Times wires
Monday, March 14, 2011
TAMPA — Yankees RHPs Joba Chamberlain and Sergio Mitre will be sidelined for a few days because of muscle soreness on the left side of their upper bodies.
Manager Joe Girardi on Monday said both could pitch again this week.
Mitre was scratched from his scheduled start Monday night against the Red Sox. He first felt the soreness Sunday. It is in a different spot than a strained left oblique that sidelined Mitre for 32 games last season.
"A little bit sore and tight" Sunday, Mitre said. "Woke up (Monday) and I feel good. They don't want to chance it. I pulled an oblique on the same side last year, so we're trying to figure out if it's related."
Mitre is competing with RHPs Freddy Garcia, Ivan Nova and Bartolo Colon for two open rotation spots behind LHP CC Sabathia and RHPs Phil Hughes and A.J. Burnett.
Mitre hopes to pitch Thursday.
Promising LHP Manuel Banuelos was selected to replace Mitre for Monday night's game. Banuelos, 20, is expected to start the season at Double-A Trenton.
Phils: Closer resting
KISSIMMEE — Phillies closer Brad Lidge has a sore arm that will keep him off the mound for a few days.
The right-hander was supposed to pitch against the Astros but did not make the trip because of tendinitis in his right biceps. Pitching coach Rich Dubee said that though Lidge typically has soreness during the spring, management would err on the side of caution.
General manager Ruben Amaro said Lidge had "muscle soreness" and would be pushed back a couple of days.
Lidge has made five one-inning spring appearances, giving up five runs for a 9.00 ERA.
BAD BLOOD: Phillies LHP Cole Hamels got into a shouting match with Astros INF Bill Hall after an apparent brushback pitch.
In the second inning of Philadelphia's 7-6 win, Hall stepped out of the box to prevent a quick pitch. Hamels responded with an inside fastball, and Hall had to be restrained by home plate umpire Laz Diaz. Nobody left the benches.
"He's definitely a marked man for me now," Hall said. "So when I do some damage off him, I'm going to let him know I did some damage off him. I can guarantee that."
Hamels shrugged it off. "It's nothing," he said. "He's a good guy. Just trying to get the game going. So … no hard feelings."
Jays: Aiming for pen
DUNEDIN — Dustin McGowan's comeback will happen in the bullpen, if it happens at all.
The Blue Jays right-hander, who has had two major shoulder surgeries since he last threw a pitch in a game in July 2008, will compete for a relief job and not the starting rotation, manager John Farrell said.
"When we get into the season, we're going to groom him as a reliever," Farrell told MLB.com. "At some point in the future, we want to answer all of the questions that a reliever's going to go through."
McGowan, 28, said this spring that he was not prepared to go through another major procedure and would retire if he sustained another severe injury. He has been coming back slowly, limiting bullpen sessions to 25 pitches at 80 percent intensity.