Yanks put Colon on DL with strained hamstring

Updated: June 13, 2011, 1:36 AM ETBy Mike Mazzeo
Special to ESPNNewYork.com
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NEW YORK -- New York Yankees right-hander Bartolo Colon was placed on the 15-day disabled list on Sunday with a strained left hamstring.

Outfielder Chris Dickerson has been called up from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to take Colon's spot on the team's 25-man roster.

Colon underwent an MRI at New York Presbyterian Hospital on Saturday night, but did not know the grade of the sprain. Manager Joe Girardi said the results of the MRI were "pretty good," but Colon will still need to be shut down for at least two weeks.

"I feel good, I just have a little bit of pain," Colon said through a translator. "I'm on the DL now, but I hope to be back after 15 days. ... After the 15 days, I should be back."

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Colon will continue to work on other parts of his body, but doesn't know when he'll be able to start rehabbing his legs.

"I feel bad because the team needs help and I got hurt," Colon said. "But there's nothing I can do about it."

The 38-year-old suffered the injury while trying to cover first base and left Saturday afternoon's game with two outs in the seventh inning.

Colon (5-3, 3.10 ERA) ended up winning for the third straight start on Saturday afternoon, going 6 2/3 scoreless innings as the Yankees shut out the Cleveland Indians, 4-0, at Yankee Stadium. In his last 21 innings, Colon has surrendered just three earned runs.

Hector Noesi, who was summoned from Triple-A to replace Amauri Sanit (disabled list, elbow), could make Colon's next scheduled start on Thursday afternoon against the Texas Rangers, according to Girardi. The right-handed Noesi threw six innings of two-run ball out of the bullpen on Tuesday night against the Boston Red Sox before being sent down to the minors.

In four Triple-A starts, Noesi went 1-1 with a 3.92 ERA, allowing nine earned runs and 25 hits over 20 2/3 innings.

"I was a starter (in the minors) and it's normal for me to throw six, seven or eight innings," said Noesi, who was unaware that he might have to step into the rotation. "It's just (easier)."

Although he wouldn't commit to Noesi, Girardi said he's thrown 75 pitches and could conceivably give the Yankees 80-85 if need be. Other internal minor league options to take Colon's turn could be Adam Warren (4-2, 3.53), D.J. Mitchell (4-5, 3.04) or David Phelps (4-4, 2.95).

Colon was en route to snag first baseman Mark Teixeira's flip to retire right fielder Shin-Soo Choo on a grounder, but he came up lame and walked gingerly off the field.

Colon lost out of the fifth spot in the Yankees' rotation coming out of spring training and began the season in the bullpen, but emerged out of nowhere with ace-like dominance after right-hander Phil Hughes was placed on the DL in mid-April with right shoulder inflammation.

Third baseman Alex Rodriguez called general manager Brian Cashman's free agent signing of Colon in February "the signing of the century."

"He's been consistently great all year. 1-A stuff," Rodriguez said Saturday.

Colon's loss couldn't come at a worse time for the Yankees, who are already dealing with a depleted bullpen due to the losses of Joba Chamberlain, Rafael Soriano, Pedro Feliciano and Damaso Marte due to various injuries.

Hughes is slated to make his first minor league rehab start on Tuesday for the Gulf Coast Yankees, but the Yankees don't know when he'll be back.

Colon's weight -- 265 pounds -- could be an issue as he begins rehab, but Girardi said "he's pretty quick for how big he is."

"I think you worry (more) about if a guy's favoring something that he could be hurting his arm," Girardi said.

Colon's success with the Yankees this season comes on the heels of an unorthodox offseason shoulder surgery that involved stem cells being injected into his painful shoulder and elbow.

The doctor who performed the surgery has given HGH to other patients, though he claims that he did not give it to Colon. The surgery is being investigated by Major League Baseball.

Mike Mazzeo is a regular contributor to ESPNNewYork.com. ESPNNewYork.com's Matt Ehalt contributed to this report.

 

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A's send LHP Anderson for closer look at injury

CHICAGO -- Oakland A's starter Brett Anderson will meet with noted orthopedist Dr. James Andrews on Monday.

Anderson was placed on the 15-day disabled list Tuesday and an MRI exam performed by team orthopedist Dr. Jon Dickinson couldn't identify the injury, so the team wanted a second opinion.

The 23-year-old southpaw had allowed 14 earned runs in 10 1/3 innings over his last two starts, both losses. He is 3-6 with a 4.00 ERA on the season.

Anderson missed all but three starts in May, June and July of last year because of elbow inflammation.

Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press

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Dodgers get rehab updates on Kuo, two others

Updated: June 12, 2011, 2:58 PM ETBy Tony Jackson
ESPNLosAngeles.com
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DENVER -- At the end of the weekend in which the unreliability of the Los Angeles Dodgers' injury-depleted bullpen has been underscored repeatedly, there was good news before Sunday's game against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field, as relievers Hong-Chih Kuo, Jonathan Broxton and Kenley Jansen all took major steps in their efforts to return from the disabled list.

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First, setup man Kuo appeared to take a major step forward on Saturday night in his effort to come back from his latest bout with the yips, pitching a perfect eighth inning for advanced Class A Rancho Cucamonga against Visalia. Kuo had hoped to test himself by coming into the middle of an inning with runners on base, but that didn't work out because highly touted pitching prospect Ethan Martin had pitched a perfect seventh.

Still, Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said the reports he got on Kuo's performance were that the once-dominating left-hander looked much more like himself.

"His velocity was up, which was kind of a good sign,'' Mattingly said. "He touched 96 (mph), where before he was at 92. Last night, he was (between) 92-96, so that tells you maybe he was letting it go a little bit more and feeling free about letting it go.''

Mattingly said it will be Kuo's decision what to do next, which has been the case since Kuo abruptly left the team on May 11 feeling that he could no longer command the ball.

Broxton, the Dodgers' erstwhile All-Star closer who has been on the 15-day DL since May 6 with a bone bruise in his right elbow and wasn't especially effective before that, is now tentatively slated to begin a minor league rehabilitation early next week. Broxton will throw off a mound for the third time on Tuesday and then a simulated game on Friday, a plan Mattingly conceded tentatively sets Broxton up to begin rehab assignment next week.

Meanwhile, although Jansen pitched two perfect innings in his second rehab appearance for Double-A Chattanooga on Saturday night, retired all nine batters he has faced in those two appearances and becomes eligible to be activated on Monday, Mattingly said the club might wait until later in the week to bring him back so that Jansen can make another two-inning appearance for the Lookouts.

"We want to get him stretched out and be able to go two (innings),'' Mattingly said. "He went two innings last night, but is one time enough for that? Just talking theoretically, if he could take today and (Monday) off, then go again on Tuesday.''

Mattingly said with the Dodgers having an off-day on Thursday, that could put Jansen on target to return on Friday night against the Houston Astros. However, Mattingly said that could change if the Dodgers have to use several relievers on Sunday against the Rockies, which might necessitate bringing Jansen back on Monday night against the Cincinnati Reds.

Tony Jackson covers the Dodgers for ESPNLosAngeles.com.

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Dodgers' De La Rosa exits with forearm cramp

Updated: June 12, 2011, 11:51 PM ETBy Tony Jackson
ESPNLosAngeles.com
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DENVER -- Rubby De La Rosa, the Los Angeles Dodgers' highly touted rookie right-hander, left Sunday's game with the Colorado Rockies because of what later was diagnosed as a cramp in his right forearm after throwing one pitch in the bottom of the fifth inning.

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"It was right in here," De La Rosa said, pointing at an area on the underside of his right arm, just above his wrist. De La Rosa went on to say, with Kenji Nimura interpreting, that his right index finger curled up against his palm and he was unable to straighten it.

De La Rosa said he was told by the team's medical staff that the condition resulted from dehydration and that he should drink more water when he pitches. He is expected to make his next scheduled start on Saturday night against the Houston Astros.

De La Rosa had thrown 83 pitches to that point in his second major league start, and all three of the runs he had allowed had come on a home run by Rockies right fielder Seth Smith with two outs in the first inning. Since then, De La Rosa had given up just one hit and struck out six batters.

Tony Jackson covers the Dodgers for ESPNLosAngeles.com.

Follow Tony Jackson on Twitter: @dodgerscribe

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Jeter helps Yankees hang 18 hits on Indians

Freddy Garcia has been great in tight spots lately, as he works on re-earning his nickname. Is it time to start calling him The Chief again, asks Andrew Marchand. Story

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Olivo, King Felix carry Mariners past Tigers

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DETROIT -- For four innings, the Seattle Mariners couldn't hit a ball out of the infield.

Then Miguel Olivo hit one out of the park. "I think that kind of woke us up a little bit," teammate Brendan Ryan said. Olivo hit two home runs and Felix Hernandez pitched eight innings to lead the Mariners to a 7-3 victory over the Detroit Tigers on Sunday. Seattle trailed 2-0 and hadn't hit a ball out of the infield when Olivo led off the fifth with a home run. The Mariners scored three runs in the inning, and Olivo added a two-run shot in the eighth. Hernandez (7-5) allowed three runs and nine hits. He struck out six and walked five. Ryan had three hits, and Justin Smoak hit a two-run homer in the ninth for Seattle. Rick Porcello (6-4) went seven innings, allowing three runs on six hits with three walks and five strikeouts. Porcello was forcing the Mariners to hit a lot of groundballs before Olivo started Seattle's fifth-inning rally with a line drive over the left-field fence. "When you have the kind of pitcher like Felix Hernandez in there, and he sees that we're battling, hitting," Olivo said. "After that home run, that's when he got everything together." First, the Mariners gave Hernandez a lead. One out after Olivo's homer, Chone Figgins walked, and after he stole second, Ichiro Suzuki lined a two-out single over third baseman Don Kelly to tie the game. After Ryan bunted for a hit, Smoak hit a bloop to left-center that dropped between shortstop Jhonny Peralta, left fielder Andy Dirks and center fielder Austin Jackson for an RBI single. Kelly prevented more runs when he went back into shallow left field to catch a popup by Carlos Peguero with the bases loaded for the third out, but the Mariners added a couple more runs in the eighth. After Peguero drew a one-out walk from reliever Daniel Schlereth, Joaquin Benoit came out of the Detroit bullpen and gave up Olivo's second homer of the game and 10th of the season. "When I called timeout, he threw the fastball," Olivo said. "I know he knows I saw the fastball coming, and I know he's going to throw some breaking ball. I just stayed back, and he hangs the change-up." It was the fourth multihomer game of Olivo's career. The catcher was shaken up in the bottom of the eighth when he appeared to be hit in the groin area by a foul ball, but Olivo stayed in the game. Hernandez, last year's American League Cy Young Award winner, allowed a walk to Miguel Cabrera and a single to Victor Martinez to start the bottom of the eighth. Alex Avila hit a two-out single to drive in a run, but Ramon Santiago hit a groundball to end the inning on Hernandez's 126th and final pitch. "Today was hard. I had a little trouble, not good command. I figured out a way to throw eight innings and win the game," Hernandez said. "Walks have been killing me. I've been throwing a lot of walks in the last couple games so I've just got to figure it out, get ahead of the hitters and make good pitches." Smoak's homer off Adam Wilk, his 12th of the season, made it 7-3. Brandon League then pitched the ninth for Seattle. "I thought we were going to win that game -- that was the feeling I had in my gut -- but the add-on runs killed us," Detroit manager Jim Leyland said. "We let it get away with those runs at the end." Detroit opened the scoring in the second thanks in part to a misplay by Hernandez, who turned and looked to second for a possible force play before throwing too late to first on Dirks' bunt. That infield single gave the Tigers runners on first and second, and Avila eventually drove in a run with a two-out single. Jackson led off the bottom of the third with a double off the fence in left-center and went to third on an error by Peguero, the left fielder. Hernandez came within a strike of getting out of that jam, but Martinez hit an RBI single with two outs for a 2-0 lead. Game notes
The Tigers announced after the game they will call up OF Magglio Ordonez on Monday. Ordonez has been rehabbing his injured right ankle with Triple-A Toledo. ... Cabrera reached base in all four trips to the plate against Hernandez, hitting a single and drawing three walks. Martinez hit two singles with a walk. ... Suzuki had two hits for a second straight game after sitting out Friday night. Copyright by STATS LLC and The Associated Press

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Buckeyes' Gee: Football troubles are temporary

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State University President E. Gordon Gee told the institution's largest graduating class that a scandal in its celebrated football program is "but a temporary condition."

As Gee opened commencement festivities Sunday for a record 9,700 graduates and about 40,000 family and friends inside Ohio Stadium, he made a veiled reference to the controversy.

"Let me acknowledge on this day of celebration, in this cathedral of triumph and hope, that many Buckeye hearts are heavy," Gee said. "On rare occasion, this great grand building has been home to disappointment and tumult. That is but a temporary condition."

Commencement speaker John Boehner, the speaker of the U.S. House, did not mention the issue.

The university is grappling with the departure of football coach Jim Tressel and star quarterback Terrelle Pryor amid an NCAA investigation into players' trading of signed equipment, championship rings and other memorabilia to a tattoo-parlor owner for cash and discounted tattoos.

Gee assured tens of thousands of alumni and supporters of the university, as well as its new graduates, that things will improve. Evoking the memories of great Ohio State athletes of the past, including football's Archie Griffin and track Olympian Jesse Owens, he said: "Let no one harbor any doubt that the history of this place is enduring and sustaining. Ohio Stadium stands today as it will ever more."

The crowd roared and tooted horns.

Tressel's 10-year Ohio State coaching career ended in disgrace in May when he stepped down for breaking NCAA rules.

He knew players received cash and tattoos for autographs, championship rings and equipment and did not tell anyone at Ohio State or the NCAA for more than nine months. NCAA rules -- and Tressel's contract -- specify that he must disclose any and all information about possible violations.

Pryor announced Tuesday he would give up his senior season with the Buckeyes in the midst of the probe, which had already led to a five-game suspension for him.

Fans and alumni have criticized Gee's handling of the scandal since the memorabilia sales first came to light in December. His office received emails questioning the decision to suspend five players, including Pryor, for five games but allow them to play in the Sugar Bowl.

At a March 8 news conference, Gee was asked whether he'd considered firing Tressel. He responded: "No, are you kidding? Let me just be very clear: I'm just hopeful the coach doesn't dismiss me."

Gee was joined on the stage Sunday by the university's board of trustees, which has ultimate hiring and firing power over him and athletics director Gene Smith.

He appeared chipper as the university celebrated its biggest academic moment of the year, posing for photographs and shaking students' hands.

Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press

 

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