seattle pitching note..

[IE]

? Ryan Franklin makes his third start of the season tonight against the Baltimore Orioles, but Manager Lou Piniella is worried that by shifting him to one area, he might be weakening the other.

Franklin has had 21 appearances as a reliever, going 3-0 with a 2.73 earned-run average. He has allowed just 10 earned runs in 33 innings, walking six and striking out 21. He is 1-1 as a starter with a 5.40 ERA. He displaces John Halama as the fifth starter at least through Saturday's game against the Anaheim Angels.

"My concern is it takes away our versatility," Piniella said. "I can put him in in the seventh, fourth, ninth. It doesn't matter when I use him, I have confidence in him in all three roles. Taking that piece out of the bullpen, playing as many games as we do, it's a concern.

"Johnny doesn't give me near the versatility. I can't get him up during innings because I can't get him ready. He's a contact-type pitcher."

Piniella said since the offense is not scoring as many runs as last season and has gone through a funk the past couple of weeks.

"I've got to have a strong bullpen. I can control that," Piniella said. "My bullpen will tell me what I have to do and what I don't have to do. Scoring the runs we've been scoring (lately), matchups in the bullpen are important."


? When Franklin is activated tonight, the club will no doubt send reliever Julio Mateo back to Class AAA Tacoma. That means Halama and LHP Mark Watson will be the relievers to work in middle to long relief. Watson, who finally appeared in a game yesterday, should get plenty of action.

 

[IE]

twins pitching update....

twins pitching update....

Rodriguez sidelined: Another Twins pitcher has elbowed his way onto the disabled list, the seventh this season.

Left-handed reliever Jose Rodriguez, called up July 1 to replace Matt Kinney, went on the 15-day d.l. because of inflammation in his throwing elbow. He complained of soreness after giving up four runs in two-thirds of an inning Saturday against the Rangers.

It was the first time Gardenhire learned about the problem, which forced the Twins to bring up right-handed sinkerballer Kevin Frederick from Class AAA Edmonton.

Frederick, 26, was 3-5 with a 4.73 earned-run average and 16 saves as the Trappers' closer after pitching for Minnesota during spring training.

Meanwhile, the Twins' rehab express begins chugging at full steam this week with five pitchers scheduled for minor league assignments.

Bob Wells, who had surgery last month to remove bone chips from his right elbow, is with the Trappers in Portland, Ore.

Brad Radke, who has missed two months because of a pulled groin, will throw a simulated game today at the Metrodome and then join Kinney (shoulder) and reliever Jack Cressend (rotator cuff) in Fort Myers, Fla., on Tuesday for rehabilitation outings. Kinney will pitch for the Class A Miracle of the Florida State League, while Radke and Cressend will join the Twins' rookie team in the Gulf Coast League.

Radke will start Friday before moving up to Class A on July 24.

Joe Mays, out since April 14 because of soreness in his right elbow, is scheduled to start today for Class AA New Britain and might return to the rotation this weekend when the Twins play at Detroit.

 

[IE]

phillies pitching note..

phillies pitching note..

Mesa's struggle's......Pitching coach Vern Ruhle believes closer Jose Mesa's recent struggles are about to end. Mesa has a loss, two blown saves, and a 15.75 ERA in his last four outings.

"It's a little mechanical thing that he needs to adjust and he'll be right back on track," Ruhle said. "He came back from the all-star break and he wanted to do well. He got a little too aggressive and he started to overthrow [Friday] night, then he carried it into [Saturday]."

Bowa said Mesa also is opening his shoulder more than usual.

Reliever on the rise. Hector Mercado pitched two scoreless innings yesterday, and has allowed just one hit and struck out six batters in 42/3 innings since being recalled from triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

"He's been throwing the ball very good for us," Bowa said. "He has started throwing a splitter, and it's another pitch in his arsenal. He didn't use it the first time he was up here, and he went down to triple A and started throwing it. He had surgery before, so I think he was a little afraid to throw it, but he went down and saw it didn't hurt his arm. He's throwing very good right now."

 

[IE]

tampa bay pitching note...

tampa bay pitching note...

Ryan Rupe will be limited to around 80 pitches in Monday's game against Oakland.
It will be his first outing since going on the 15-day disabled list June 25 with right knee tendinitis.

 

[IE]

boston pitching note...

boston pitching note...

Rolando Arrojo will come off the disabled list and start today for the Red Sox.
Arrojo was expected to make one more rehab start, but the Red Sox have decided to rush him back. He shouldn't be able to work more than five innings today. Sun Woo Kim will probably be sent down to make room on the roster for Arrojo.

The Red Sox have decided to leave Wakefield in the bullpen rather than start.

 

[IE]

detroit pitching note..

detroit pitching note..

It might sound strange coming from someone who has pitched in the postseason, but right-hander Jose Lima calls tonight's start against the Red Sox "the biggest of my career."






Lima, who lost his spot in the rotation in April and has pitched sparingly in relief since, knows this start is likely a one-time thing. Because of Saturday's doubleheader, the Tigers had to look outside their five-man rotation for a starter, and manager Luis Pujols decided on Lima.

"I know the situation here. . . . I'm not fighting for a spot in the rotation," Lima said. "But it's my chance to show people my arm is healthy."

Lima, 29, has said he would like to end his career with the Tigers.

But he admitted that "it doesn't look good."

Lima, who has pitched in 11 games -- including four starts -- said he'll try to make the most of limited opportunities and hope someone gives him a chance to pitch next season.

"It hurts to be in this situation," Lima said. "I still can't believe I'm not pitching here, but I'm not.

"I'm making a lot of money ($7.25 million) to be a clown in the dugout, but I don't want to be paid for being a clown."

Lima pitched 479 2/3 innings with Houston in 1998-99, but has logged only 26 2/3 this season. Because he hasn't pitched much, Pujols said he'll limit Lima to "between 50 and 60 pitches" in tonight's start against the Red Sox at Comerica Park.

Whatever the workload, Lima said he'll gladly accept it.

"I'm not pointing fingers at anybody, but this has been devastating," Lima said. "We're talking about my career here.

"I love this game; not playing is killing me."

ONE START ONLY: Because the Tigers are using the rest of this season to look at young players who might be a part of the 2003 team, fans might wonder why Lima is starting tonight instead of right-hander Nate Cornejo.

Pujols said it's because tonight's pitcher will make only one start, and the Tigers thought it would be best to keep Cornejo at Triple-A Toledo, where he is 6-3 with a 3.32 ERA.

"I didn't want him to pitch once and then go back down," Pujols said. "He's been comfortable down there and pitching well. I want him to keep that feeling."

After a rocky exhibition season in Florida, Cornejo started the season with the Tigers but was ineffective and sent back to the Mud Hens.

Cornejo has won six straight decisions over seven starts, during which he has a 2.17 ERA with 33 strikeouts and 10 walks in 49 2/3 innings.

"When Nate returns to the big leagues, he's going to be here for a long time," Pujols said.

NOTEBOOK: Rightfielder Robert Fick was given the day off Sunday. "He's been playing a lot, and was the only one of our players that didn't get a chance to relax for the three-day break because he was at the All-Star Game," Pujols said. Fick's reaction to sitting out? "You know I don't like it," he said

 

[IE]

cincinnati pitching note..

cincinnati pitching note..

TOE-TO-TOE: Pitchers live with the daily reality that their pitching arm and hand are their meal ticket, so they take extra care to avoid using them as much as possible away from the ballpark. Reds right-hander Scott Sullivan even goes so far as to always walk his dog with the leash in his left hand.

Most pitchers, however, don't pay as much attention to their toes, but Reds left-hander Gabe White is going to change that. After breaking the little toe on his right foot when he stubbed it on a bedpost while getting ready to go out to lunch Friday ? an injury that put him on the 15-day disabled list ? White has a plan.

?I'm going to start wearing boots to bed,? he said.

White is going to be difficult to replace. His 18 ?holds? lead the NL. . He had stranded 22 of his last 23 inherited runners, including three bases-loaded situations.

?Those are tough shoes to fill,? said Reds closer Danny Graves, noting, however, that the bullpen is otherwise healthy and productive, and that there are a number of options.

The likely candidates for White's role, given their stuff, are middle men Scott Williamson and John Riedling, and left-hander Bruce Chen.

 

[IE]

cleveland bullpen

cleveland bullpen

that tribe bp worked quite a few innings since the allstar break in the series vs yanks.....

Bullpen ( Last 4 Games )
Date Opp IP R ER ERA H BB SO HR W L SV BS
7/11/02 NYY 2.0 3 3 13.50 4 1 2 0 0 0 0 0
7/12/02 NYY 3.0 0 0 0.00 0 0 3 0 1 0 0 0
7/13/02 NYY 7.2 6 6 7.04 7 3 6 1 0 0 0 0
7/14/02 NYY 5.2 0 0 0.00 4 3 2 0 1 0 0 0

 

[Hack]

IE.
Beautiful shite mate.
Appreciate your work.
Thx.

 

[IE]

atlanta pitching note..

atlanta pitching note..

Scrape curbs Holmes' status

Montreal --- As a 36-year-old veteran who overcame elbow surgery and major back surgery, Braves reliever Darren Holmes never expected to land on the disabled list after falling over a curb.

But it happened. Holmes badly scraped his right thumb when he slipped on a Montreal street returning from lunch Friday. He thrust his hands down to stop his fall.

"It's crazy," said the right-hander, who was walking with teammate Keith Lockhart at the time. Holmes noted that curbs are higher in Montreal than in Atlanta and other places.

After waiting two days to see if the injury would heal, manager Bobby Cox said Sunday the Braves decided to put Holmes on the 15-day DL retroactive to July 7, the day after he last pitched.

Holmes will be eligible to return next Monday when the Braves open a three-game series at Florida. In the meantime, the bullpen vacancy will be filled by Albie Lopez, who has been on the DL with shoulder tendinitis.

"I was hoping Darren would be able to pitch [without a DL stint], but it's deeper than I thought it was," Cox said.

Holmes said there was no pain when he threw Saturday with a bandage. Rules prohibit him from wearing one during a game.

After missing the 2001 season while recovering from back surgery, Holmes (2-1, 1.51 ERA) has been a key member of baseball's top-rated bullpen, allowing 25 hits and eight walks with 26 strikeouts in 35 2/3 innings.

"I can continue to throw," said Holmes, who will keep his arm in shape by throwing with the wound covered. "My arm is not going to suffer for this."

Albie back

Lopez, who hasn't pitched in a game in three weeks, is scheduled to join the Braves today in Chicago for a two-game series against the Cubs.

He last pitched June 26, when he allowed seven runs and eight hits in four innings of a start against the Mets that dropped the $4 million right-hander's record to 1-4 and raised his ERA to 5.01.

Lopez was scheduled to make his first rehab start Saturday for Macon, but that was scrapped by a threat of rain.

=========


Probable starting pitchers: Today --- RHP Jason Marquis (6-4, 3.94 ERA) vs. Carlos Zambrano (1-1, 2.88); Tuesday --- RHP Kevin Millwood (7-5, 3.90) vs. Jon Lieber (6-6, 3.38).
> Worth noting: Chicago outscored the Florida Marlins 24-9 in a weekend sweep at Wrigley, the first three-game sweep of the season for the Cubs. They improved to 4-2 under interim manager Bruce Kimm, who replaced fired Don Baylor during the series in Atlanta before the All-Star break. The Cubs say they'll let Kimm manage the rest of the season and consider him for the permanent job if the team excels. . . . Kimm is going almost exclusively with catcher Todd Hundley and using Joe Girardi in a limited backup role. Hundley caught all of a 16-inning win Friday against Florida, then caught all nine innings Saturday. . . . CF Corey Patterson has been dropped from leadoff to the sixth spot in the batting order, with Mark Bellhorn and Darren Lewis getting starts at the top of the lineup since the All-Star break. . . . On the disabled list --- RHP Jason Bere (bruised knee), LHP Donovan Osborne (strained rib-cage muscle), LHP Will Ohman (elbow surgery).


> Who's hot: Bellhorn is 16-for-38 (.421) with nine extra-base hits (three home runs), nine walks and 13 runs in his past 10 games. . . . McGriff is 20-for-66 (.303) with seven homers and 16 RBIs in his past 17 games.
> Who's not: Gonzalez homered Sunday but is 12-for-59 (.203) with almost as many errors (three) as RBIs (four) in his past 16 games. . . . Hundley is 9-for-58 (.155) with three RBIs and 24 strikeouts in his past 16 games.
> Tonight's pitching matchup: In his only previous start against the Cubs, Marquis allowed one run, five hits and four walks in 6 1/3 innings on July 4 and got no decision in a 5-1 victory. He threw 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief against them two years ago in his only other appearance against the Cubs. Marquis is 5-2 with a 2.98 ERA in nine starts since returning from a four-week stint on the DL (sore shoulder), and has received 6.1 support runs per nine innings pitched during that stretch. . . . This will be the first appearance for Zambrano since he allowed two hits and six walks in five shutout innings against the Braves on July 6. He's 1-1 with a 1.86 ERA in two starts since moving from the bullpen into the rotation. In a start against Florida, he gave up six runs (two earned), six hits and three walks in 4 2/3 innings.

 

[IE]

oakland pitching note....

oakland pitching note....

Hard-luck Lilly is geared up for debut




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Baltimore -- Today is the big day: Ted Lilly, the man the A's traded Jeff Weaver for, will make his Oakland debut, starting against Tampa Bay.

He'll be wearing Terrence Long's spikes, and some of his other accessories will be on loan from teammates. Lilly last saw the Yankees' equipment bag he packed after he was traded when he checked it at JFK Airport.

"There was some stuff I wanted to hang onto, jerseys and things, but I have all the equipment I need," he said.

Still, not a fun way to start life with a new team, especially for a guy who was a little stunned about being traded away from the AL champs. "I was kind of numb with shock and disbelief," Lilly said. "With one phone call, your life changes."

Pitching coach Rick Peterson has spent some time working with Lilly in bullpen sessions, trying to learn his stuff (which Peterson described as great), and also trying to help the quiet 26-year-old get settled.

"He's reserved, but I think everyone here is doing as much as they can to make him feel comfortable," Peterson said. "He feels very anxious to be a part of the team, and then he comes in and doesn't even have his equipment -- his glove is gone, his shoes are gone, his underwear, and he's three time zones away."

Lilly throws a two-seam and four-seam fastball and a cutter/slider, and Peterson especially likes the look of his changeup and curveball. "But he's rusty," Peterson said. "He hasn't pitched since the end of June (the 29th)."

The A's obtained Lilly on July 5 after sending Carlos Pena and Franklin German and a player to be named to Detroit for Weaver, then sending Weaver to the Yankees for Lilly and two good Double-A players.

One American League scout who's seen Lilly pitch three times this season said, unprompted, that he liked the trade, noting especially the lack of run support that Lilly got in New York (2.55 runs per game, lowest in the league among pitchers with 10 or more starts), as well as the fact that Lilly is limiting opponents to a .202 average.

MISCELLANY: Lilly (3-6) will oppose Ryan Rupe (5-9) tonight, and Mark Mulder (10-5) faces either Joe Kennedy (5-8) or Jorge Sosa (0-1) on Tuesday. . . . The A's are 6-1 against the Devil Rays this season.

 

[IE]

as i mentioned yesterday.....



Troy Percival was put on the DL because of an infection in his left foot.
Percival will likely return when he is eligible on July 27. In the meantime, closer opportunies are up for grabs. Newly-recalled Matt Wise is one possibility, Scott Schoeneweis and Ben Weber are others. The Angels were already looking to acquire a reliever; this should speed up the process with big games coming up against Oakland and Seattle. Percival developed the infection during a family boating trip over the break.

 

[IE]

florida pitching note...

florida pitching note...

LLOYD IN, MAIRENA OUT

Reliever Graeme Lloyd, acquired in the Thursday trade that sent Cliff Floyd to Montreal, joined the Marlins on Sunday night in New York.

To make room, Oswaldo Mairena will be sent to Triple A Calgary.