DL, getting full And More Bad News

V-Mart Closed for Business

06/13/2008

BY Aaron Gleeman

Victor Martinez left Wednesday's game after injuring his right elbow on a first-inning swing and was placed on the disabled list Thursday in preparation for surgery to remove bone chips. In part because he's a catcher and needs to be throwing at full strength again before returning, Martinez is expected to miss 6-8 weeks. Coming back sooner is possible if Martinez is used at designated hitter, but that would only be an option if Travis Hafner struggles to return from a shoulder injury.With Martinez sidelined, Kelly Shoppach figures to play nearly every day behind the plate given that light-hitting minor-league veteran Yamid Haad is now his backup. Shoppach went 2-for-4 and drove in two runs Thursday, giving him a modest .241/.291/.408 career mark in 404 major-league plate appearances. However, 13 homers and 55 RBIs over that time make him a solid pickup in AL-only leagues who may even be worth a mixed-league look if you're hurting for catching help. Martinez was batting just .278/.332/.333 with zero homers in 217 plate appearances, so his hitting won't be as tough to replace as it would have been in past years. However, adding his injury to Cleveland's disappointing 31-36 record may signal that the Indians will begin shopping impending free agent C.C. Sabathia. Asked Wednesday about possibly trading Sabathia, general manager Mark Shapiro gave sort of a non-answer, which in itself is very different than his previous stance. While the Sabathia rumors slowly start swirling, here are some other notes from a round baseball .

Jake Peavy returned from the disabled list Thursday and showed no signs of rust despite sitting out a month with a strained right elbow, holding the Dodgers to three hits over six shutout innings. Manager Bud Black said before the game that Peavy would likely be on a "soft pitch count" of 90, but he exited after using just 72 to record 18 outs. Peavy struggled somewhat leading up to the DL stint, going 1-3 with a 4.71 ERA over five starts, so his return outing was very encouraging.

J.J. Putz has been diagnosed with a hyperextended elbow after leaving Wednesday's game in obvious discomfort following one batter. That sounds bad, but probably qualifies as good news given that the Mariners have yet to place him on the disabled list in the hopes that he can return to action after a few days off. He's scheduled to be examined Monday, making him unavailable through at least the weekend while Brandon Morrow fills in at closer.

Milton Bradley reportedly attempted to confront Royals television announcer Ryan Lefebvre in the press box following Wednesday's game due to what he felt were unfair comments made on the air. Bradley was able to keep an eye on the broadcast while serving as the team's designated hitter and took offense to a comparison Lefebvre made between him and Josh Hamilton. Luckily manager Ron Washington and general manager Jon Daniels intervened before things got ugly. Bradley then headed back to the clubhouse in tears and addressed his teammates. "All I want to do is play baseball and make a better life for my kid than I had, that's it," Bradley said. "I love all you guys. I'm strong, but I'm not that strong." It sounds like the troubled Bradley hasn't changed a whole lot off the field, but he's having a career-year on the field by leading the league in batting average (.333), on-base percentage (.454), slugging percentage (.629), and OPS (1.082).

While he didn't physically go after anyone, Livan Hernandez did direct an angry post-game rant at the Indians' announcing crew Thursday, accusing them of "talking bad about everybody" and suggesting that they "can wait outside in the parking lot and say something to me like a man" if they aren't interested in speaking to him in the clubhouse like other media members. Of course, Hernandez was only able to catch the broadcast because he was knocked out of the game early. He coughed up seven runs on a dozen hits over three innings, marking the fifth time in the past seven starts that he's allowed double-digit hits and at least five runs. He began the year 3-0 with a 2.57 ERA, but since then has posted a 6.85 ERA in 12 starts, amazingly allowing 115 hits over 68.1 innings. You'd be touchy too if your 5.84 ERA ranked third-worst in the league behind Miguel Batista and teammate Boof Bonser, both of whom have been demoted to the bullpen. It's a shame that no one could have possibly seen Hernandez's implosion coming.

AL Quick Hits:

Eric Hurley looked decent enough in his MLB debut Thursday against the Royals, but showed the weakness that'll probably keep him from being a fantasy asset by serving up two homers . Chone Figgins (hamstring) went 2-for-10 on a minor-league rehab assignment and is expected to return from the disabled list Friday . Manager Ron Washington said Wednesday that Eddie Guardado is now the Rangers' primary setup man, putting him first in line for saves behind closer C.J. Wilson . Playing Thursday on his 34th birthday, Hideki Matsui smacked his fifth career grand slam to produce all the Yankees' runs in a victtory over the A's . Jason Varitek sat out Thursday's game with strep throat . Just 13-for-97 (.134) with an ugly 33-to-2 strikeout-to-walk ratio for his career, Brandon Wood headed back to the minors Thursday . As a Minnesotan it pained me to watch, but Daily Dose favorite Aaron Laffey turned in another strong start Thursday, holding the Twins to one run over six innings . Kevin Millar left Thursday's game after fouling a pitch off his knee, but X-rays were negative and he's considered day-to-day.

NL Quick Hits:

Johan Santana racked up 10 strikeouts in seven shutout innings Thursday, but got stuck with a no-decision when Billy Wagner blew his third straight save . Ryan Doumit went deep again Thursday, making him 9-for-11 with four homers and two doubles over the past three games . J.J. Hardy was scratched from Thursday's lineup and flew back to Milwaukee to have his sore shoulder examined . Jamie Moyer completed eight innings Thursday for the first time since April of 2006, holding the Marlins scoreless on just two hits while improving to 5-0 over his last six starts . Freddy Sanchez went 0-for-5 and left nine runners on base Thursday, dropping his batting average to .239 . Bronson Arroyo tossed six shutout innings Thursday and also went 2-for-2 with a homer at the plate . With Matt Capps needing a day off Thursday, Damaso Marte picked up his first save since 2005 . Jeff Weaver was released by the Brewers after posting a 6.22 ERA in nine starts at Triple-A . One day after saying that he's considering retiring following the season, Ray Durham notched his 2,000th career hit Thursday.