Major League Baseball Notebook
Published 11:15 pm Saturday, July 19, 2008
ORIOLES: Left-hander Adam Loewen has abandoned his career as a pitcher because of a stress fracture in his left elbow, the same injury that sidelined him last season and twice put him on the disabled list this year.
Loewen, 24, intends to return to the majors as an outfielder.
Had Loewen opted for a second operation on his elbow, it would have taken him at least 18 months to return. And there was no guarantee he would be pain-free or would not re-injure himself.
The fourth overall pick in the 2002 amateur draft, the 6-foot-6 Loewen made his major league debut with Baltimore in 2006. His final numbers as a pitcher: 8-8 with a 5.38 ERA in 35 games, including 28 starts.
Loewen pitched in six games last season before being placed on the disabled list with a stress fracture. He had a 4½-inch titanium screw inserted into his elbow and declared himself completely healthy in February, but he experienced elbow soreness in late April and was placed on the disabled list.
He was activated on June 30 and pitched in three games before leaving the mound in what turned out to be his final pitching performance, on July 6 against Texas.
ANGELS: Outfielder Gary Matthews Jr. has a slight tear in his left knee, but there are no plans to perform surgery or place him on the disabled list.
“The plan now is to continue to treat it and strengthen it,” Matthews said after the Angels beat the Boston Red Sox 4-2 Saturday to extend their AL West lead to eight games over the second-place Oakland Athletics.
The switch-hitting Matthews, hitting .235 with seven homers and 34 RBI in 89 games, had an MRI on his knee Thursday and met with team doctors Saturday. He irritated the patellar tendon in his left knee last September, knocking him out of the Angels’ AL division series against the Red Sox, and the knee has bothered him most of this season.
Matthews has started only one of the past seven games and is 5-for-36 with one RBI since June 27. He has sat out both Angels games since the All-Star break.
ATHLETICS: Daric Barton smacked his head on the bottom of a pool during the All-Star break, requiring six staples to close the gash and leaving the Oakland first baseman with a neck strain that landed him on the disabled list Saturday.
Barton, 22, who is batting .224 with three homers and 25 RBI, was placed on the 15-day DL, retroactive to July 14. The Athletics recalled infielder Wes Bankston from Class AAA Sacramento and started him at first base against the New York Yankees.
Barton said he was at a friend’s apartment back home in California when he dove into a pool Sunday night. He didn’t realize how shallow it was, and he hit his head on the bottom. He never lost consciousness, but blood began gushing down his face and Barton went to the emergency room.
Doctors sealed the cut with six staples that are clearly visible atop Barton’s head. He is slated to have the staples removed on Wednesday and hopes to be back on the field for workouts within a week.
ROCKIES-ORIOLES: Baltimore addressed its shaky shortstop situation by acquiring Juan Castro from Colorado in a trade of minor league infielders on Saturday.
Castro was batting .300 in 18 games with Class AAA Colorado Springs. The 36-year-old has more than 11 years of major league experience and played in seven games with Cincinnati this season before being released in April. The Rockies received Mike McCoy.
ASTROS: Ace Roy Oswalt was placed on the 15-day disabled list Saturday with a strained hip and a herniated disk in his back.
Oswalt (7-8, 4.56 ERA) underwent an MRI exam on Saturday that confirmed a strained left hip abductor and also revealed the disk problem. But manager Cecil Cooper said Oswalt should be ready to start again on July 28 for the opener of a three-game series with Cincinnati.
The Astros will recall Runelvys Hernandez from Class AAA Round Rock to fill Oswalt’s roster spot. Hernandez, 0-3 in three starts for Houston this season, will start Monday’s game against Pittsburgh.
Oswalt injured his hip in the sixth inning of his June 30 start against Los Angeles. He re-aggravated the injury in his next start on July 11, leaving the game after throwing just 17 pitches against Washington.
BRAVES: Tom Glavine threw off the bullpen mound for the first time since landing on the disabled list in early June because of a strained left elbow, and said he was encouraged by his work.
Glavine said he threw about 40 pitches at about 60 percent effort and said “it went all right.” He said he tried all his pitches. He plans to take a couple days off before throwing again.
Also, right-hander Rafael Soriano threw in the bullpen without discomfort. General manager Frank Wren said Soriano, who opened the season as the closer, is scheduled to come off the disabled list on Monday.
Soriano has had discomfort in his right elbow since spring training, and has been on the disabled list twice this season. He has missed 35 games since going on the DL for the second time on June 6.
He has pitched in just nine games, recording three saves with a 2.00 ERA. And
CARDINALS: Ace Chris Carpenter, sidelined since opening day in 2007 because of an elbow injury, will begin a rehab assignment today with hopes of joining the rotation in August.
Carpenter, the 2005 NL Cy Young winner, will begin his rehab stint with Class AA Springfield. The team is hopeful he won’t need the full month before joining the staff and anticipate him joining the rotation immediately, rather than working out of the bullpen at first.
The former 20-game winner, who hasn’t won a game in nearly 25 months and has had his shoulder surgically repaired two times, came off the disabled list on June 27 but returned to it on July 10. He strained his shoulder again in his first start since last September on July 9, throwing just 16 pitches in one-third of an inning against the Phillies.
DIAMONDBACKS: Arizona left-handed reliever Doug Slaten on the 15-day disabled list Saturday because of a strained right knee.
Slaten was the losing pitcher in Friday’s 8-7 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers. He is 0-3 with a 4.55 ERA. In 36 appearances, he has walked 11 and struck out 15 in 272/3 innings.
NATIONALS: Washington first baseman Dmitri Young missed his second straight start Saturday, complaining of having high blood sugar and feeling lightheaded.
Young, a diabetic, was pulled out of Friday night’s lineup when he said he felt dizzy and had difficulty focusing. The problem with his vision continued on Saturday.
Young is hitting .280 with four homers and 10 RBI in 50 games.
PHILLIES: Right-hander Brett Myers rejoined Philadelphia on Saturday after starting four games in the minor leagues trying to shake a season-long slump.
Myers has not been activated, but he’s expected to start one of the Phillies’ games next week against the Mets in New York.
He made his final minor league start Friday, allowing two earned runs in 62/3 innings for Class A Clearwater. Myers started twice for Class AAA Lehigh Valley and once for Class AA Reading, and he went 1-3 in the minors with an ERA of 3.00 and 28 strikeouts in 27 innings. He said the encouragement he received from the Phillies’ minor league organization boosted his confidence.
Despite being sent to the minors on July 1, Myers still leads the majors this season with 24 home runs allowed. The Phils’ opening day starter is 3-9 with an ERA of 5.84, and they’re 1-11 in his past 12 games.
REDS: Jared Burton, who developed into one of Cincinnati’s most dependable setup relievers, went on the 15-day disabled list Saturday with a strained muscle in his right side.
The Reds called up right-hander Todd Coffey to take Burton’s spot in the bullpen.
The right-handed Burton was 4-1 with a 2.23 earned run average in 43 games, often as the setup man for closer Francisco Cordero. He pulled a muscle in his side on a pitch July 6, and has been bothered by it since then.
Associated Press
