The Baseball Daily Thursday, August 3, 2000

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News and Notes
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SCHILLING DEALS SHUTOUT TO BRAVES IN HOMECOMING

(AP) - With Curt Schilling on the mound, Arizona's recent hitting
and bullpen woes were irrelevant. In a home debut that couldn't
have been much better, Schilling shut out Atlanta for the second
time this season as the Diamondbacks beat the Braves and Greg
Maddux 2-0 Wednesday night. Schilling, who graduated from high
school in Phoenix 15 years ago, is 2-0 since the trade that
brought him back to Arizona. "It's a lot of fun. This is what
it's all about," Schilling said. Schilling, 7-2 with a 1.69 ERA
in his last 10 starts, allowed six hits and retired the final 13
batters. He struck out four and walked one in his fifth complete
game of the season and 15th shutout of his career. Maddux gave up
two runs on five hits in six innings. Arizona climbed back into a
virtual tie with San Francisco for first place in the NL West,
one percentage point behind the Giants, 6-4 losers in Milwaukee.

EXTRA BASES

Will Clark is definitely up for a pennant race. Clark hit a homer
in his first start for St. Louis and Jim Edmonds went deep twice
and had five RBIs as the Cardinals beat Montreal 10-7. Clark,
acquired from Baltimore on Monday, went 3-for-4 with two RBIs and
reached safely in his first five plate appearances as a Card. NL
Central-leading St. Louis moved five games ahead of second-place
Cincinnati, which lost 2-1 in New York as the Mets' Robin Ventura
hit a two-run homer in the first and Al Leiter retired 18 of the
last 19 batters he faced. In another memorable debut in the NL,
pinch-hitter Henry Rodriguez doubled in his first at-bat for
Florida, setting up Luis Castillo's two-run single in the bottom
of the ninth that lifted the Marlins over Houston 5-4. Rodriguez
was acquired Monday from the Chicago Cubs. Sammy Sosa led off the
eighth with his 33rd homer, carrying the Cubs by Colorado 3-2.

In the AL, after the two teams played a 19-inning marathon the
night before, Boston's Pedro Martinez made short work of Seattle.
Martinez improved to 9-0 on the road this season, pitching a
five-hitter as the Red Sox beat the Mariners 5-2 to avenge
Tuesday's 5-4 loss. Martinez struck out seven and walked two in
his fifth complete game of the season. Wil Cordero had an RBI
single and pinch-runner Jolbert Cabrera scored the go-ahead run
on catcher Mike DiFelice's passed ball during a two-run eighth as
Cleveland beat Tampa Bay 5-3, ending the Devil Rays' franchise
record-tying six-game winning streak. Blake Stein allowed just
two hits in eight innings as Kansas City beat the New York
Yankees 4-1 to stop a five-game losing streak, and Eric Chavez
drove in four runs, including the game winner in the eighth, as
Oakland beat Toronto 5-4, completing a three-game sweep.


REDS PITCHER PASSES OUT FROM DEHYDRATION

NEW YORK (AP) - Cincinnati right-hander Elmer Dessens passed out
while walking to the team bus Wednesday and was treated for
dehydration after he pitched seven innings of the Reds' 2-1 loss
to the New York Mets. Dessens was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital
to receive fluids, the Reds said. He was released from the
hospital later Wednesday and flew home to Cincinnati, Reds media
relations director Rob Butcher said. The game, which began at
12:10 ET, was played in very humid conditions with a game-time
temperature of 78 degrees. It was the second medical scare for
the Reds in the three-game series at Shea Stadium. Pitching coach
Don Gullett rejoined the team for Wednesday's game, two days
after he experienced tightness in his chest. Dessens allowed two
runs -- Robin Ventura's first-inning homer -- on six hits
Wednesday. He struck out five and walked one.


BIGGIO'S SEASON-ENDING INJURY ADDS TO ASTROS' WOES

MIAMI (AP) - As Craig Biggio sat on a trainer's table receiving
treatment, replays of the double play that ended his season
played on the clubhouse television. The slide by Florida's
Preston Wilson caught Biggio's leg and tore ligaments in his left
knee, the Houston Astros second baseman's first major injury in
13 seasons. "It happened so quickly," Biggio said Wednesday while
propped on crutches. "It was a clean and hard slide. Freak things
like that happen in baseball all the time." Biggio limped off the
field Tuesday night in the seventh inning of the Astros' 4-3
victory over the Marlins. X-rays revealed Biggio tore his
anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments and that he
would be out for the rest of the season. Biggio will have an MRI
on Friday in Houston but no date has been set for surgery. He
faces at least six months of rehabilitation.

*** For the full story, see
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2568624116-37e


D-RAYS' SAUNDERS PITCHES TWO INNINGS IN FIRST REHAB START

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) - Tampa Bay Devil Rays left-hander Tony
Saunders made a successful return to the mound Wednesday night,
pitching two scoreless innings in a minor league rehabilitation
assignment. Saunders, who fractured his pitching arm almost 14
months ago, started for the Single-A Charleston RiverDogs in a
South Atlantic League game against Augusta. He allowed one hit
while walking one and striking out two. "This is a huge step for
me, I'm not going to lie about it," Saunders said. "I've still
got a long way to go." Saunders, 26, threw 27 pitches, 16 for
strikes. His fastball was consistently in the 84-85 mph range and
topped out at 88 mph. "I felt good," Saunders said. "In the first
inning, I was more worried about putting the ball down the middle
of the plate rather than location, but in the second inning, I
backed off velocity-wise and went more for location."

*** For the full story, see
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2568630442-818


POLONIA TO SIGN WITH YANKEES AGAIN

NEW YORK (AP) - Luis Polonia is joining the New York Yankees
again, agreeing to sign with the World Series champions Wednesday
following his release from the Detroit Tigers. "We're at a point
now where we have to look into the little things that help you
win a game here, there," Yankees manager Joe Torre said before
his team played Kansas City. While the Yankees didn't announce
the signing Wednesday, Torre and others in the organization acted
as if it had happened. A Yankees official, speaking on the
condition he not be identified, said the team hoped Polonia would
arrive before Thursday's game against Kansas City. Polonia, 35,
hit .273 with six homers in 80 games this year with a .325
on-base percentage. Detroit put Polonia on unconditional release
waivers Monday to make room for Triple-A prospect Billy McMillon.

*** For the full story, see
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2568625985-a01


CITY COUNCIL SLOWS, BUT DOESN'T KILL FENWAY PROPOSAL

BOSTON (AP) - The Boston City Council held off taking any action
Wednesday on a new stadium for the Red Sox. It instead decided to
hold more public hearings on the issue. The state Legislature on
Saturday had given final approval to a $665 million financing
plan that includes $312 million in taxpayer money. Of that, $212
million would come from the city to be repaid over the next few
decades through parking and ticket surcharges. The bill has not
been signed by Gov. Paul Cellucci, but he is expected to sign it
when he returns from the Republican National Convention in
Philadelphia. The city money -- $140 million for land acquisition
and $72 million for a parking garage -- and the part of the
proposal that calls for the city to acquire land in the Fenway
neighborhood by eminent domain has to be approved by nine of the
council's 13 members.

*** For the full story, see
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2568626974-fb6


PHILLIES' BYRD HAS SUCCESSFUL SHOULDER SURGERY

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Paul Byrd
underwent successful surgery on his right shoulder Wednesday and
will be out for eight months. Byrd, 29, had a labral tear
repaired in arthroscopic surgery at Wilmington Hospital in
Delaware, the Phillies said. Byrd, an All-Star last season, felt
pain during his last outing, July 26 against the Chicago Clubs,
his second appearance of the season and second in as many days.
Dr. Craig Morgan said it would be four months before Byrd can
throw, six months before he can throw from a mound, and eight
months before he can throw competitively. Byrd will return to his
home near Atlanta on Thursday to continue therapy. Byrd was 15-11
with a 4.60 ERA in 32 starts last season. He signed a one-year
contract worth $1,885,000 this year, more than six times his
salary last season.


JAYS' HAMILTON PITCHES INTO EIGHTH IN TRIPLE-A REHAB START

OTTAWA (AP) - Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Joey Hamilton
pitched seven strong innings Wednesday in a rehabilitation start
for Triple-A Syracuse. Hamilton, recovering from offseason
shoulder surgery, left in the eighth with the game against Ottawa
tied at 1. He struck out one and walked two. In four starts with
the Blue Jays' farm team, Hamilton is 1-2 with a 6.35 ERA.
Syracuse won 3-1 in 12 innings in the first game of a
doubleheader.


REDS' PITCHING COACH REJOINS TEAM

NEW YORK (AP) - Cincinnati Reds pitching coach Don Gullett
returned to the team Wednesday after being hospitalized with
chest pains. He was released from New York Medical Center on
Tuesday night, one night after experiencing tightness in his
chest following a game against the New York Mets. The 49-year-old
coach said doctors ruled out a heart attack. He had a heart
attack in 1986 and underwent triple-bypass surgery in 1990.
Gullett hoped to be able to attend Tuesday's game, but an error
in an enzyme test kept him in the hospital for further
observation. "I actually felt better a few hours after I got to
the hospital," Gullett said Wednesday before the Reds finished a
road trip against the Mets. Gullett pitched nine seasons in the
majors, mostly with Cincinnati. He retired in 1978 and is in his
eighth season as the Reds' pitching coach.


DODGERS ACTIVATE SANTANGELO

PITTSBURGH (AP) - The Los Angeles Dodgers activated outfielder
F.P. Santangelo on Wednesday and placed infielder Chris Donnels
on the 15-day disabled list with a sore right shoulder before
their 11-5 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Santangelo had been
out since July 17 with a bruised left hand. Santangelo
immediately began serving his five-game suspension for his
involvement in the Dodgers' fan brawl in Chicago on May 16. The
Dodgers will play with 24 players until Tuesday's game against
the Cubs.


PADRES SUE INSURER OF PITCHER'S CONTRACT

SAN DIEGO (AP) - Lloyds of London has refused to pay on a policy
the San Diego Padres took out on the contract of injured pitcher
Randy Myers. Lloyds, a consortium of underwriters known for
backing unusual or risky policies, had promised to pay $4 million
each for the 1999 and 2000 seasons if Myers became injured and
couldn't pitch, Padres lawyer Harvey R. Levine said Wednesday.
Myers, a left-handed relief pitcher, hurt a shoulder and didn't
pitch in 1999. He remains on the disabled list and may not pitch
for the rest of this season. The Padres sued Monday in U.S.
District Court, seeking the $4 million for 1999 along with
unspecified punitive damages and legal fees. The insurance
consortium has 20 days to file a response to the suit. Company
officials were not immediately available to discuss the case.

*** For the full story, see
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2568625529-88f


SLUMPING NILSSON RELEASED BY JAPANESE TEAM

(AP) - David Nilsson hopes he hits better at the Sydney Olympics
than he did in Japan. Nilsson, an All-Star catcher with the
Milwaukee Brewers in 1999, was released by the Chunichi Dragons
after a season-long slump that saw him sent to the Japanese
minors. Nilsson, 30, asked the Dragons to cancel his one-year
contract, and they immediately obliged, team spokesman Testsuo
Ishiguro said Wednesday. Nilsson hit only .180 with one home run
and eight RBIs for the Dragons. He was sent down to the minors in
April. In recent months, Nilsson was bothered by lower back pain.
The Australian native returned home to be checked. It is still
expected Nilsson will play for Australia in the Olympics. Nilsson
batted .309 with 21 home runs and 62 RBIs for Milwaukee last
season. Nilsson, however, left the majors after making it clear
he wanted to play for his homeland in the Olympics.

*** For the full story, see
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2568627921-d3f


THIS DATE IN BASEBALL (AP)

1933 - Lefty Grove of the Philadelphia A's became the first
pitcher since Aug. 2, 1931 -- a span of 309 games -- to shut out
the New York Yankees, winning 7-0.

1948 - Cleveland's Satchel Paige made his first major league
start and went seven innings to lead the Indians to a 5-3 victory
over the Washington Senators.

1959 - The second game of All-Star play this year was won by the
AL 5-3 at Los Angeles' Memorial Stadium. Nellie Fox of the
Chicago White Sox singled in the deciding run in the seventh
inning.

1961 - The Pittsburgh Pirates scored a 19-0 victory over the St.
Louis Cardinals for the largest shutout score in an NL night
game.

1969 - Pinch-hitter Rich Reese hit a grand slam to power the
Minnesota Twins to a 5-2 victory over the visiting Baltimore
Orioles and end Dave McNally's 15-game winning streak. His two
victories at the end of 1968 had given him 17 straight wins.

1989 - The Cincinnati Reds scored 14 runs in the first inning on
a major league record 16 hits and went on to beat the Houston
Astros 18-2. Seven Reds had two hits off starter Jim Clancy and
reliever Bob Forsch in the first, breaking a century-old record.

1998 - Mike Oquist allowed 14 earned runs -- the most by a major
leaguer since 1977 -- in only five innings of Oakland's 14-1 loss
to the New York Yankees.

Today's birthdays: Troy Glaus, 24; Rod Beck, 32.


Scoreboard
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AMERICAN LEAGUE

R H E R H E
- - - - - -
Kansas City 4 11 0 Toronto 4 10 0
New York 1 2 1 Oakland 5 12 0


R H E R H E
- - - - - -
Minnesota 10 14 0 Detroit 5 9 0
Baltimore 6 12 1 Anaheim 3 9 1


R H E R H E
- - - - - -
Chicago 2 4 1 Cleveland 5 12 0
Texas 7 13 0 Tampa Bay 3 5 1


R H E
- - -
Boston 5 8 0
Seattle 2 5 1


NATIONAL LEAGUE

R H E R H E
- - - - - -
Cincinnati 1 5 0 Colorado 2 4 1
New York 2 7 0 Chicago 3 8 1


R H E R H E
- - - - - -
San Francisco 4 6 0 Los Angeles 11 11 0
Milwaukee 6 8 0 Pittsburgh 5 10 4


R H E R H E
- - - - - -
St. Louis 10 11 1 Houston 4 11 1
Montreal 7 11 0 Florida 5 8 0


R H E R H E
- - - - - -
Atlanta 0 6 0 Philadelphia 2 8 0
Arizona 2 6 2 San Diego 5 9 3



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