Tampa Bay is watching bullpen leader Troy Percival, whose back forced him out of Wednesday night’s game at Fenway Park. The Rays, already unsure about Carl Crawford, would hate to go into the playoffs without Percival. … Cubs general manager Jim Hendry hopes his fellow GMs will push through a rule change that limits the number of players available for September games. He would like to see teams dress only 30 players per game, including five starting pitchers, and make daily changes to a taxi squad after rosters expand to 40. Milwaukee is dressing 36 players, including recent waiver-wire additions Mike Lamb and Todd Coffey. … Former White Sox knuckleballer Charlie Haeger is getting a fresh start after being claimed on waivers by San Diego. “I always have thought a knuckleballer would have success for a coastal club where the air is denser,” Padres GM Kevin Towers said. “Most knuckleballers are also late developers as well.” …
The Dodgers hope Takashi Saito and Rafael Furcal will follow Brad Penny back from the disabled list before long. But manager Joe Torre is happy with Jonathon Broxton as his closer and Angel Berroa as his shortstop, so look for both Saito and Furcal to return in reduced roles. … It doesn’t look like we’ll get a Hall of Fame induction ceremony including Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and John Smoltz in 2014. Glavine may be the only one of the three to retire after this season, as a recent visit to surgeon James Andrews encouraged Smoltz he can get back on the mound. …
David Price, the Tampa Bay lefty who is baseball’s best prospect, could make his big-league debut in a Sept. 23 doubleheader against Baltimore. … No non-knuckleball pitcher ever had won 14 games in a season at age 45 before the Phillies’ Jamie Moyer reached that level. “Slow pitchers are hard to hit,” retired second baseman Mickey Morandini said. “I had more trouble hitting guys who throw slow than the ones throwing hard.” … San Francisco is in danger of becoming the first team not to hit 100 homers since the expansion Marlins in 1993.
