ALL-STAR GAME: Commissioner Bud Selig finally got around Wednesday to announcing what the rest of baseball has known for more than a year: The Los Angeles Angels will host the 2010 All-Star game.
The All-Stars will be at Anaheim for the first time since 1989, when Bo Jackson hit a 448-foot homer and was selected MVP. Nolan Ryan was the winning pitcher in the AL’s 5-3 victory, and John Smoltz, the only player still active from that game, took the loss.
The only other All-Star game in Anaheim was in 1967, a 2-1 NL victory in 15 innings, the longest All-Star Game in history. Tony Perez hit the game-deciding home run off Catfish Hunter.
The 2010 game is scheduled for July 13.
YANKEES: The New York Yankees placed right-handed starter Ian Kennedy on the disabled list Wednesday, a move that could speed up Joba Chamberlain’s move into the starting rotation. Kennedy strained a muscle near his right ribcage in his start Tuesday night against the Baltimore Orioles. Manager Joe Girardi said that Kennedy also has bursitis in his right shoulder blade.
BREWERS: The Milwaukee Brewers have a little bit longer than they originally thought to make a decision on the future of pitcher Jeff Weaver. The 31-year-old Weaver signed with the Brewers in April and has been playing for Class AAA Nashville. After speaking with agent Scott Boras, Brewers general manager Doug Melvin said Weaver can opt out of the deal and become a free agent if he hasn’t been called up to the majors by June 15 — not June 1, as the team had thought. Weaver is 1-3 with a 6.69 ERA at Nashville and was hit hard Monday, giving up nine runs (five earned) and eight hits — including two home runs — and five walks in six innings.
BLUE JAYS: Gregg Zaun felt something in his right elbow after making a throw Monday and it was still bothering him two days later. To let him fully heal, the Toronto Blue Jays placed their veteran catcher on the 15-day disabled list Wednesday with a mild strain and inflammation in the elbow. The 37-year-old Zaun sat out Tuesday’s series opener at Oakland hoping his elbow would calm down, but he still felt discomfort Wednesday.
ROCKIES: Colorado minor league catcher Humberto Cota was suspended for 50 games after testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug. Cota was penalized under the major league drug program, even though he has not been on a major league roster since last June 15, when he was released by the Pittsburgh Pirates. The reason he was covered by the major league plan rather than the minor league program wasn’t announced.
CUBS: Chicago chairman Crane Kenney said the team did not tell security personnel in the left field bleachers to crack down on fans who might boo or harass struggling outfielder Alfonso Soriano. Soriano dropped a fly ball in the ninth inning Sunday in Pittsburgh, helping the Pirates rally to a victory. One season ticket holder told the Chicago Tribune that crowd control personnel told fans Monday they were instructed by supervisors to use a no-tolerance policy for anyone cursing at Soriano, or harassing him.
CARDINALS: St. Louis pitcher Joel Pineiro was put on the 15-day disabled list because of a strained right groin after the team determined he wouldn’t be ready to make his next start. Mike Parisi will take Pineiro’s spot in the rotation on Saturday against Pittsburgh, making his first major league start. Right-hander Kelvin Jimenez was recalled by St. Louis from Triple-A Memphis and will be used in long relief.
INDIANS: Cleveland designated hitter Travis Hafner was out of the starting lineup for third straight game because of an injured right shoulder but was optimistic he could avoid a trip to the disabled list. Manager Eric Wedge said if Hafner isn’t ready to play by the weekend series at Kansas City, the team would consider putting him on the DL.
… Cleveland activated right-hander Jake Westbrook from the disabled list. Westbrook, who had been on the DL since April 22 with a strained left muscle in the rib area, was 1-2 with a 2.73 ERA in four starts before the injury. He was injured April 19 against Minnesota. It was the fifth career trip to the DL for Westbrook, who is 63-64 in six major league seasons.
RED SOX: Dinner with Dice-K can be yours — sushi included — if you’re willing to write a big check to his chosen charity. Red Sox pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka is auctioning off a sushi dinner for five — including him and his wife, Tomoyo — to benefit a children’s charity, Good Sports. The opening bid for the eBay auction that runs through June 7 was $1,000.
MLB: Major League Baseball is making a $10 million donation to “Stand Up to Cancer,” a fundraising charity for cancer research, commissioner Bud Selig said. ABC, CBS and NBC each have allotted a prime-time hour on Sept. 5 to simulcast a fundraiser.
NATIONALS: Bret Boone has decided to retire again after a brief minor league stint in the Washington Nationals’ farm system. Boone batted .261 in 13 games for the Class AAA Columbus Clippers before leaving the team April 17. The 39-year-old second baseman was hoping to work his way back into the majors, where he hadn’t played since 2005. Boone was a career .266 hitter over 14 seasons with Seattle, Cincinnati, Atlanta, San Diego and Seattle. He hit 252 home runs, including 37 homers with 141 RBI for the Mariners in 2001.
RAYS: Tampa Bay closer Troy Percival limped off the mound with tightness in his left hamstring during the ninth inning of the Rays’ 5-3 victory over the Texas Rangers. Percival was scheduled to undergo an MRI exam and will be re-evaluated today. The 38-year-old Percival, a big part of the AL East leaders’ success this season, clutched his hamstring with his glove after throwing a third strike to Brandon Boggs for the second out of the inning.
WORLD CLASSIC: Sammy Sosa would like to represent the Dominican Republic in next year’s World Baseball Classic.
“That’s my wish,” he said during a telephone interview from Miami, “to put on my country’s uniform so people can see me playing again.”
Sosa said he instructed his agent not to offer his services to any team.
“That doesn’t mean I’m retiring,” he said. “It’s not time for that yet.”
In his Major League career, Sosa has 609 homers and 1,667 RBIs from 1989-07 for the Texas Rangers, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox and the Baltimore Orioles.
PIRATES: Pittsburgh left-hander Zach Duke will get an extra day before his next start to take care of a callus on the middle finger of his pitching hand. Duke was scheduled to start today in the final game of a series at Cincinnati. Instead, left-hander Phil Dumatrait will start on four days’ rest.
METS: New York outfielder Ryan Church, who sustained his second concussion this season last week in Atlanta, remained at home and will not rejoin the team for several days. Church was injured trying to break up a double play May 20 against the Braves. He has not started a game since then but went 1-for-4 as a pinch hitter, accompanying the team on its trip to Colorado and then back to New York.
ASTROS: Reliever Jorge Sosa, released a week earlier by the New York Mets, signed a minor league contract with Houston. Sosa was 4-1 with a 7.06 ERA in 20 appearances for the Mets. He was tied for the league lead for wins as a reliever, before being released May 21. Astros general manager Ed Wade said Sosa would join Class AAA Round Rock today.
Associated Press
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