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COPYRIGHT 2001 Sporting News Publishing Co.
Anaheim
16-20: 2nd
Shoulder operation dims DiSarcina's hopes for 2001
What slim chances SS Gary DiSarcina has of playing again this season were reduced when he underwent arthroscopic surgery to trim a tendon in his right shoulder. DiSarcina, who missed all but 12 games of 2000 because of a rotator-cuff tear, still was experiencing pain from another tear suffered this spring. Exploratory surgery determined the damage was minor. DiSarcina will resume rehabilitation this week, and he hopes to play again by the end of this season. ... After having struggled with his rhythm and control, LHP Jarrod Washburn found a groove last week against the White Sox, limiting them to two runs over eight innings in a 2-0 loss. Of his 125 pitches, 81 were strikes, and he threw first-pitch strikes to 22 of 30 batters. "Those first-pitch strikes are huge," Washburn says. "When you start a guy with a strike, you put him in a hole right away. It makes guys uncomfortable in the box."
SCOUTING REPORT: If there was any doubt whether closer Troy Percival has recovered from the shoulder and elbow problems that hampered him throughout 2000, they were eliminated last Thursday, when he threw two scoreless innings in a 7-6 win over the White Sox. Percival has regained control of his fastball, but the key to his success might be the return of his power curve, which he has been able to throw for strikes when he's ahead or behind in counts. The pitch helped make Percival one of baseball's most dominant relievers in 1995 and '96, but arm problems prevented him from throwing it effectively from 1997 to 2000.
SEE A DIFFERENT GAME: RHP Shigetoshi Hasegawa was the Angels' most valuable pitcher in 2000, with a 10-5 record and nine saves in 66 appearances. But he's 1-3 with three blown saves this season, and he has allowed five of 10 inherited runners to score. Most of his problems have come against first batters, who are 6-for-16 against him. His style is to work ahead in the count, so he likes to throw first-pitch strikes. But when he gets behind, he gets in trouble. --Mike DiGiovanna
TSNumber
.340
The combined average for the team's Nos. 8 and 9 hitters through the first 35 games, with 80 hits in 235 at-bats, 38 runs scored and 41 RBIs. The Nos. 1-7 batters were hitting .239 (230-for-961).
BATTERS AVG G AB R H HR Gil .380 26 71 7 27 1 (*)Wooten .333 22 39 9 13 3 (*)Eckstein .321 33 109 17 35 1 Joyner(+) .277 30 83 11 23 2 Anderson(+) .264 36 148 12 39 4 Kennedy(+) .256 24 82 9 21 2 Glaus .254 36 134 21 34 9 (*)J. Molina .250 6 16 3 4 2 Spiezio(#) .233 29 73 8 17 Palmeiro(+) .233 21 43 6 10 2 Erstad(+) .226 34 137 14 31 2 Salmon .214 33 117 14 25 4 (*)Burke -- 1 RBI OBP SB K BB E Gil 13 .384 1 13 1 6 (*)Wooten 7 .341 9 1 1 (*)Eckstein 11 .403 3 12 9 5 Joyner(+) 8 .333 1 12 7 Anderson(+) 17 .297 3 22 7 1 Kennedy(+) 10 .303 2 8 6 2 Glaus 19 .346 30 18 4 (*)J. Molina 3 .294 3 1 Spiezio(#) 5 .313 1 11 9 Palmeiro(+) 7 .283 3 4 3 Erstad(+) 15 .280 2 24 10 Salmon 14 .363 3 29 27 2 (*)Burke -- GRAND SLAMS: None PITCHERS ERA W-L IP H R ER Percival 0.00 2-0 12.1 3 1 (*)Weber 1.80 1-0 15.0 14 3 3 Levine 2.41 1-2 18.2 14 7 5 Valdes 2.81 2-2 32.0 29 10 10 Schoeneweis(+) 3.24 2-2 50.0 48 19 18 Ortiz 4.30 3-3 46.0 48 27 22 Rapp 5.03 1-3 48.1 46 29 27 Pote 5.30 1-0 18.2 24 11 11 Holtz(+) 5.56 0-0 11.1 11 7 7 Hasegawa 5.60 1-3 17.2 22 12 11 Washburn(+) 5.81 1-4 31.0 36 22 20 (*)Lukasiewicz(+) 27.00 0-1 0.1 1 1 1 PITCHERS HR K BB SV AVG. Percival 15 4 7 .075 (*)Weber 3 7 3 .246 Levine 2 13 3 .209 Valdes 1 20 6 .242 Schoeneweis(+) 2 25 21 .257 Ortiz 5 37 16 .264 Rapp 5 25 18 .251 Pote 3 11 9 .300 Holtz(+) 1 18 4 .256 Hasegawa 2 15 10 .310 Washburn(+) 3 13 17 .288 (*)Lukasiewicz(+) 1 .500 SHUTOUTS: None COMPLETE GAMES: Rapp, Washburn (1) (*) Rookie (+) Lefthanded (#) Switch hitter (a) League leaders in bold Statistics provided by STATS Inc. through Saturday, May 12.
Baltimore
15-22: 4th
It isn't a stretch to say Roberts is better without baserunners
Many of the problems RHP Willis Roberts has battled this season are related to pitching from the stretch. In his two starts against the Yankees, Roberts held them to a .217 average (5-for-23) and two walks with no one on base. With runners on base, the Yankees have hit .421 (8-for-19) against Roberts and produced seven walks. As a result, all 13 runs the Yankees scored off Roberts have come in just three innings.... Although some in the organization have expressed mild interest in veteran 3B Vinny Castilla, whom the Devil Rays released last week, vice president of baseball operations Syd Thrift says the team will not pursue him. He did not dismiss the possibility of acquiring a veteran power hitter, which the team needs, but Thrift says the team will continue to emphasize development of its younger players. One such player, 3B prospect Jose Leon, has been impressive at Class AAA since being promoted from Class AA earlier this month. It's possible he could get a look-see this season, but it's more likely he will get a shot next year.
SCOUTING REPORT: RHP Jason Johnson has added a forkball to his repertoire, and the Orioles think it will be an excellent complement to Johnson's mid-90s fastball. He already threw a good changeup, but he embraced the idea of adding the forkball, saying that if nothing else, it would give batters one more thing to think about Johnson has seemed like a different pitcher than the one who crashed to a 1-10 record in 2000. He has maintained better focus and has begun throwing more strikes early in the count, resulting in lower pitch counts and more innings.
SEE A DIFFERENT GAME: Comparisons between the Orioles' and Yankees' lineups, in manager Mike Hargrove's opinion, are "apples and oranges." The Yankees (.270) are hitting 40 points higher than the Orioles and slugging (.420) 77 points higher The Yankees have another advantage over the young Orioles. With two strikes on them, the Yankees have a .182 average; the Orioles are hitting .154. The patience that has made the Yankees so effective at the plate is the result of having many veteran hitters, a luxury the Orioles do not have. --Dave Sheinin
TSNumber
8
The number of wins the Orioles have against the Devil Rays this season, representing more than half their total. Entering the week, they were 8-5 against Tampa Bay, 7-17 against everyone else.
BATTERS AVG G AB R H HR Myers(+) .389 11 36 7 14 2 Richard(+) .295 34 112 19 33 4 Lunar .294 9 17 1 5 Mora .240 30 100 13 24 1 Bordick .237 36 139 14 33 1 Conine .235 19 68 8 16 3 (*)Kinkade .233 19 60 3 14 1 Hairston Jr. .230 37(a) 122 17 28 2 (*)Gibbons(+) .218 26 78 8 17 1 Ripken Jr. .216 28 102 7 22 2 DeShields(+) .203 35 123 16 25 2 Fordyce .200 26 85 9 17 1 Anderson(+) .178 35 135 13 24 2 BATTERS RBI OBP SB K BB E Myers(+) 12 .436 5 3 Richard(+) 10 .370 28 11 Lunar 5 .400 3 1 1 Mora 8 .325 2 29 9 1 Bordick 12 .314 6 23 13 2 Conine 14 .321 1 12 9 1 (*)Kinkade 3 .270 13 3 Hairston Jr. 13 .284 7 14 7 6 (*)Gibbons(+) 10 .299 15 8 Ripken Jr. 13 .243 10 3 6 DeShields(+) 16 .327 8 28 22 1 Fordyce 6 .277 1 16 8 Anderson(+) 10 .265 3 17 14 2 GRAND SLAMS: Conine (1) PITCHERS ERA W-L IP H R ER Trombley 1.88 1-1 24.0 14 5 5 Ryan(+) 3.21 1-0 14.0 6 6 5 Hentgen 3.58 1-3 55.1 45 23 22 Johnson 3.63 2-2 44.2 46 21 18 Roberts 4.54 4-2 37.2 33 19 19 (*)Kohlmeier 4.61 1-0 13.2 13 7 7 (*)Towers 5.19 1-1 8.2 9 5 5 McElroy(+) 5.34 1-1 28.2 29 18 17 Groom(+) 5.40 1-0 10.0 10 7 6 Ponson 6.23 0-3 21.2 22 18 15 (*)Paronto 6.55 1-2 11.0 17 13 8 Mercedes 6.90 0-6(a) 45.2 55 35 35 PITCHERS HR K BB SV AVG. Trombley 1 24 8 2 .167 Ryan(+) 2 10 14 .128 Hentgen 5 29 19 .222 Johnson 4 23 14 .269 Roberts 1 32 19 .234 (*)Kohlmeier 4 13 9 6 .241 (*)Towers 1 3 1 .273 McElroy(+) 7 11 15 .257 Groom(+) 1 12 2 1 .263 Ponson 7 23 6 .259 (*)Paronto 2 9 5 .347 Mercedes 5 38 10 .297 SHUTOUTS: None COMPLETE GAMES: Mercedes (2), Hentgen (1) (*) Rookie (+) Lefthanded (#) Switch hitter (a) League leaders in bold Statistics provided by STATS Inc. through Saturday, May 12.
Boston
21-15: 2nd
For the infielders, one man's pain is another's opportunity
Injuries continue to shape the team's infield. 2B Chris Stynes is out until mid-June because of two fractures of his left cheekbone, the result of a pitch by Seattle's Aaron Sele. IF Lou Merloni was recalled from Class AAA Pawtucket to take Stynes' spot on the roster but not his starting position at second. For now, it appears Mike Lansing and Jose Offerman, who have been warming up offensively, will split the job. RF Trot Nixon appears to be the choice to replace...
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