MLB News

"A day before the Mitchell report was released in December, two retired Houston police officers working as investigators for the lawyer for Roger Clemens interviewed Clemens’s former trainer Brian McNamee in New York... Five months later, lawyers representing McNamee are preparing to send two retired New York City police officers to Houston, not to interview Clemens but to find out information about him, including any possible connections to steroids and human growth hormone."

"Left-hander Doug Davis underwent a CT scan Thursday morning that showed the thyroid cancer on which he underwent surgery last month had not spread. "As far as I know, there's no (cancerous) lymph nodes in my body," he said, "and the cancer has not spread anywhere." Upon hearing the news, Davis said he praised his doctor and shook his hand, hugged his fiance and got out of there."

"Alex Rodriguez is eligible to come off the disabled list Thursday, but the timing of a second MRI exam on his strained right quad may make that date an impossibility. Rodriguez is scheduled to have a second MRI sometime next week, but Brian Cashman doesn't expect the exam will be Monday. If it isn't, Rodriguez likely won't be able to return until at least next Friday. "

"John Smoltz said the pain in his shoulder has mostly subsided in 10 days of rest, and after a couple of days more he'll be ready to pick up a ball again by Sunday in Pittsburgh. He'll start by playing catch and eventually work up to a minor league rehabilitation assignment. Smoltz is gearing up to return as a reliever, he said, some time before the end of the month. "Something starting with a '2'," Smoltz said. "One of those days.""

"In the offseason, the Washington Nationals spent $6.25 million to acquire free agent catchers Paul Lo Duca and Johnny Estrada. On Friday they plan to put both players on the disabled list -- Lo Duca with a broken bone in his right hand, Estrada with a ligament problem in his right elbow -- and turn the regular catching duties over to the man they think will hold the position for years to come, Jesús Flores."

"Jimmy Rollins is back. Well, almost. Rollins flew to San Francisco yesterday and will join the Phillies today at AT&T Park, where they open a three-game series against the Giants tonight. Rollins, who has been on the disabled list since April 20 with a sprained left ankle, played three games this week on a rehab assignment in Clearwater, Fla."

"Three hits Wednesday could have signaled a resurgence for slump-ridden outfielder José Guillen. Instead, his season took another disappointing turn because of a pain in the neck. Guillen wasn’t in the starting lineup Thursday when the Royals opened a four-game series against the Baltimore Orioles because of a sore neck — what manager Trey Hillman termed an electric shock; and what is commonly referred to as a stinger."

"Braves starter Jo-Jo Reyes had to leave Thursday's start against the Padres with what appeared to be a blister, and Buddy Carlyle, who relieved Reyes, had to leave after a collision. Reyes was making his second start since being called on to replace John Smoltz in the rotation. He made it 2 2/3 innings and 51 pitches before leaving the game behind 2-1."

"With a slew of left-handed pitching opponents in their future, Toronto is looking outside the organization for offensive help, according to general manager J.P. Ricciardi. After moving both John McDonald (ankle sprain) and David Eckstein (hip flexor) to the 15-day disabled list, the club recalled only one player from Syracuse, utilityman Joe Inglett. "

"Twins relief pitcher Pat Neshek left Thursday's game because of a strain in his right elbow and will be evaluated by team doctor Dan Buss today. The injury happened on a slider to Joe Crede in the eighth inning, and Neshek grimaced as he extended his arm several times. The sidearmer said it felt as though something "rolled over" in his elbow, though he couldn't describe the sensation further. "I just felt something tweak, and the trainers came out, and we just wanted to play it safe," Neshek said. "It just felt like a tweak, like it rolled over, like a snap kind of." "

"Shortstop Omar Vizquel could be activated from the disabled list as soon as today, leaving the Giants with some interesting roster decisions. The choice could be made for them if second baseman Ray Durham lands on the D.L. again. Durham was limited to one start on the team's six-game trip because of a sore hamstring and Manager Bruce Bochy doesn't want to remain shorthanded for the start of the Giants' season-high 10-game homestand."

"The Rangers finished a winning road trip through the AL West on Thursday night. That came on the heels of a winning homestand. And still general manager Jon Daniels couldn't escape the issue of manager Ron Washington's job security. In response to a blog post on the Dallas Observer's Web site that, citing unnamed sources, said the Rangers have already decided to change managers, Daniels said the topic is not an "active conversation." He said it wouldn't be revisited until the All-Star break – at the earliest. "

"First, Chris Snyder tried to keep Bob Melvin from even visiting ace Brandon Webb on the mound in the ninth inning on Thursday afternoon, motioning toward the dugout that everything was fine. That didn't work. So when the Diamondbacks manager got there, Snyder did whatever it took to get Webb a chance at a complete-game victory. "Yeah, I was begging," Snyder admitted after Webb finished the job, getting Geoff Jenkins to hit into an unusual double play to wrap up the Diamondbacks' 8-3 win over the Philadelphia Phillies at Chase Field."

"After Kansas City's Billy Butler struck out, Baltimore Orioles starter Daniel Cabrera spun his body and pumped his fist. He couldn't help but rejoice -- he'd just notched his first complete-game victory since one-hitting the New York Yankees in 2006... The strikeout punctuated the right-hander's fifth career complete game, which lifted Baltimore to a 4-1 victory Thursday night that ended the team's season-long five-game losing streak."

"It might have been the last place the Braves thought to look for their first one-run win of the season — the rubble of a game where the Turner Field mojo had given way to what looked like a plague on their house. Both Jo-Jo Reyes and Buddy Carlyle had to leave the game with injuries, and they were the reinforcements. But five Braves relievers allowed only one run in the last 4 1/3 innings and set up the Braves for their first ninth-inning heroics of the season. Matt Diaz hit a walk-off single to left field with the bases loaded to bring the Braves a 5-4 victory over the Padres."

"The last time the Marlins were in first place this late in the season was 2002, and players stars such as Josh Beckett, Derrek Lee and Mike Lowell were leading the charge to the top of the National League East standings. On Thursday night, it was unheralded players such as Jorge Cantu, Matt Treanor and Logan Kensing who sparked Florida to a 7-2 victory over Milwaukee and into first place alone in the NL East."

"Damon shattered the Yankees' three-day shutout with a leadoff homer in the fourth inning yesterday, then added an even more crucial hit his next time up after the Yankees had blown a three-run lead. With the game tied in the fifth, Damon's RBI double put the Yanks ahead for good in their 6-3 win over the Indians."

"When the week began, speculation centered on the White Sox pushing their sometimes-maddening second baseman overboard. By Thursday, he provided the kind of snapshot moment that can turn a season around. Uribe broke up a potential double play by completely taking out Minnesota Twins second baseman Brendan Harris to keep alive a key two-run rally in the eighth inning of the Sox' 6-2 series-clinching victory at U.S. Cellular Field."

"Last night at PNC Park, Pirates manager John Russell walked to the mound to take the ball from Dumatrait, but history hardly repeated itself: Dumatrait had gone 5 2/3 scoreless innings, and he was turning over a two-run lead to the bullpen for what wound up a 3-1 edging of the San Francisco Giants. First big-league victory."

"So if the Nationals seemed relieved after an 8-3 victory over the Astros on Thursday night -- ending Houston's five-game winning streak -- forgive them. They know that because John Lannan allowed just one run over six innings, and because they got home runs from the most unexpected of sources -- reserves Willie Harris and Rob Mackowiak -- they prevented the start of what could have become a tailspin."

"A friendly community service reminder: The Rangers host Seattle for three games starting Monday. For those who can't land Stars tickets and want to see a fight, plenty of good seats are available in Arlington. They could be three action-packed days. The benches – and bullpens – spilled onto the field Thursday during the Rangers' 5-0 victory to close out a four-game series in Seattle. The Rangers won three of the four games, including the last two by shutouts, and escaped last place in the AL West."

"The ninth inning of Thursday night's game brought back some unpleasant bullpen memories for the Rays. Lucky for them, a pitcher who was responsible for a few of those forgettable moments in the past was around to help bail them out four innings later. After watching Troy Percival's perfect run closing games come to an abrupt halt when he allowed three Toronto runs to score in the bottom of the ninth, the Rays bided their time until the Blue Jays brought Shawn Camp to the mound for the 13th. Five runs later, they had themselves an 8-3 victory that took far longer than it should have."

"Suddenly, the Rockies' revolving rotation doesn't look so wobbly. Thanks to Jorge De La Rosa. Less than two weeks removed from pitching for the Triple-A Omaha Royals, and just five days after his dubious debut in a Rockies uniform, the left-hander from Mexico showed his best stuff Thursday afternoon in Colorado's 9-3 victory over St. Louis. "