ATM report--Season starts tonight

[nyy26wc]

1) The season starts tonight.

Schedule--

Indians (Bartolo Colon) at Angels (Jarrod Washburn), 8 PM

2) The Brewers placed Ps Curtis Leskanic, Chad Fox and Paul Rigdon on the 15 day DL and sent OFs Ryan Thompson, Izzy Alcantara and Midre Cummings, C Marcus Jensen and Ps Everett Stull and Andrew Lorraine to the minors.

3) The Tigers placed 3B Dean Palmer and P Brian Moehler on the 15 day DL, placed P Adam Pettyjohn on the 60 day DL, sent Ps Matt Perisho, Julio Santana and Bill Simas to the minors, designated P Joe Valentine for assignment and added OF Jacob Cruz and P Terry Pearson to the 40 man roster.

Palmer's placement on the DL was retroactive to March 22 and he'll be eligible to return on April 6. He's still building strength on his shoulder. Craig Paquette's taking his spot at 3B.

Moehler is recovering from shoulder surgery and isn't expected back until late June or early July. Pettyjohn had colon surgery and is expected to miss the entire season. Simas is still recovering from the shoulder injury that kept him out for the entire 2001 season.

The Expos selected Valentine in the Rule 5 draft, from the Whitesox, and then sold him to the Tigers. If he clears waivers, the Tigers will offer him back to the Whitesox for $25,000.

4) The Diamondbacks placed INF Jay Bell, PH-INF Greg Colbrunn, 1B Erubiel Durazo and Ps Todd Stottlemyre and Greg Swindell on the 15 day DL, placed 3B Matt Williams and Ps Matt Mantei and Armando Reynoso on the 60 day DL and added INF Chris Donnels, OF Quinton McCracken and P Eddie Oropesa to the 40 man roster.

Bell was considered the frontrunner to replace Williams, whose broken leg could keep him out for the whole first half of the season. Bell went on the DL retroactive to Thursday and is expected to be ready as soon as he's eligible to come off the DL. With him on the DL, Craig Counsell will switch from 2B to 3B, with Junior Spivey being the Opening Day starter at 2B.

Stottlemyre is expected to be able to make his first start since 2000, when he's eligible to come off the DL on April 9. Swindell has tendinitis in his shoulder.

5) The Mets sent OF Timo Perez and P Pete Walker to the minors, designated OF Chris Latham for assignment and added 1B Mark Johnson and P Satoru Komiyama to the 40 man roster.

6) Padres 3B Sean Burroughs has a sprained right thumb and is questionable for the opener.

7) The Braves added 1B Julio Franco, INF Keith Lockhart and Ps Darren Holmes and Chris Hammonds to the 40 man roster, sent INFs Wilson Betemit, Travis Wilson and Matt Franco, OFs Ryan Langerhans and Ozzie Timmons, C Dax Norris and Ps John Foster and Kevin Gryboski to the minors, designated INF Jesse Garcia for assignment and placed OF George Lombard, INF Nick Green and Ps Horacio Ramirez, Derrick Lewis on the 15 day DL and OFs Dave Martinez and Cory Aldridge on the 60 day DL.

Franco will be the starting 1B.

Martinez had knee surgery, is out for the season and it could be a career ending injury.

8) The Pirates released RF Derek Bell, placed INF Pat Meares on the 15 day DL and P Ryan Vogelsong on the 60 day DL, sent OF Adam Hyzdu and P Josias Manzanillo to the minors, designated P Tony McKnight for assignment and added P Ron Villone to the 40 man roster.

Bell's release was expected, after he left camp. Meares survives the waiver wire, at least for now. He's still recovering from a left hand injury. Vogelsong, who was acquired from the Giants in last year's Jason Schmidt trade, is recovering from reconstructive elbow surgery. Villone will be the Opening Day starter. Manzanillo led the team in appearances in 2001, but is banned from being placed on the major league roster until May 1, since he was a free agent who wasn't offered salary arbitration by his team.

9) The Indians placed utilityman Jolbert Cabrera, C Eddie Taubensee, OF Alex Escobar and Ps Jaret Wright and Jake Westbrook on the 15 day DL and sent OF Bruce Aven and C Josh Bard to the minors.

All of those DL moves were expected.

Bard had a chance to go from an anonymous non roster invitee to the Opening Day roster, before the Indians acquired Eddie Perez to serve as Einar Diaz's backup.

10) Angels P Scott Schoeneweis had to leave yesterday's game, due to a blister on his finger, but is still expected to be able to make his start on Friday.

11) The Angels sent utilitymen Clay Bellinger and Jamie Burke, 1B Larry Barnes, C Jose Molina and Ps Matt Wise, Scot Shields and Brendan Donnelly to the minors.

12) The BlueJays added OF Brian Lesher and INF Dave Berg to the 40 man roster, placed Ps Bob File, Steve Parris and Esteban Loaiza on the 15 day DL and placed P Mike Sirotka on the 60 day DL, sent OF Chad Mottola to the minors and recalled P Scott Cassidy.

File has a pulled muscle in his left side.

13) The Astros sent P Tim Redding to the minors and added Ps Ricky Stone and Scott Linebrink to the 40 man roster.

Redding's demotion means Carlos Hernandez has won the 5th starter's spot. Hernandez, who turns 22 in April, had a 3.69 ERA in AA in 2001 and has a 3.33 ERA in 3 minor league seasons. He was given a B+ grade by the Minor League Scouting Notebook, which ranked him as the 42nd best prospect in baseball. In a cup of coffee callup last year, he had a 1.02 ERA and 7 RSAA in 3 starts.

14) The Mariners sent 3B Ryan Minor, OF Scott Podsednik and Eugene Kingsale, C Jim Horner and P Matt Jarvis to the minors and designated INF Alex Arias for assignment.

15) The A's sent INFs Mark Ellis and Luis Lopez, OFs Adam Piatt and Eric Brynes, C Cody McKay and P Matt Miller to the minors and placed RF Jermaine Dye and DH Mario Valdez on the 15 day DL, retroactive to March 22.

[nyy26wc]

1) Expos 2B Jose Vidro suffered what is believed to be a slight crack in his right shoulder blade, but a CT scan was inconclusive.

MGR Frank Robinson says they're sure what the injury means and Vidro's currently expected to start the season on the roster.

2) The Yankees sent OF Juan Rivera and P Adrian Hernandez to the minors, placed Ps Sterling Hitchcock, Ramiro Mendoza, Randy Keisler and Christian Parker on the 15 day DL and added INF Ron Coomer and P Jay Tessmer to the 40 man roster.

3) The Phillies designated P Nelson Figueroa for assignment.

4) The Marlins placed P Armando Almanza on the 15 day DL and recalled P Gary Knotts.

5) Reds CF Ken Griffey Jr. has been bothered by patella tendinitis and tweaked his knee on Friday, but MGR Bob Boone says he's expected to be in the Opening Day lineup.

6) The Giants sent 3B Edwards Guzman and P Chad Zerbe to the minors.

7) The Cubs added Ps Donovan Osborne and Joe Borowski to the 40 man roster and moved P Tom Gordon from the 15 to the 60 day DL.

Borowski was recently sent to the minors, but the team changed their mind.

8) The Devil Rays placed 3B Russ Johnson on the 15 day DL, retroactive to March 28.

Johnson had won the starting 3B job, but has a strained right plantar fascia tendon. Bobby Smith is expected to take his place in the lineup.

9) The Expos added 1B Andres Galarraga, OF Henry Rodriguez and P Ed Vosberg to the 40 man roster and placed P Scott Downs on the 60 day DL.

10) The Orioles sent SS Brian Roberts, OF Larry Bigbe and P Rick Bauer to the minors, placed 1B Chris Richard on the 15 day DL and Ps John Parrish and Pat Hentgen on the 60 day DL, designated P John Bale for assignment and added 3B Mike Moriarty and P Chris Brock to the 40 man roster

In the past few days, Bale was reported to be on the brink of making the team.

11) Tigers RF Bobby Rick had to leave yesterday's game, due to a sore right hamstring, but MGR Phil Garner thinks he'll be ready for their opener, on Tuesday.

12) The Royals added INF Donnie Sadler, C A.J. Hinch and P Brian Shouse to the 40 man roster.

13) Devil Rays 3B Aubrey Huff, who was sent to the minors earlier in the week, is expected to miss at least a month, after breaking 3 bones around his left eye socket.

Ouch.

14) According to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, the Rangers are trying to trade P Hideki Irabu.

15) The Rockies placed P Justin Speier on the 15 day DL and recalled SS Brent Butler.

Speier has an inflamed right knee.

[nyy26wc]

1) Yankees 3B Robin Ventura and LF Rondell White were both questionable for Opening Day, but it now looks like they'll both be ready. Meanwhile, 1B Jason Giambi had to leave yesterday's game, due to a cramp in his calf, but it's not considered serious.

2) The Reds traded P Hector Mercado to the Phillies as the player to be named later in the deal that sent OF Reggie Taylor to the Reds.

3) An MRI on Astros C Brad Ausmus's elbow showed inflammation, but no structural damage and he's hoping he won't have to start the season on the DL.

4) Mets SS Rey Ordonez strained his left upper thigh and is day to day.

5) The Orioles named Geronimo Gil as their Opening Day C.

6) The Rangers sent 3B Mike Lamb and Ps Francisco Cordero, Antony Telford and Chris Michalak to the minors, added Ps Steve Woodard, Dan Miceli and Rudy Seanez to the 40 man roster, designated P Juan Moreno for assignment and placed P Jay Powell on the 15 day DL, retroactive to March 22.

The Rangers are going to carry 13 pitchers on the Opening Day roster.

7) The Marlins claimed minor league INF Wilson Valdez off waivers from the Expos.

[gyb13]

Originally posted by nyy26wc
11) Tigers RF Bobby Rick had to leave yesterday's game, due to a sore right hamstring, but MGR Phil Garner thinks he'll be ready for their opener, on Tuesday.

You mean Rob Fick?

[Fritz Buelow]

Originally posted by gyb13

You mean Rob Fick?

Bobby Rick is Robert Fick's Scooby Doo Code Name.

[nyy26wc]

Originally posted by gyb13

You mean Rob Fick?

I meant Fick.

That's the disadvantage of spell checkers. They don't catch errors that still result in correctly spelled words.