mlb league News
Boston 6.10 : J.D. Drew, who hit the decisive home run for Boston in the second game of the playoff series against the Los Angeles Angels, was not in the lineup for Game 3 on Sunday because of his ailing back. Drew was given a day off to rest after playing two games in three days. Meanwhile, Red Sox third baseman Mike Lowell returned to the lineup after missing Game 2 with a hip injury.
Milwauk. 5.10 : Second baseman Rickie Weeks left Saturday's NL division series game against the Phillies after the third inning with a sprained left knee. Weeks, who was replaced by Craig Counsell, is 0-for-4 in the series against Philadelphia, which carried a 2-0 lead into Saturday's game.
NY Yank. 4.10 : NY Yankees closer Mariano Rivera will have surgery Tuesday on his sore right shoulder. New York Mets medical director Dr. David Altchek will shave down calcification of the A.C. joint on the top of Rivera's shoulder. Rivera is expected to be ready for the start of spring training in mid-February. The 38-year-old Rivera had 39 saves this year, and his 1.40 ERA was his best since 2005.
Tampa B. 3.10 : Slugger Carlos Pena was removed from the AL playoff opener against the Chicago White Sox on Thursday after the second inning because of slightly blurred vision in his left eye. The Rays said Pena accidentally scratched his eye at home on Wednesday. The injury is not considered serious, and he is expected to return to the lineup for Game 2 on Friday. Pena led the AL East champions with 31 homers and 102 RBIs this season.
Ch. Sox 1.10 : The Chicago White Sox captured the American League Central Division title with a tense 1-0 win over Minnesota in their sudden-death play-off game. The teams completed the regular season with identical 88-74 records, resulting in the one-game showdown for the division title. The White Sox joined the crosstown Cubs in the postseason, the first time since 1906 that both Chicago teams made it. They will play the surprising Rays in an AL Division Series. Game 1 is Thursday at Tampa Bay.
Philadel. 30.9 : Outfielder Pat Burrell left Tuesday's workout because of discomfort in his lower back, a day before Philadelphia opens the NL playoff against Milwaukee on Wednesday. Burrell exited after taking a swing in batting practice anf he will be checked before Game 1. The left fielder hit .250 with 33 home runs and 86 RBIs.
LA Dodg. 29.9 : Right-hander Derek Lowe will start Game 1 of the NL division series for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Lowe will be followed by righty and 16-game winner Chad Billingsley in Game 2 and then right-hander Hiroki Kuroda. Manager Joe Torre said he hadn't decided whether Lowe would come back on short rest for a potential fourth game. He will determine that based on how the series is going, though Greg Maddux could wind up a candidate.
Ch. Sox 28.9 : Chicago will play two games in the next two days and must win both to make it to the MLB playoffs. They defeated Cleveland 5-1 on the last day of the regular season to snap a 5-game losing streak. On Monday, Detroit visits the White Sox in a makeup from a September rainout. If the White Sox win, they would host the Minessota Twins in a one-game tiebreaker Tuesday for the AL Central title. If Chicago loses, their season is over and the Twins will win the Central.
Ch. Cubs 27.9 : Catcher Geovany Soto left the Cubs' game against the Brewers in the sixth inning Friday night, grimacing and shaking his left hand after fouling off a pitch. "Precautionary," manager Lou Piniella said when asked why Soto was removed. "We think he's going to be fine." Soto was scratched during a game earlier this month because of soreness in the hand. He said he felt a bit of pain, but nothing that seemed serious. The first NL rookie catcher to start an All-Star game, Soto is batting .286 with 23 homers and 86 RBIs.
San Fran. 27.9 : Noah Lowry will undergo arthroscopic surgery on the back of his elbow to remove bone spurs, another setback for someone expected to be a key member of San Francisco's rotation this year. The 27-year-old Lowry has spent the entire season rehabilitating from a March 7 operation to repair a rare nerve problem in his forearm called exertional compartment syndrome. Lowry had been on a throwing program in Arizona and was close to pitching in the Arizona instructional league. He also had been scheduled to pitch in winter ball, though that is now doubtful. Still, the Giants will head into the offseason with Lowry in their plans to be part of the rotation come 2009 barring further setbacks.
Toronto 26.9 : Manager Cito Gaston has signed a two-year contract extension with the Toronto Blue Jays. General manager J.P. Ricciardi also got a vote of confidence, while team president Paul Godfrey, whose own status remains unclear, said he would announce his intentions "probably next week some time." Before Thursday's game against the New York Yankees, Toronto was 48-36 since Gaston replaced John Gibbons on June 20.
LA Dodg. 26.9 : The Dodgers clinched their first NL West championship in four years Thursday after the second-place Arizona Diamondbacks lost 12-3 at St. Louis. That was several hours before Los Angeles faced the San Diego Padres in its final home game of the regular season. Dodgers manager Joe Torre said he received a text message of congratulations from Diamondbacks manager Bob Melvin. Torre guided the New York Yankees to four World Series titles and 12 playoff appearances in as many years before leaving the team last fall. He was then hired by the Dodgers, signing a three-year $13m contract.
Cleveland 25.9 : Indians pitcher Fausto Carmona and catcher Victor Martinez began serving suspensions Thursday for a bench-clearing brawl against the Tigers after reaching an agreement with Major League Baseball that reduced their penalties by one game apiece. Carmona, who made his last start of the season against Boston on Wednesday, began serving a five-game suspension and will miss opening day of the 2009 season. Martinez's suspension was reduced from three games to two.
Pittsbur. 25.9 : Left fielder Nyjer Morgan appeared to hurt his hamstring running out an infield hit to lead off Pittsburgh's game Thursday against the Milwaukee Brewers. He spent several minutes talking to a trainer before exiting, but ran off the field without a limp. Morgan was hitting .289 with nine stolen bases in 159 at-bats over 57 games. He has been one of the NL's best outfielders since August 20, batting .354 and reaching base safely in 25 of his 27 starts.
