American League team-by-team notebook -- Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Baltimore: RHP Jason Hammel said he felt fine one day after throwing a simulated game in Florida. Hammel, sidelined since Sept. 11 because of right knee soreness, would be available to start as soon as Saturday. ... RHP Kevin Gausman, the Orioles' first-round pick in June, threw a bullpen session at Tropicana Field. The 21-year-old LSU product split his season between short-season Aberdeen (Md.) and Class AA Bowie (Md.), going a combined 0-1 with a 3.60 ERA in five starts.

Boston: 2B Dustin Pedroia, who missed Monday's game, was back in the lineup despite a fractured left ring finger. Orioles SS J.J. Hardy texted Pedroia, asking him to play, but Pedroia said he was playing because he also wanted to set a good example for Boston's many young players. ... The approximate combined salary of the Red Sox's Monday starters, counting RHP Clay Buchholz, was $13 million. The Yankees had five players in their lineup whose individual annual salaries are greater than $13 million.

Chicago: RHP Jake Peavy has been deluged with messages since saying he was without agent and may negotiate his free agent contract on his own. The White Sox have declined the $22 million option on Peavy's contract for 2013, opting to pay a $4 million buyout. ... Manager Robin Ventura's reaction after the White Sox's late-season slump knocked them out of contention: "Would you have rather it turned out different? Of course. I'm not disappointed in (the players) at all. You end up where you're supposed to end up."

Cleveland: After getting shut out Monday by LHP Hector Santiago and two White Sox relievers, the Indians fell to 18-36 in games started by opposing left-handers. That almost certainly will be their final figure, as the White Sox are scheduled to throw RHP Gavin Floyd on Wednesday. ... C Lou Marson entered play Tuesday having gone 314 at-bats without a homer. He last went deep July 18, 2011, in the second game of a doubleheader at Minnesota.

Detroit: RHP Max Scherzer will skip his start Wednesday after twisting his right ankle in the Tigers' on-field celebration Monday. Scherzer missed his previous start with a shoulder injury, but the team hopes he'll be ready for his first postseason turn. ... 3B Miguel Cabrera, who is chasing baseball's first Triple Crown since 1967, declined to sit out the day after the Tigers clinched the AL Central title. Manager Jim Leyland gave CF Austin Jackson, SS Jhonny Peralta and 2B Omar Infante a rest.

Kansas City: 3B Mike Moustakas aggravated his strained left groin Monday and is unlikely to play again this season. He was re-injured sliding into second base in the sixth inning Monday after also departing Sunday's game with groin tightness. ... LF Alex Gordon got his 17th assist Monday, second among major league outfielders behind RF Jeff Francoeur, who had 19. The Royals had a big-league-leading 51 outfield assists heading into play Tuesday.

Los Angeles: LHP C.J. Wilson said he has been pitching with a bone spur issue in his elbow, and he will have arthroscopic surgery to address the problem in the offseason. Wilson said the ailment affected his delivery and robbed his sinker of movement. ... CF Mike Trout scored two runs Monday, giving him 129 in 137 games. Only two rookies in AL history scored more: Joe DiMaggio in 1936 (132 in 138 games) and Ted Williams in 1939 (131 in 149 games).

Minnesota: Manager Ron Gardenhire said he had shut down 1B Justin Morneau for the final two games of the season. Morneau told MLB.com the decision was purely his manager's but that he didn't argue. He played 134 games this year after being limited to 69 games by a variety of injuries in 2011. ... SS Eduardo Escobar was back in the lineup after missing one game due to a sore left elbow. "We haven't gotten really to see Escobar," Gardenhire said. "I'd like to see him."

New York: Eduardo Nunez started as the designated hitter because manager Joe Girardi liked the way he'd looked at the plate lately. The other main right-handed DH option to face Red Sox LHP Jon Lester was Andruw Jones, who had one hit in his past 12 at-bats. ... LHP Manny Banuelos, considered one of the Yankees' top pitching prospects, is scheduled to undergo Tommy John surgery, which likely will keep him from pitching next season. Banuelos, 21, went 0-2 with a 4.50 ERA in six games for Class AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (Moosic, Pa.) this season.

Oakland: LH reliever Jordan Norberto, out since mid-August due to left shoulder tendinitis, threw at a distance of 90 feet Monday. He told the San Francisco Chronicle he remains hopeful he will be able to pitch in the postseason. ... On low-salary Oakland reaching the postseason at the expense of the free-spending Angels, A's OF Jonny Gomes said, "We wear jerseys on the field. We don't wear contracts between the lines."

Seattle: RHP Felix Hernandez had a league-best 2.43 ERA and the most innings pitched (196 2/3) at the end of August. However, he went 0-4 with a 6.62 ERA in six September/October starts, lifting his ERA to 3.06. ... From Sept. 1 through Monday, 1B Justin Smoak was 27-for-80 (.338) with five homers, all of those since Sept. 15. "This is the best he's been able to sustain it," manager Eric Wedge said. "I'm encouraged by what he's done."

Tampa Bay: RH closer Fernando Rodney earned his 47th save Monday, and with a scoreless ninth inning, he lowered his season ERA to 0.6053. That was a tick below Dennis Eckersley's big-league-record mark for relievers of 0.61363 (minimum 50 innings). ... C Chris Gimenez spent most of the year in the minors, but he found himself starting three consecutive games down the stretch in the midst of a pennant race. From Saturday through Monday, he went a combined 5-for-9 with a homer and three RBI.

Texas: Seven Rangers -- RF Nelson Cruz, SS Elvis Andrus, 2B Ian Kinsler, IF Michael Young, 3B Adrian Beltre, CF Josh Hamilton and LF David Murphy -- have appeared in at least 145 games this season, tying the major league record. Nine other clubs have done it, the last being Seattle in 2007. Beltre was a part of that team, too. ... RH reliever Koji Uehara saw his streak of consecutive batters retired end at 25 Monday, but he still pitched a scoreless inning. Uehara had not allowed in 10 1/3 innings since Sept. 1.

Toronto: IF Omar Vizquel will get a start in Wednesday's season finale as he ends his 24-year career as one of the best defensive shortstops to play the game. Manager John Farrell did not indicate which position the 45-year-old would play. ... DH/1B Edwin Encarnacion, who was removed for a pinch hitter in the seventh inning Sunday due to tightness in his left trapezius muscle, did not start the next two games. His status for Wednesday had yet to be determined.