurdle said. Lincoln has a 0.45 ERA in 13 relief appearances but is at 6.81 as a starter. More telling, the velocity and quality of his stuff has diminished when starting. ... 1B Jeff Clement, the top candidate for a promotion from Class AAA Indianapolis, rejoined that team's lineup after missing two games because of back pain.
St. Louis: RHP Chris Carpenter (shoulder) threw off a mound for the first time since mid-March. Carpenter, who threw 26 pitches, all fastballs at less than top speed, hopes to be ready to pitch in the majors by mid- to late July. ... C Yadier Molina on Tuesday became the 30th player to appear in 1,000 games for the Cardinals. Molina batted second for only the second time in his career and first time since 2008.
San Diego: OF Will Venable has passed the career totals of father Max in such categories as hits (340-337) and home runs (41-18) but believes he has a long way to go before he eclipses his father in a more respected area -- service time. Max Venable was in the major leagues for parts of 13 seasons from 1979 to 1991. Will Venable is at 3 1/3 years. ... Bullpen coach Darrel Akerfelds, who has been away from the team since April while fighting pancreatic cancer, turned 50 Tuesday. Many of the Padres players sent birthday greetings to Akerfelds, which were telecast during Fox Sports San Diego game coverage from Seattle.
San Francisco: 3B Pablo Sandoval, who left Tuesday's game after fouling a pitch off his leg, was back in the lineup, and Joaquin Arias replaced Brandon Crawford at shortstop against Astros LHP J.A. Happ. Crawford went into the game hitting .190 against lefties. ... RHP Tim Lincecum will make his next start Saturday at Seattle, manager Bruce Bochy said. Bochy met with general manager Brian Sabean to discuss options with the struggling starter, but the team has opted, for now, not to skip a start or move Lincecum (2-7, 6.00 ERA) into the bullpen.
Washington: 1B Adam LaRoche was out of the lineup because of a sore foot. LaRoche fouled a ball off his foot Tuesday, and, with today's off day, Johnson wanted to be able to rest him until Friday night. ... RHP Stephen Strasburg was taken out of the game after only 89 pitches because of a small cut on his middle finger. It wasn't serious, but manager Davey Johnson didn't want to take any chances that it could get worse.
