Rumors for May, 2011
Red Sox sign RHP Chris Huseby
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The Boston Red Sox have signed right handed pitcher Chris Huseby according to Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus.
Last season, he posted a 7.94 ERA in 5.2 innings throughout six games with the Cubs’ Class-A team.
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Kevin Slowey could be a possible replacement for De la Rosa
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Yesterday, left handed pitcher Jorge de la Rosa suffered a complete tear of his ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow and odds are he will need Tommy John surgery.
The Rockies now will have to find a replacement for De la Rosa who was putting up pretty good numbers so far. Troy Renck of the Denver Post suggests that the Rockies should keep Kevin Slowey ’s name in mind if they decide to go outside the organization for help.
A couple of days ago, we learned that the Twins were still looking for a trade partner for Slowey.
Manager Ron Gardenhire and pitching coach Rick Anderson met with the right hander over the weekend about his role on the club, and Gardenhire believes the best thing is to find Slowey a place to start.
“I honestly think the right thing [is to let Slowey start somewhere], and that’s what we’re trying to talk about now,” Gardenhire said on a radio show on 1500ESPN. “We talked with Kevin, we’re going to talk with Billy [Smith, Twins GM] when we get home and try to figure out the right thing for Kevin to make sure he keeps his arm in good shape and all those things.”
Slowey told Gardenhire during the meeting that it’s tough for him to work coming out of the bullpen, and after Sunday’s game he suggested he might be better off elsewhere.
De la Rosa was 5-2 with a 3.51 ERA in 59 innings throughout 10 starts with the Rockies this season. Slowey has a 4.91 ERA in 14.2 innings throughout six relief appearances for the Twins so far, but the team is considering sending him to Triple-A Rochester to stretch out as a starter.
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Time away didn’t help Scott Kazmir’s pitching results
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Scott Kazmir has seen his career go from being on top in 2008 when he was selected to his second All-Star game and considered the ace of the Rays to the bottom this season when he was given one start to show what he had. He allowed 5 runs in 1.2 innings before he was sent home in attempts he could regain his pre 2009 form.
After working with old coaches and reviewing seasons worth of video, Kazmir took his rehab road back to extended Spring Training where he continued to work on his mechanics. Last week, the Angels decided to start the 30-day clock as Kazmir and he was sent to Triple-A. Today, he made his first start which was well, bad. Real bad. After a perfect first inning, Kazmir ran into tons of trouble as he was unable to get out of the second inning. His final line was two hits, four walks, one hit batter, three strikeouts all while giving up six runs in 1 2/3 innings.
“There is such a small margin for error on how I’m throwing the baseball to get it over the plate,” Kazmir said. “A couple of good fastballs in the first inning hit my spot. As the game went on, it was getting more and more out of sync.”
The Angels must pay Kazmir whether he throws another pitch in the big leagues or not, so they’re expected to give him a full month to right himself. If Kazmir shows no progress, he will be released.
Kazmir’s fastball was clocked between 84 and 90 mph Tuesday, has lost his confidence, his command, his good fastball and his sharp slider. But he continues to hold out hope that he can right the ship before it’s to late.“I feel good,” he said. “My arm feels strong. I just have some things I’m trying to iron out. I’m not consistent, that’s for sure. It’s something where I’m just going to keep at it and keep working.”
“There is such a small margin for error on how I’m throwing the baseball to get it over the plate,” Kazmir said. “A couple of good fastballs in the first inning hit my spot. As the game went on, it was getting more and more out of sync.”
Information from the LA Times’ Mike DiGiovanna was used in this article.
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Injury updates: Roberts, Mauer, Nishioka, Garza and De la Rosa
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Here’s a running list of injury updates around the Major Leagues:
– Orioles second baseman, Brian Roberts, will be out of action for at least three more weeks due to a concussion according to Brittany Ghiroli of MLB.com. Roberts was injured sliding head-first into first base a week ago.
– Joe Mauer will DH tomorrow in his first rehab game according to Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com.
– According to Bollinger, Tsuyoshi Nishioka is scheduled to play his first rehab game on Friday at shortstop at extended Spring Training.
– Right handed pitcher Matt Garza was placed on the 15-day Disabled List with a bone bruise in his right elbow reports Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune.
– Lefty Jorge de la Rosa suffered a complete tear of his ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow according to the team’s official Twitter account. Although the next step for him is being discussed, odds are he will need Tommy John surgery.
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Bryan Stow’s family files lawsuit against Dodgers
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For Frank McCourt, when it rains it pours, and it’s pouring now. Today, the family of Bryan Stow, filed a lawsuit against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The lawsuit alleges that poor security at the stadium contributed to the brutal attack the night of the Dodgers home opener. According to the lawsuit, Bryan Stow was continuously threatened during the game and immediately following the end of the game, but the security staff failed to take any action. The suit seeks unspecified damages to cover Stow’s future medical care and as compensation for the economic damages to Stow and his two children.
“It’s fairly simple. The Dodgers have shown a total disregard for public safety,” Stow family attorney Thomas Girardi told ESPN. “They’ve gotten rid of security people. They’ve had all these incidents at their games, more than other teams. There’s also a known gang presence. What did they think was going to happen?”
The lawsuit also alleges that it took 10 to 15 minutes for security to respond after the beating.
New security measures were implemented at Dodger Stadium in response to the attack, including more police officers at the stadium which will be the main focus point of the lawsuit. Frank McCourt is reactive not proactive which is why he will probably lose the lawsuit.
The family also insists on repaying as much of the money that has been raised for the Bryan Stow Fund since the attack except for a scholarship for Stow’s children that was donated by Giants slugger Barry Bonds because it “means so much to them.”
Information from ESPN.com was used in this article.
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Rangers have inquired about Heath Bell
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The Texas Rangers and several other clubs have inquired about San Diego Padres’ closer Heath Bell, according to sources close to Scott Miller of CBS Sports. The source says that the Padres want to wait a little longer to see how things play out.
Bell is a free agent after the seasons and would like to stick around San Diego, but it’s to the team’s best interest to get something for him rather than let him walk after the season.
“I’ll give it everything I have for the Padres until the team says otherwise,” Bell says. “Until Jed [Hoyer, Padres general manager] tells me I’m no longer a San Diego Padre.
“In my own quirky head, I still think something will happen at the end of the year and I’ll stay here. It’s wait-and-see. But I understand the business part. We’ve got to play well and get some fans in here.”
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Dodgers designate Lance Cormier for assignment
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In a Tweet by Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times, he reports that the Dodgers have designated right-handed pitcher Lance Cormier for assignment. The move was made to accommodate the recently promoted Rubby de la Rosa.
Cormer was signed by the Dodgers to a Minor League contract in mid-February 2011. The 31-year-old Cormier pitched the last two seasons with the Tampa Bay Rays. Cormier was 0-1 with a 9.88 ERA in 9 games for the Dodgers this season.
De La Rosa is being promoted from Double-A where he has spent the last eight games of the 2010 season and the beginning of this season as a starter. De La Rosa is one of the Dodgers’ top pitching prospects with a fastball in the 95-96 range but can reach up to 102 mph. He also relies on a changeup and slider as his secondary pitchers. De La Rosa has been compared by scouts to a young Pedro Martinez who came up to the Dodgers as a starter but was used out of the bullpen the first season.
This season, De La Rosa is 2-2 2.92 ERA with 11.7 K/9 and 4.3 BB/9.
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Justin Germano clears waivers – outrighted to Triple-A
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Right handed pitcher Justin Germano has cleared waivers and has been outrighted to Triple-A according to Paul Hoynes of the Plain Dealer.
Germano, who was designated for assignment last week, was 0-1 with a 5.68 ERA in 12.2 innings throughout nine games with the Indians in 2011.
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Hideki Okajima clears waivers – outrighted to Triple-A
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The Boston Red Sox have outrighted Hideki Okajima to Triple-A Pawtucket after he cleared waivers today, Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe reports.
The Sox designated Okijima on May 19 to make room for the recently acquired left-handed reliever Franklin Morales from the Colorado Rockies.
Okajima is 1-0 with a 4.32 ERA in seven games with the Red Sox this year. It was a smart move by Okajima to accept the assignment to the Minor Leagues since he has a guaranteed $1.75 million contract through 2011 with the Red Sox.
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RHP Jay Buente designated for assignment
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In a Tweet by Joe Capozzi of The Palm Beach Post, he reports that right-handed pitcher Jay Buente has been designated for assignment.
In one start for the Marlins this year, the 27-year-old Buente is 0-1 with a 9.00 ERA in three innings of work.
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