National League team-by-team notebook -- Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Arizona: RF Justin Upton (left hamstring) did not start either game of the doubleheader after feeling tightness in his left hamstring in the first inning Tuesday. An MRI showed no irregularities, Upton said, adding, "I feel a lot better than last night. I got some treatment last night and worked on some things." ... OF A.J. Pollock was recalled from Class AAA Reno on as Upton insurance, but as the designated "26th player" under major league baseball's rules for split doubleheaders Pollock he must be returned to the minors afterward. Pollock could remain with the D-backs if Upton is forced onto the disabled list, however. RHP Sam Demel was optioned to Reno.
Atlanta: 2B Dan Uggla was out of the lineup, replaced by Tyler Pastornicky. Uggla was 2-for-23 (.087) since hitting a three-run home run off Padres RHP Edinson Volquez on Aug. 15. ... CF Michael Bourn, who was hit by a pitch on the elbow in Tuesday's game, got the start off, but it was to rest, not because he was injured. Reed Johnson started in center field.
Chicago: RHP Chris Volstad will remain in the rotation, manager Dale Sveum said. Volstad is 0-9 with a 6.88 ERA, but he's scheduled to start Sunday. LHP Chris Rusin left a good impression in his five-inning big league debut Tuesday, and Sveum said the Cubs will have to come up with a plan for him. ... Cubs hitters struck out 71 times on their just completed seven-game road trip, including 37 times in the three-game series at Milwaukee. "We got to start grinding at-bats and learning how to foul balls off and get to another count, get to another pitch," Sveum said.
Cincinnati: RHP Homer Bailey went 6 1/3 innings Tuesday and allowed three runs (two earned) on seven hits. He had allowed 18 runs over 19 2/3 innings in his previous four starts but corrected a mechanical flaw between starts. "It was like a hitter who has a glitch in their swing," he said. ... 1B/3B Todd Frazier continues to make his case for Rookie of the Year. He was 9-for-20 with three runs and six RBI in his last six games through Tuesday and was hitting .294 overall with 18 home runs and 56 RBI.
Colorado: LF Carlos Gonzalez was reinstated from the bereavement list, and RH reliever Guillermo Moscoso was optioned to Class AAA Colorado Springs. Gonzalez missed four games following the death of his grandfather in Venezuela. ... SS Troy Tulowitzki (left groin) and 1B Jason Giambi (viral infection) are scheduled to begin rehab assignments Friday at Class AA Tulsa, stay there through Monday, when the Drillers complete a homestand, and be re-evaluated Tuesday in Denver. Tulowitzki is likely to continue his rehab assignment with Colorado Springs and rejoin the Rockies when the rosters can be expanded Sept. 1.
Houston: RHP Lucas Harrell drove 3 1/2 hours from Springfield, Mo., his hometown, before his start Tuesday at St. Louis, then allowed six earned runs in five innings, more than he had allowed in his previous three starts combined. He had nearly 50 friends and family waiting for him outside the clubhouse. "I think I let them down," he said. ... The Astros had been shut out 12 times this season through Tuesday and were on pace for a 111-loss season. Only 12 other teams have lost as many in one year in the post-1900 era.
Los Angeles: RHP Joe Blanton is winless in four starts since the Dodgers traded for him on Aug. 3. Blanton, who led the major leagues in walk rate while with the Phillies, has walked nine batters in four starts with the Dodgers. While with the Phillies, he didn't walk his ninth batter until his 11th start. ... CF Matt Kemp's single in the ninth inning on Tuesday snapped an 0-for-21 skid, his longest slump of the season. He also had a sacrifice fly. "He just looked more settled tonight, to me," manager Don Mattingly said.
Miami: CF Emilio Bonifacio left Tuesday's game in the second inning because of right knee pain, and manager Ozzie Guillen said he will be for "a little while." He was listed as day-to-day. ... C John Buck has struggled to get his batting average to .200 but has been the Marlins' hottest hitter this month. A key for Buck, a right-handed hitter, has been his effort to hit more balls to right field. "When they are pitching me away and throwing me offspeed stuff, it's important to go the other way and let the ball travel and not try to overswing and pull everything," he said.
Milwaukee: LHP Randy Wolf was released on his 36th birthday after going 3-10 with a 5.69 ERA in 25 games, including 0-4 with a 6.57 ERA in his last five starts. The move was made in part to open a rotation spot for the return of RHP Shaun Marcum from the disabled list on Saturday. ... The Brewers tried to call up IF Jeff Bianchi from Class AAA Nashville but then learned he had not been down the requisite 10 days since his last time with them and cannot be activated until Saturday. The confusion was over Bianchi replacing RHP Mark Rogers while he was on paternity leave.
New York: LHP Johan Santana (lower back) was placed on the disabled list, and the Mets expect him to miss the rest of the season. RHP Collin McHugh was promoted from Class AAA Buffalo to start today's game in place of Santana. Rather than risk further injury to their ace, the Mets shut down Santana after an MRI revealed inflammation around a disk in his back. Surgery is not necessary, and Santana expects to be fully recovered long before the start of spring training. ... OF Kirk Nieuwenhuis, rehabbing from a partially torn plantar fascia in his right foot, is done for the season now that team doctors have prescribed him an extended period of rest. Nieuwenhuis, who spent most of the first half with the Mets, injured his foot while playing at Buffalo.
Philadelphia: LHP Cliff Lee is winless in his last 13 starts at Citizens Bank Park, including his start in Game 2 of the NLDS last October. His last home win came on Sept. 5, 2011. Lee has two wins overall in 22 starts this season. "It's definitely been a strange year," he said. ... 3B Kevin Frandsen on Tuesday made what might have been the best defensive play by a Phillies player this season. With the bases loaded, no one out and the Phillies clinging to a one-run lead in the sixth, Frandsen dived to stop a hard grounder to his left and then fired a strike to home plate to nab the lead runner. "I can't really explain it -- it was just an instinct play," said Frandsen, who also went 3-for-4 with a game-tying RBI triple in the eighth.
Pittsburgh: LF Starling Marte (strained right side) will be examined Friday to see if he can be cleared to begin physical activity. The rookie was placed on the disabled list Sunday, a day after he was injured while running the bases. ... C Michael McKenry is the first catcher to be behind the plate for every inning of a game of at least 19 innings in two consecutive seasons for the first time since Sandy Alomar Jr. did so for Cleveland in 1992 and 1993, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. McKenry caught all 19 innings of Sunday's victory at St. Louis and in the July 26, 2011 game at Atlanta that also lasted 19 innings.
St. Louis: 1B Allen Craig had three walks for the first time in his career Tuesday and also extended his career-high hitting streak to 10 games. Craig was hitting fourth because RF Carlos Beltran was resting a sore left hand. "There's not many teams who have to put their 4-hole hitter down who have the kind of option to put an Allen Craig in there," manager Mike Matheny said. Beltran was back in the lineup, and the cleanup spot, Wednesday. ... RHP Adam Wainwright has won five straight decisions. His victory Tuesday gave him a 12-1 record and 1.58 ERA in his career against Houston.
San Diego: LHP Andrew Werner was promoted from Class AAA Tucson to start Wednesday's game, RH reliever Brad Boxberger was sent down to Tucson and OF Jeremy Hermida was designated for assignment to create a 40-man roster spot for Werner. Werner became the 14th starting pitcher used by the Padres this season. The franchise record for starting pitchers used in a season is 15 in 2009. ... RHP Andrew Cashner (right lat) allowed two hits and had two strikeouts in two scoreless innings for Tucson on Tuesday in his first rehab start.
San Francisco: RHP Brett Bochy, manager Bruce Bochy's son and a highly ranked relief prospect at Class AA Richmond (Va.), was shut down for several days because of arm fatigue. He had a 1.60 ERA until recently, and the organization is being careful because he is only two years removed from Tommy John surgery. ... IF Ryan Theriot said he's open to playing the outfield if it gets him in the lineup more. IF Marco Scutaro, acquired at the trade deadline, has taken over at second base.
Washington: C Kurt Suzuki went into Wednesday hitting just .209 since the Nationals acquired him earlier this month from Oakland, where Suzuki was hitting just .218 in 75 games. ... SS Ian Desmond's homers in games on Monday and Tuesday put him at 19 for the season. His career high before this season was 10 in 2010. ... Not only did RHP Stephen Strasburg improve to 15-5 with Tuesday's win. It also lowered his opponents' batting average to .224.
