american league baseball

Pitchers are klutzes. At least American League pitchers are. On Sunday, New York Yankees ace Chien-Ming Wang partially tore a tendon and sprained his right foot while running the bases against the Astros in Houston. He will have to wear a protective boot for at least six weeks, which is a serious kick in the pants to the Yanks' playoff hopes.

Good morning, Lee Pelekoudas, and welcome to the first day of the rest of your career. When the Seattle Mariners on Monday announced they were firing general manager Bill Bavasi -- architect of a $117 million roster now on pace to lose 106 games -- Pelekoudas was identified as the interim replacement.

Mike Hargrove has yet to hear one of his players call him "Grover," Hargrove's well-known nickname when he played and managed in the major leagues.

Manager Ron Gardenhire is in his seventh season managing the Minnesota Twins. He's had a fair share of problems with Charlie Reliford's various crews of umpires.Reliford was in charge of the group working the weekend series with the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park. His companions were veterans Brian Runge, Greg Gibson and vacation fill-in Scott Berry.

Dear Babe: Back in the summer of 1963, my family was visiting Boston on the way up to Maine for summer vacation. We stayed in the same hotel as our hometown heroes, the Yankees, who were visiting the Red Sox. We came down to breakfast and found several of them eating.

It's June, but the Boston Red Sox are already thinking about October -- mostly because they remember last October well.They remember last postseason, when Josh Beckett and Daisuke Matsuzaka were strong and durable, in no small part because of some down time during the 2007 regular season.

He's a melange of pirouettes, fist pumps and primordial screams. Francisco Rodriguez is perhaps the most demonstrative pitcher in the majors, punctuating his strikeouts and saves with clenched fists and roars.

BOSTON -- Boston center fielder Coco Crisp was drilled by a pitch from Tampa Bay starter James Shields in the second inning Thursday night.

SEATTLE -- Four games into June, the number of things the Seattle Mariners have not yet done this season remains a can't-do list that helps explain a season of utter frustration. The team has not, for instance, won more than three games in a row - or rallied to win a game it trailed after eight innings. The Mariners have not overcome a deficit larger than two runs to win a game.

BOSTON -- On Monday night, Boston manager Terry Francona labeled the likelihood of in-season surgery to repair David Ortiz's injured left wrist as "very unlikely," and the Red Sox firmly believe there is almost no chance Ortiz will need a season-ending operation.