MLB News & Notes

[Raji]

Yost warning

Milwaukee Brewers manager Ned Yost has warned his players that if their poor road form continues, it could cost them the NL Central title.

The Brewers are 21-29 on the road this season, the worst such record of any division-leading team. Their lead at the top of the NL Central has shrunk from 8 ½ games on June 23, to just three games entering this weekend’s play.

"In a nutshell, it cannot continue,'' Yost told the St Louis Post-Dispatch. "We cannot continue to play like this and win the division."

"They do not have the same comfort level on the road that they do at home, and I don't know why," he added.

The Brewers close out a four-game series in St Louis on Sunday, sending Yovani Gallardo (3-1, 2.18 ERA) to the mound. The Cardinals counter with Kip Wells (4-13, 5.57) and are +125 underdogs with the total set at 9.

Manny back to his best

By his standards Manny Ramirez had a quiet first half of the season, posting a .284 average with 11 homers and 45 RBIs.

Since the All-Star break he has looked more like the Manny of seasons past, and a giant 481-foot homer at Jacobs Field on Thursday signaled that his power is back.

"We've come to expect it," Red Sox manager Terry Francona told the Boston Globe. "He's kind of set the bar high for himself. That first pitch he swung at yesterday, that ball went a long way. It's fun to watch."

Ramirez is batting .415 with six homers and 19 RBIs in 16 games since the break – the seventh best record in the American League over that time.

Meanwhile, the Red Sox close out a three-game series against the Devil Rays on Sunday. Daisuke Matsuzaka (12-7, 3.79) squares up to Scott Kazmir (7-7, 4.02) and Boston is a –147 favorite with the total set at 9.

Tejada wants to stay at shortstop

Miguel Tejada returned to the Baltimore Orioles lineup at shortstop on Friday night after missing five weeks due to a fractured wrist. The injury broke a streak of 1,152 consecutive starts at that position, and although he is keen to start another streak, manager Dave Trembley is being cautious.

"I don't think it's practical to put Tejada out there, after he's missed so much time, every day at shortstop," Trembley told the Baltimore Sun. "I would think that Sunday might be a good time for Miggy to DH, a day game after a night game."

Tejada did not seem overly pleased with his manager’s plans when asked by reporters before Friday’s game, "You guys know that I don't like to be DH. I'm not a DH; I like to be in the field every day. That's not the same thing."

Where Tejada – who is batting .301 for the season – starts on Sunday remains to be seen, but we do know that the Orioles will send Daniel Cabrera to the mound to face the Yankees. New York counters with Chien-Ming Wang and is a –167 favorite.

Padres can’t follow a lead

The San Diego offense might be slumping through the month of July, but that certainly can’t be said about leadoff man Brian Giles. He returned from the DL at the end of June and is batting .333 with one homer and 12 runs scored since then.

"That first game off the disabled list, I saw the ball a lot better than I anticipated," said Giles on MLB.com. "The key to my success is my knowledge of the strike zone. I've been able to get myself in some good hitting counts and also draw some walks, and I'm waiting until my timing catches up."

His red-hot hitting has continued through San Diego’s current seven-game road trip and he is 8-for-18 over the past four games.

The Padres finish out the road-trip on Sunday when they send Chris Young to the mound for the last of a three-game series against Houston. The Astros counter with Jason Jennings.

Angel’s catcher woes

The L.A. Angels were left to rue last week’s trade of Jose Molina to the Yankees when current catcher, Mike Napoli, left Friday’s win over Detroit with a strained right hamstring. His absence means that the catching duties will fall to 24-year-old Jeff Mathis.

Napoli was hitting .253 with nine homers and 30 RBIs before his injury, whereas Mathis has only managed a .095 average in his 21 at-bats this season. Following Friday’s game, manager Mike Scioscia confirmed he would call up a minor leaguer, most likely Ryan Budde from Triple-A Salt Lake.

We're going to have guys that can do the job," Scioscia told the Los Angeles Times. "We're very confident of that."

For Sunday’s series finale against the Tigers, Mathis will be catching for Dustin Moseley (4-1, 4.06). Detroit starts with Jeremy Bonderman (10-2, 3.69) and is a –124 favorite with the total set at 10.

Raji