Pirates Note...

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The team announced last night it will promote first baseman Brad Eldred, its top power-hitting prospect, to Class AAA Indianapolis today. He hit two more home runs last night, giving him 13 in 21 games with Class AA Altoona. That home run total is the most in professional baseball. In 60 Class AA games, Eldred has homered 30 times.

The team also is trying out catcher Ryan Doumit in right field and first base in Indianapolis. Management does not feel Doumit is ready to catch in the majors, but it is confident he could hit in Pittsburgh now. He is batting .344 with six home runs and 18 RBIs.


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Reliever Salomon Torres does not have a strain or tear to the upper-back muscle that has troubled him since spring training, an MRI showed yesterday. Torres, whose outing Saturday was cut short by pain in the area, had the MRI done in Pittsburgh yesterday, then flew to Houston for the game. Manager Lloyd McClendon was uncertain as to Torres' availability.

 

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Thome's sore back still cause for concern


NEW YORK - Sounds as if somebody's fed up.

Jim Thome met with manager and mentor Charlie Manuel yesterday afternoon. Together, they decided they need further knowledge about the condition of his back. Now.

Last night, Thome missed his second straight start and his third start in 10 games with the same back problem that sidelined him for a week in spring training.

However, unlike April 22, Thome was not available to pinch-hit the past two games. The severity of the latest flare-up has Manuel concerned. He's been with Thome every season since Thome became a professional and said he's never seen Thome in this much pain.

"I wouldn't say that," Thome said, though his frustration with the constant therapy and the aching was palpable. For the first time, he sounded ready to sit for a while.

"If I can't play, I want to know what I need to do to play," he said.

Does that mean an MRI exam for the nearly 2-month-old injury? Does it mean a visit to a specialist outside of the Phillies' medical staff today? Does that mean just resting for 15 days on the disabled list and letting slugging Triple A first baseman Ryan Howard get a couple of weeks in the majors?

Nobody said last night.

Thome and Manuel deferred to trainer Jeff Cooper, whom Thome called a "genius." Cooper does not speak with the press, so further clarification about Thome's injury, and what measures might soon be taken, remain as much a mystery to the public as, apparently, to the player and manager.

Manuel continues to operate with a three-man bench, because centerfielder Kenny Lofton also was unavailable for a third straight game, nursing a strained, tendinitis-stricken right hamstring.

Since backup catcher Todd Pratt is a specialist to a degree, it's really a two-man bench: pinch-hitter Jose Offerman and whichever infielder among Chase Utley, Placido Polanco and David Bell who isn't already playing.

Utility man Tomas Perez got last night's start at first after he collected three hits and three RBI on Sunday in Thome's place. Offerman and Polanco were the bench, with Pratt.

The Phillies still won't drop from seven relievers to six, so, until Lofton or Thome hits the DL, Manuel essentially will hope his regulars don't get hurt in a game and pray that they don't run into a 15-inning escapade.

"Sooner or later - and I guess it's going to have to be sooner - we'll have to make a move," Manuel said. He was clearly irritated about his daily interrogation on the matter.

The sticking point appears to be that the Phillies see a considerable drop-off in centerfield from Lofton to Marlon Byrd or Shane Victorino, as well as a considerable drop-off with first-base-by-committee in Thome's absence.

"When we make a move, it's got to be somebody who can help our club," Manuel said.

The first move: finding out more about what's wrong with Thome.

 

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When Daniel Cabrera last pitched, he took a rocky no-decision in Toronto in a game the Orioles won, 13-5. That was April 22, when he gave up five earned runs and six walks in 5 2/3 innings. Tonight, 11 days later, Cabrera faces the Blue Jays again.

Mazzilli said Cabrera put the extra time to good use.

"I gave him two days on the side to work on a few things with Ray [pitching coach Ray Miller]," Mazzilli said. "A couple of things he just wanted to work on and straighten out. ... He's not happy when he doesn't succeed the way he wants to. That tells me a lot about him."

 

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LHP Sean Henn will be called up from Double-A Trenton to start in place of the injured Randy Johnson(groin) for Weds(5/4) game against the Devil Rays.
The 24-year-old Henn has been great this year - 2-1 with an ERA of 0.71 and 21 strikouts in 25 1/3 innings.

 

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Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano will make his major league debut Tuesday, according to MLB.com. Cano fits into the Yanks' mix after Tony Womack moved to left field to replace Hideki Matsui who is replace Bernie Williams. "As a staff, we felt this kid was very close to being ready (in Spring Training), we just didn't have the room," manager Joe Torre said. "Now that we're scuffling, it's a good time to try it. We need to find out what's going to help us win."
Cano's got a good bat and decent power for a second baseman. However, he still has problems with lefthanders.

 

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Nationals outfielder Terrmel Sledge suffered a Grade 2 hamstring pull in the sixth inning of Monday's game against the Dodgers and will miss two-to-three weeks. The team will place Sledge on the disabled list Tuesday, MLB.com reported.Ryan Church will take over the everyday duties in left field, and the Nats will likely call up an outfielder from Triple-A to occupy a bench spot.

 

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Kerry Wood:
Predictably, it only took four outings for his shoulder to start getting "cranky" again.

Wood left his start against the Pirates on April 24 early and then left his next start this past Saturday against the Astros after just three innings with what was initially described as tendonitis in the back of his rotator cuff.


An MRI arthrogram was conducted on Monday, revealing a strained supraspinatus muscle in Wood's shoulder. He was immediately placed on the 15-day disabled list, and will be shut down a minimum of three weeks.

For those of you who haven't earned your medical degree yet, MLB.com describes the supraspinatus muscle as the one that "runs along the top of the shoulder blade and inserts at the top of the arm. The muscle is used to lift the arm up sideways."

After the three week period, Wood's arm strength will be re-evaluated and a decision will be made on whether he is well enough to pitch again.


Though nothing is official, Glendon Rusch (2-0, 2.35) is expected to replace Wood in the Cubbies' rotation again?just as he did last year when Wood was landed on the disabled list from May 20 to July 11 with a strained right triceps. Rusch filled in admirably last year, going 3-1 with a 3.43 ERA and four quality starts while Wood was on the shelf.

In a related move, Ryan Dempster appears headed out of the rotation to the bullpen, or more specifically the back of the bullpen in the closer's role.