The Game of Baseball

Reported By Stephen Rhodes

The Boston Red Sox will be without one of their prominent starting pitchers as according to Howard Ullman of the Associated Press, Curt Schilling was placed on the 60-day disabled list as he continues to rehabilitate his right shoulder; the Red Sox, in a related move, are expected to add pitcher Lincoln Holdzkom to the 40-man roster as a result. Schilling had said that he would have preferred surgery, but the team insisted that he try rehab first; Schilling said that he wasn't hurt when he signed a 1-year, $8 million contract in November 2007.

In a bit of sad news, according to SportsTicker, former major league pitcher and current ESPN baseball analyst Rick Sutcliffe has been diagnosed with colon cancer; the diagnosis took place after a routine physical, according to a statement by the network. Sutcliffe will undergo chemotherapy and surgery within the next 4 months. During a successful 15-year career in which he pitched for 5 teams, Sutcliffe compiled a record of 171-139 with an ERA of 4.08; He won the National League Rookie of the Year award in 1979, the NL Cy Young award 5 years later and was a 3-time All-Star. We at The Game of Baseball extend our prayers and best wishes in that he has a full and speedy recovery.

I guess no matter what MLB team you are, if you have an underachieving player on your roster, you have to explore your available options. The Seattle Mariners did just that when, according to Gregg Bell of the Associated Press, the team released underwhelming starting pitcher Horacio Ramirez; the Mariners got Ramirez from the Atlanta Braves for reliever Rafael Soriano before last season. Ramirez would then proceed to post an 8-7 record with an astronomical 7.16 ERA in 20 starts before being shut down for nearly 2 months because of a sore shoulder.

Last month's trade for former Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Erik Bedard and the acqusition of free-agent starter Carlos Silva left Ramirez in the unenviable position of battling for a long reliever/spot starter position on the ball club with R.A. Dickey; apparently Ramirez's departure was due in no small part to the fact that Dickey was preferred over Ramirez. Mariners general manager Bill Bavasi caught some heat for the acquisition of Ramirez, yet last fall, team president Chuck Armstrong hinted that the trade wasn't Bavasi's fault, but that there was more to the trade.

Back on September 27, 2007, without naming specific incidents, Armstrong said that "a lot of things went on that compelled us to make that move" of Soriano for whatever the Mariners could get. The Mariners signed Ramirez originally to a 1-year, $2.75 million contract just in case the pursuit of Bedard was unsuccessful; with the release of Ramirez, the team saved themselves $229,167, which is the prorated portion of his 2008 salary.

Reported By Stephen Rhodes


Because of some quirks in the early regular season, the Florida Marlins are leaning towards utilizing a 4-man rotation for the short-term; because of of-days on April 3 and 8, the team will probably not need a fifth starter until April 13. Which could be a good thing for the Marlins as 2 of their projected 4 starters are nursing minor injuries; the 2 pitchers in question, Scott Olsen and Sergio Mitre, may not be ready for the beginning of the 2008 season as Olsen is recovering from left shoulder tendinitis and Mitre is struggling with tightness in his right forearm muscle.

When the Marlins' season opens, they plan to use 12 pitchers - 4 starters and 8 relievers; some bullpen spots appear solid but there's unresolved questions about their rotation. Mark Hendrickson has the early lead among the front five, and based on experience alone, Hendrickson could get the nod to be the Opening Day starting pitcher. On the other hand, rookie pitcher Andrew Miller is having issues with his control; at some point in time, Miller is going to be looked upon as the ace of the Marlins' staff, but needs some more refining to reach that lofty goal. Ricky Nolasco, Rick VandenHurk and Gaby are candidates for rotation spots, as well.

Reported By Stephen Rhodes

Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Nomar Garciaparra's wrist is steadily improving, yet according to the Associated Press, it is uncertain when he will return to the team's lineup. Garciaparra was hit on the right wrist by a pitch Friday during a game against the St. Louis Cardinals; The X-rays were negative, although his wrist is bruised and swollen.

Garciaparra on Tuesday hit in the batting cages with his wrist wrapped; as a result of this injury, Garciaparra has been scratched from the Dodgers' trip to China as exhibition games against the San Diego Padres were scheduled for Friday and Saturday in Beijing, China.

Reported By Stephen Rhodes

The good news for the Boston Red Sox is that ace Josh Beckett's MRI indicate that a disc problem is not the culprit of his current back problem. But Beckett intends not to throw again until the issue is resolved; he told ESPN.com, "We're going to make sure it's completely pain-free. I can't even, really, if lying in one position too long, or sitting in one position too long or standing in one position too long, it kind of goes backwards. I've got to keep moving and stuff like that."

Beckett left Saturday's game against the Florida Marlins without facing a batter when he was bothered by back spasms while throwing his warmup pitches; he stated that his condition, as opposed to improving on Monday, had actually gotten worse. As previously mentioned, an MRI was taken on Beckett's back - which turned out negative - but Red Sox manager Terry Francona has said that he is undecided as to whether Beckett will accompany the team to Japan for a season-opening series against the Oakland A's March 25 and 26.

Reported By Stephen Rhodes

On Tuesday, an MRI was taken and X-rays were performed on New York Yankees outfielder Johnny Damon's foot, of which the results were negative; Damon suffered the injury during Monday's 4-0 Grapefruit League victory over the Cincinnati Reds when he fouled a ball off of his foot. Yankees general manager Brian Cashman told the team's website that Damon would be listed as "day-to-day"; however, Damon wasn't on the team's travel roster for Wednesday's game against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

Reported By Stephen Rhodes

Instead of starting the regular season in the Texas Rangers' starting pitching rotation, pitcher Brandon McCarthy will more than likely start the season on the disabled list because of inflammation to his forearm, according to the Associated Press. Even though the initial MRI indicated no ligament damage, McCarthy is expected to miss between 4 to 6 weeks due to a problem that has bothered him and limited him thus far to only one appearance; fortunately, he will not require surgery.

It is possible that rookie right-hander Luis Mendoza could take McCarthy's place in the rotation; another option is Sidney Ponson, who recently agreed to a minor-league contract on Sunday. Ponson last pitched on May 12, 2007 as a member of the Minnesota Twins before being released; since winning 17 games as a member of the Baltimore Orioles and San Francisco Giants, he is 24-36 with a 5.86 ERA. McCarthy had 2 visits to the disabled list last season in his first season with the Rangers; he was 5-10 with a 4.87 ERA in 23 games and came to the team in a trade with the Chicago White Sox, that sent SP John Danks to the White Sox

Reported By Stephen Rhodes

Rumors have been abound and rampant about Chicago White Sox third baseman Joe Crede's status; but according to team general manager Ken Williams as told to Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times, Crede is good to go as the Opening Day's starting 3B. Williams added, ''Yes, that can happen. And the most difficult thing in all of this would be if I have to have that conversation with Josh Fields because he has done everything we've asked, and he's played well enough where he deserves to be on a big-league roster.''

Williams did admit that he was approached by 2 teams, but their offers left a lot to be desired; the teams in question here are the San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers. But Williams reiterated that Crede still has a year left on his current contract; the team plans to keep 2 third basemen, and unless something drastic happens between now and March 31 or so, expect Crede and Josh Fields to break camp as the 3B for the Sox, with Crede the starter on Opening Day.

Reported By Stephen Rhodes

The chances of Oakland A's third basemen starting in the team's season opener appear remote, at best. At least that's the feeling around the team's clubhouse as of late; the team's trainer, Steve Sayles, wouldn't say whether Chavez would make the team's trip to Japan on March 19, but he told John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle, "It would be more advantageous if he stayed here and got work done."

Chavez hasn't done much during spring training, as he hasn't done any running or fielding grounders; he has been limited to throwing lightly and batting practice. As anyone who has had a back procedure knows, the recovery time from back surgery can be painfully slow, and the recent epidural that Chavez received further delayed his recovery timetable. At the present rate, it appears that Jack Hannahan, who is batting .391 this spring, will be the likely replacement for Chavez.