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Wednesday, May 21 Indians pitcher hurt in collision, day to day ESPN.com news services |
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Cleveland Indians: C.C. Sabathia pitched six innings Wednesday night against the Detroit Tigers before leaving with a sprained left ankle. Sabathia, a 6-foot-7 left-hander, collided with Detroit's Dmitri Young at first base on the final out of the top of the sixth inning. Young, a 6-2, 245-pound outfielder, grounded a ball to first baseman Ben Broussard. Sabathia was late covering the bag and when he grabbed the throw from Broussard, crashed into Young, who was called out as he tumbled into foul territory. Sabathia, listed at 290 pounds, immediately pulled up and then bent over in apparent pain. Team officials said Sabathia was not taken for X-rays and listed him as day to day. Sabathia, who got the decision in a 4-0 Cleveland victory, was working on a three-hit shutout. He was attended to by team trainers and limped to the bench, and did not come out to start the seventh inning.
The move is retroactive to last Thursday, when Asencio (2-1, 5.21 ERA) started but didn't get a decision at Minnesota. Two days later, Asencio complained of soreness and swelling in the elbow, but an MRI exam revealed no additional damage. Asencio had been scheduled to pitch Wednesday's game at Seattle. Manager Tony Pena announced after Tuesday night's 7-4 loss that lefty Chris George would take the mound instead, allowing more time to evaluate Asencio. For the first time since last week's start, Asencio was able to bend his arm Wednesday. Team officials, though, couldn't say when he might return. Meanwhile, right-hander Runelvys Hernandez (4-3, 2.79) threw long toss Wednesday, one day after being scratched from his scheduled start to open the three-game Seattle series. He is sore in his throwing elbow, too. Pena said the rehabilitation plan remains for Hernandez to skip one start and see how he feels.
Larkin, 39, was on the disabled list from April 14 to May 5 with a strained left calf, and had played sparingly after aggravating the injury after a few games. He hurt the right calf and left the game after scoring from second base on Austin Kearns' double in the fourth inning. There was no indication of how long he would be out.
Moehler started the season in Houston's rotation -- he was 0-0 in three starts and had a 7.90 ERA -- but had been on the disabled list since April 17. He now has the option of an extended rehabilitation treatment or "Tommy John" surgery. Moehler experienced more elbow pain when he attempted a rehabilitation start at Triple-A New Orleans on Monday.
Cox was ejected by plate umpire Kerwin Danley after he removed starter Mike Hampton in the fourth inning and returned to the dugout, saying something along the way. The pitching change came in the middle of a six-run rally by the Cincinnati Reds, who went on to a 9-3 victory. It was the fifth ejection this season for Cox, who celebrated his 62nd birthday Wednesday. He also was ejected for arguing ball-and-strike calls by umpire Bill Welke in the series opener, won by the Reds 9-8.
If the players performed better, attendance would pick up. "From my standpoint, the fans here have a right to boo," McClatchy said. "I don't share Kevin Young's opinion. ... Through all the losing, the fans here have been great. They've probably had to put up with more than any other fans in the country." The Pirates improved to 7-16 at home after beating the Cubs 5-2 Wednesday night. They have lost 10 of their last 13 at PNC Park, where a four-game series against the Astros last week was the least-attended since the park opened in 2001. Young didn't back off the comments as the Pirates opened a rain-abbreviated six-game homestand against the Cubs and Cardinals, saying the fans who do show up aren't as supportive as those in other cities. The Pirates' attendance is down about 15 percent from last season, when they drew slightly less than 1.8 million -- or about 700,000 fewer than the nearly 2.5 million they drew in PNC Park's debut season in 2001. A near-sellout of 35,086, the Pirates' second-largest home crowd this season, turned out Wednesday for a bobblehead doll giveaway honoring the late Bob Prince, the longtime Pirates announcer.
Florida law bans sale of weight-loss products to minors The bill had wide support among lawmakers because many diet pills contain the legal stimulant ephedra, which has been linked to deaths. The bill's sponsor in the Florida Senate, Gwen Margolis, D-Miami, cited the death of Baltimore Orioles pitching prospect Steve Bechler, who died of heatstroke after taking diet pills that contained ephedra. Some critics of the stimulant have asked the federal Food and Drug Administration to ban it. The new Florida law will prevent people under 18 from buying diet pills. A retail organization had concerns with the bill, saying it would slow down store clerks who must check the age of young customers buying products that may or may not contain ephedra. |
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