Part 2 : continues….
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MLB Note – Minnesota Twins Walters, P.J.
RHP P.J. Walters had his worst start as a Twin, allowing five runs and eight hits over five innings. In two consecutive no-decisions, he has allowed nine earned runs in just nine innings.
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MLB Note – Minnesota Twins Plouffe, Trevor
3B Trevor Plouffe hit his eighth home run, and he continues his all-or-nothing stutter-step through the lineup. He is hitting .198, but 13 of his 24 hits are for extra bases.
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MLB Note – Minnesota Twins Span, Denard
CF Denard Span pinch-ran in the ninth inning after receiving intravenous fluids to combat flu symptoms that prevented him from starting.
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MLB Note – Minnesota Twins Mauer, Joe
C Joe Mauer took batting practice for the first time since spraining his right thumb Sunday at Cleveland, but he sat out his fourth consecutive game. He is expected to rejoin the lineup Saturday.
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MLB Note – Boston Red Sox Gonzalez, Adrian
1B Adrian Gonzalez joined an exclusive club Friday night. Gonzalez went 2-for-5 with a double and his 200th career home run, a solo shot against Nationals LHP Ross Detweiler. Gonzalez is the 34th active player to reach the 200-homer mark. “It feels good,” Gonzalez said, “but doing it on a night that we lost takes away a lot of the pleasure from it.” Indeed, the Red Sox lost to the Nationals, 7-4, and dropped back to .500 at 29-29. Gonzalez would’ve had another homer, too, but Xavier Nady robbed him with a catch over the right field wall. Gonzalez appears to be swinging the bat more confidently after a subpar two months. He notched three hits Thursday night against the Orioles. “Adrian looks locked in, boy,” manager Bobby Valentine said. “He looks very good right now.”
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MLB Note – Boston Red Sox Pedroia, Dustin
2B Dustin Pedroia knew it wasn’t going to be easy to regain his timing while playing with a torn muscle in his right thumb, but he took a step in that direction Friday night by snapping an 0-for-14 drought with a sixth-inning single. It was his first hit since his return from a six-game absence caused by the injury, which bothers him more when he’s hitting and almost not at all in the field. Pedroia has been hitting with a protective brace on his thumb. The brace was custom-fitted to his exact grip on the bat.
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MLB Note – Boston Red Sox Bard, Daniel
RHP Daniel Bard’s first appearance for Class AAA Pawtucket looked alarmingly like his last start for the Red Sox. Making a one-inning start, as scheduled, Bard continued to deal with control problems. He gave up three runs on two hits and two hit-batsmen. Sixteen of his 25 pitches were strikes. Last Sunday, two days before being demoted, Bard gave up five runs on one hit, six walks and two hit-batsmen in Toronto. Before Friday night’s game, Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine said he would rely on Pawtucket pitching coach Rich Sauveur and others to provide reports on Bard rather than communicating directly with the pitcher. “One thing from spring training, from the wintertime, that I heard with Daniel is that we didn’t want too many voices,” Valentine said. “We didn’t want there to be confusion. In our last talk, we tried to narrow it down to who it is that he’d be working with.”
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MLB Note – Boston Red Sox Byrd, Marlon
OF Marlon Byrd is expected to be designated for assignment by the Red Sox to clear a roster spot for Saturday’s starter, RHP Daisuke Matsuzaka. Byrd has batted .270 (27-for-100) in 34 games after being acquired in a trade with the Cubs. He recently has lost playing time to hot-hitting Daniel Nava and Scott Podsednik.
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MLB Note – Boston Red Sox Matsuzaka, Daisuke
RHP Daisuke Matsuzaka will start Saturday, one day shy of the one-year anniversary of having Tommy John elbow surgery. “(Saturday’s) game will be a special game,” Matsuzaka said in a statement. “It represents a new step for me. It is going to be a very emotional day, but I have to remain calm and treat it like any other start I have had throughout my career.” Manager Bobby Valentine hasn’t outlined any expectations for Matsuzaka, who threw only 40 pitches in a shortened rehab start for Class AAA Pawtucket on Tuesday night. Since receiving a cortisone injection three weeks ago to relieve stiffness in his right trapezius, Matsuzaka has allowed two runs on six hits in 11 2/3 innings over three starts.
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MLB Note – Boston Red Sox Youkilis, Kevin
3B Kevin Youkilis received his fourth career ejection Friday night for arguing a called third strike on a full-count pitch that he thought was too low. The strikeout came with the bases loaded in the sixth inning against Nationals RHP Stephen Strasburg, who recorded 13 strikeouts. Youkilis didn’t make himself available to talk to reporters after the game, but Red Sox manager shared his opinion on the call. “That pitch was not a strike,” Valentine said. “I think the inning should’ve continued. Who knows? We might have tacked on three more, four more earned runs on him.”
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MLB Note – Tampa Bay Rays Hellickson, Jeremy
RHP Jeremy Hellickson is typically in control and command, having been arguably the team’s most consistent starter. However, Hellickson knew pretty quickly he was off Friday night against the Marlins, when he walked a career-high seven batters in just 4 1/3 innings. It was nearly as many walks as Hellickson racked up through five starts combined in May (nine). “I had no idea where the ball was going,” Hellickson said. “It was not a good feeling out there.”
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MLB Note – Tampa Bay Rays Longoria, Evan
3B Evan Longoria is set to take the next big step Saturday in his recovery from a partially torn left hamstring. He will go through running/acceleration drills, with how he feels saying a lot about when he can begin a rehab assignment. Longoria has targeted a mid-June return date.
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MLB Note – Tampa Bay Rays Farnsworth, Kyle
RHP Kyle Farnsworth (right elbow strain) will start a rehab assignment Monday with Class A Charlotte. Manager Joe Maddon said the team would be “very, very cautious” with him.
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MLB Note – Tampa Bay Rays Allen, Brandon
OF/1B Brandon Allen cleared waivers and was outrighted to Class AAA Durham. “I have lot of respect for him, and I still think he’s going to be very helpful to us down the road,” Maddon said. Allen hit .154 (2-for-13) with one homer and three RBI for the Rays before he was sidelined due to a strained right quadriceps. He came off the disabled list earlier this week and was designated for assignment.
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MLB Note – Philadelphia Phillies Thome, Jim
DH Jim Thome made the most of his first start since April 28. Thome, who missed the last month because of a lower back injury, went 3-for-5 with two doubles to help the Phillies snap a six-game losing streak with a 9-6 win in Baltimore. Thome hit cleanup and collected hits in each of his first three at-bats as the Phils jumped out to a 7-0 lead.
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MLB Note – Philadelphia Phillies Victorino, Shane
CF Shane Victorino came within a triple of hitting for the cycle. Victorino went 3-for-4 with five RBI, including a two-run home run, to lead the Phils to their first win in a week. Victorino had been hitting .229 in his last 45 games. “I think collectively we came out here from the first out to the last out and we played with intensity,” Victorino said. “We played like we were having fun.”
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MLB Note – Tampa Bay Rays Lobaton, Jose
C Jose Lobaton recorded his first career game with multiple extra-base hits (two doubles) and second career multi-hit game. Lobaton, who made the Opening Day roster, is in his second stint this year with the Rays, having come back from a lengthy stay on the disabled list caused by a sore right shoulder. “Lobo had a nice game,” manager Joe Maddon said. “He had some really good at-bats.”
Maddon said one thing he’s noticed is that Lobaton is blocking the ball better. “He’s starting to really become more technically sound,” Maddon said.
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MLB Note – Philadelphia Phillies Valdes, Raul
LHP Raul Valdes was optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley following the game. The Phillies will make a corresponding roster move before Saturday’s game. They will likely add a right-handed reliever. The Phils played Friday with four left-handers in their ‘pen. The only two right-handers in front of closer Jonathan Papelbon were struggling veteran Chad Qualls, who has a 5.32 ERA in 25 games, and rookie Michael Schwimer, who has given up seven runs in 8 1/3 innings this season.
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MLB Note – Philadelphia Phillies Polanco, Placido
3B Placido Polanco missed his third straight game and is expected to be sidelined for the rest of the weekend with a left hand injury. Polanco, who got spiked while making a play at third base on Tuesday night, had stitches on his left index finger Friday and also got a cortisone shot to deal with pain in his left wrist. Polanco will be reevaluated on Monday’s off day.
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MLB Note – Philadelphia Phillies Galvis, Freddy
2B Freddy Galvis is expected to miss as much as six weeks with a back injury.
Galvis, who left Wednesday night’s game in the middle of his at-bat in the fifth inning, underwent a battery of tests in Philadelphia on Friday. Assistant general manager Scott Proefrock said the team believes Galvis has a pars fracture in his back. “It’s serious. … From what I understand, it’s a minimum of at least six weeks in a brace,” Proefrock said. “But again, that’s what our doctors have seen. They’re going to get a second opinion.”
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MLB Note – Miami Marlins Infante, Omar
2B Omar Infante collected three hits Friday night. It was his first multi-hit game since May 24, when he had four hits. Infante has not had an RBI since May 18.
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MLB Note – Miami Marlins Kearns, Austin
OF Austin Kearns was activated from the 15-day disabled list Friday (right hamstring strain). He started in left field and went 0-for-4 in his first game since May 22.
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MLB Note – Miami Marlins Jennings, Dan
LHP Dan Jennings’ demotion leaves the Marlins with one lefty in the bullpen — specialist Randy Choate. Jennings was optioned to Class AAA New Orleans after allowing a three-run homer to Atlanta’s Michael Bourn on Thursday. Manager Ozzie Guillen said that Jennings needs to get more work in the minor leagues. Jennings was pitching in a mop-role for the Marlins. “This kid should be in the minor leagues preparing himself for a major league career,” Guillen said. “I’m not saying he wasn’t ready, I just think it was a little bit too quick.” RHP Sandy Rosario, who spent a few days with the Marlins in May, was recalled from Class AAA New Orleans to replace Jennings.
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MLB Note – Miami Marlins Rosario, Sandy
RHP Sandy Rosario, who spent a few days with the Marlins in May, was recalled from Class AAA New Orleans to replace LHP Dan Jennings, who was sent down.
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MLB Note – Miami Marlins Solano, Donovan
INF-OF Donovan Solano will get more action in the outfield, manager Ozzie Guillen said. Solano started his second game in left field Thursday and hit two doubles. He has five hits in 11 at-bats. “No doubt,” Guillen said when asked if Solano was in line for more action in the outfield. “I don’t see why not. He’s a tremendous athlete. Is he a good outfielder? No. Am I afraid to put him out there? No. I think this kid can play any position he wants.”
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