Ken Macha has seen the Home Run Derby turn power hitters into hapless swingers. So, when Prince Fielder won the All-Star competition this week, the Milwaukee manager wondered if it would mess with his swing. One homer eased his mind. Fielder hit a three-run shot that got Milwaukee's offense going, and the Brewers took a first step in turning themselves around after the All-Star break by beating…
Chipper Jones says the Atlanta Braves should have had more than one All-Star this year. He says Rafael Soriano proved again against the New York Mets that he is closing games like a star. Jones drove in the go-ahead run in the seventh inning and Soriano capped three scoreless innings by Atlanta's bullpen as the Braves beat the Mets 5-3 on Thursday night.
Minimal offense, two errors that led to three unearned runs, a costly pickoff in the eighth inning with the potential tying run at the plate: The dawn of the Jim Riggleman era looked suspiciously like the kind of spotty play that got Manny Acta fired as manager of the Washington Nationals. Rich Harden allowed three hits over six innings, Derrek Lee homered and the Chicago Cubs beat Washington 6-2…
Cliff Lee finally got just a little run support. It was enough for the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner. Lee won for the first time in more than a month, allowing one run in his second complete game of the season to give the Cleveland Indians a 4-1 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Thursday night.
Ryan Howard's unfamiliar with the Hall of Famer he surpassed by reaching a home run milestone Thursday night. The Philadelphia Phillies slugger hit his 200th home run, achieving the total in fewer games than any player in major league history. Ralph Kiner, who played in the 1940s and '50s, previously held the record.
San Diego Padres right-handed pitcher Jake Peavy had his right ankle removed from a protective boot Thursday and will begin a rehabilitation program. Peavy, who has been on the 15-day disabled list since June 13 with a strained tendon in his right ankle, threw for the first time since going on the DL and said that he feels well.
The Chicago Cubs signed former Toronto closer B.J. Ryan to a minor league deal Thursday, hoping to add another left-hander to their bullpen. Released by the Blue Jays earlier this month, the 33-year-old Ryan will first report to the Cubs' spring training complex in Mesa, Ariz. If all goes well, he'll join Triple-A Iowa.
The Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies are NL West rivals. Now they're partners in a spring training facility planned for the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community near Phoenix. Under an agreement announced Thursday, the tribe will build an 11,000-seat ballpark and a complex that includes 12 practice fields, training facilities and offices.
