CUBS CUT SAMARDZIJA (8:21 p.m. ET)
Jeff Samardzija was among seven cuts made by the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday. The former Notre Dame wide receiver, who's starting just his second full season of pro baseball, was optioned to Class AA Tennessee.
The good news for Samardzija, however, is that his situation may not be permanent. Manager Lou Piniella told MLB.com Samardzija was "more poised, more relaxed" this spring and could see some work in the majors before the season is over.
"It's up to him, obviously," Piniella told the Web site. "He's certainly one of the kids down there who has a chance. We brought up five players last year from our Double-A club. If you're pitching well and we need help, we'll get the person who the organization feels can help us the most."
Meanwhile, Cubs CF Felix Pie returned to camp, one day after undergoing an outpatient procedure for a minor groin injury. The Cubs said they expect Pie to be able to play by Friday or Saturday. Closer Shingo Takatsu was given his unconditional release.
ESPN.com news services and The Associated Press
GALLARDO ON TRACK (8:11 p.m. ET)
Brewers righty Yovani Gallardo is expected to pitch a simulated game Wednesday as he recovers from left knee surgery.
"He's right on schedule," Brewers manager Ned Yost said.
Yost said Gallardo will need to throw one or two more simulated games before he gets into an exhibition game.
-- The Associated Press
ZITO ADJUSTS DELIVERY (7:46 p.m. ET)
Barry Zito, who turns 30 in May, is working to become slightly more compact in his delivery, despite seven successful seasons in the AL with one windup.
"It was eliminating the hands going over the head in the windup," Zito said. "I'm trying to have a little more continuity, and less movement. It just feels more comfortable. There's less moving parts, and any time there's less moving parts, there's less things you have to worry about controlling. Really it's just to get the timing of the arm and get that hand break working."
Zito will likely start one of San Francisco's split-squad games Saturday, when he can further tinker with his slightly new delivery.
On Monday, he took several steps backward. Zito was extended to 3 2/3 innings but gave up another eight runs and walked four batters. He still hasn't recorded a strikeout this spring.
"Well, I was working on a couple of things mechanically, so I was just trying to get comfortable with that," Zito said. "Obviously, the ball was up a little bit -- more than I would like, so I will just get back to work."
Zito struggled in his first year with the San Francisco Giants after signing a $126 million, seven-year contract, and still looks nothing like the pitcher who won the 2002 AL Cy Young Award with Oakland.
-- The Associated Press
BLAST FROM THE PAST (7:16 p.m. ET)
Johan Santana made a surprise visit Tuesday afternoon to his see his old teammates and coaches, taking advantage of his new team's trip to Fort Myers, where he still has a house.
The New York Mets played across town at the same time against the Boston Red Sox, but Santana did not pitch -- giving him a chance to come over and catch up.
Santana, a two-time Cy Young Award winner traded by Minnesota to New York for four prospects in early February, talked about missing his old team but also being excited about the future. He met with former manager Ron Gardenhire for about 45 minutes after the Twins' game against the Tampa Bay Rays.
"It's good to be back and say hello," Santana said. "I thought I'd spend my career here and with nobody else. That didn't happen. It's a business, and that's what they had to do. It's sad, but I had to move on. I wish them all the best, and hopefully it works out for everybody."
-- The Associated Press
LASORDA MANAGES DODGERS (6:58 p.m. ET)
Hall of Famer Tommy Lasorda returned to the dugout as manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday for the first time in 12 years.
He didn't stay there long.
Lasorda, who retired from managing in 1996 after 21 years, is temporarily taking over for Joe Torre this week while Torre travels to China with part of the squad for two exhibition games against San Diego.
Lasorda's first game back, a 7-6 loss to the Florida Marlins, seemed just like the old days. The 80-year-old stormed onto the field in the second inning to argue with an umpire when James Loney was tagged out running to first base on a bunt. Lasorda thought it was foul.
The play ended the inning, and Lasorda was directed back to the dugout as the crowd cheered.
"He was yelling," Loney said. "He was giving it to him. But that's Tommy, though. You've got to win."
Though Lasorda was disappointed with the loss, he enjoyed being back at the helm.
"It's been a long time for me. I am so happy and grateful they allowed me to do it. I wish we would have won the game, but we'll get them next time," said Lasorda, who went 1,599-1,439 as a manager and won World Series championships with the Dodgers in 1981 and '88.
-- The Associated Press
DAMON TESTS NEGATIVE (6:46 p.m. ET)
Yankees left fielder Johnny Damon, who fouled a ball off his right foot Monday, underwent X-rays and an MRI, which were both negative. Listed as day to day, Damon didn't play Tuesday and is not scheduled to travel for Wednesday's road game against Tampa Bay.
"Johnny has a bruised toe," Girardi said. "It doesn't feel good. It might be a couple days."
Wednesday's game between New York and the Rays is the first meeting since last Saturday when Yankees catcher Francisco Cervelli broke his right wrist when Tampa Bay's Eliot Johnson ran into him while trying to score.
Girardi was upset by the play, but thinks there will be no carryover.
"I'm not worried," Girardi said. "We'll play baseball tomorrow. Approach tomorrow like any other day."
Cervelli will undergo surgery Wednesday in New York. He could miss 10 weeks.
Also, actor Billy Crystal, who will play for the Yankees on Thursday against Pittsburgh, was assigned the locker between INF Cody Ransom and LHP Heath Phillips. The locker was previously used by promising reliever Mark Melancon, who was reassigned to minor league camp on March 8. … Yankees 1B Shelley Duncan bruised his shin when he fouled a ball off his leg. The injury is not considered serious.
-- The Associated Press
BOURN GOES DEEP IN RETURN (5:57 p.m. ET)
Michael Bourn returned to Houston's lineup and hit a solo homer off Aaron Harang during the Astros' 5-4 loss to a Reds split squad Tuesday.
The speedy center fielder missed the previous two games with upper back spasms, but batted leadoff and finished 2-for-4. He opened the fourth inning with a homer off Cincinnati's top starter and followed with a single against closer Francisco Cordero.
"It was good to see him put a good swing on Harang after he missed a couple of days," Astros manager Cecil Cooper said.
-- The Associated Press
TROUBLES IN TEXAS (5:35 p.m. ET)
Texas Rangers third baseman Travis Metcalf is expected to be out six to eight weeks with a torn left hamstring tendon that will require surgery.
Metcalf, who was hitting .412 with two home runs in spring training, returned to Dallas on Tuesday with surgery tentatively planned for Wednesday. An 11th-round draft pick in 2004 out of Kansas, Metcalf batted .255 in 57 games as a rookie last season while filling in for injured Hank Blalock.
"I'm disappointed, but I want to take care of it now," Metcalf said. "I was swinging the bat well and felt good about things."
Meanwhile, right-hander Brandon McCarthy originally was expected to be out four to six weeks with a right forearm strain, but a club spokesman said Tuesday that it likely will be four to eight weeks. A procedure on McCarthy's arm to reduce the swelling has been delayed until the area calms down. McCarthy was to receive an injection of his blood platelets into the inflamed area.
Vicente Padilla, another projected starter, left Tuesday's game in the fourth inning with a pulled leg muscle.
-- The Associated Press
DO-IT-ALL HALL (5:32 p.m. ET)
Bill Hall is back in the Brewers' infield at third base. J.J. Hardy says it's almost like he never left.
"Billy was so good before he left the infield that he's picked it up already," Hardy said of Hall, who spent last season in center. "It's not even that difficult for him. He makes the plays, he's got really good range."
While new third baseman Ryan Braun hit his way to the NL Rookie of the Year award with a .324 average, 34 homers and 97 RBIs, he committed a major league-leading 26 errors in 112 starts at third base. With the departure of Geoff Jenkins, the Brewers moved Braun to left field, where he's looking much more comfortable this spring.
The Brewers began shopping for a new third baseman, but general manager Doug Melvin decided to sign three-time Gold Glove center fielder Mike Cameron. That meant Hall had to come back to third base.
"I've been in the infield my whole life outside of one year, which was last year, so it's an easy adjustment going back to the infield," Hall said. "Once you know how to field ground balls it's kind of like riding a bike, you never really forget, it just takes a little while to get back on, get comfortable."
-- The Associated Press
PAPELBON ADDS TO ARSENAL (5:07 p.m. ET)
Here's a bulletin the hitters of America won't be overjoyed to hear: Jonathan Papelbon is adding a third pitch to his already-unhittable repertoire. The Red Sox closer threw a number of sliders during a dominating two-inning outing against the Mets on Tuesday and said afterward that it could be a big new weapon for him.
"I threw that pitch a lot today," Papelbon said, after firing two hitless innings in his fourth outing of the spring. "And [catcher] Doug [Mirabelli] said it was a good solid pitch for me. It's just a matter of getting to the point where I can throw it any pitch, any count, any situation. And I think it will be there by the time spring training [ends], and I'll go into the season as a three-pitch closer."
Papelbon said the slider was once a "big pitch" for him back in his days as a starter, so to go back to throwing it now was "like riding a bike."
"It was a big pitch. I loved to throw that pitch," he said. "There were a lot of situations where, if I had that pitch going that day, I threw it a lot. … And [the last two years] there were plenty of situations where I was out there saying to myself, 'I could use this third pitch. This would be a great situation to throw this.'"
-- Jayson Stark, ESPN.com
FUKUDOME NO. 1! (4:14 p.m. ET)
When asked about his new outfielder on Tuesday morning, Lou Piniella said he admired that Kosuke Fukudome decided to wear jersey No. 1 because it showed a strong sense of confidence.
"That tells me a lot about the individual," Piniella said. "I don't think the player has any doubts."
Such significance was lost on Fukudome, who said he wore No. 1 only because that was his number for nine seasons in Japan. When asked if he wore No. 1 in Japan for the reasons that Piniella had pointed out, Fukudome sheepishly said through an interpreter, "No, it was because my manager made me wear it."
-- Jorge Arangure Jr., ESPN The MagazinePEDRO SHARP IN WARM-UP (3:37 p.m. ET)
Pedro Martinez had a final warm-up Tuesday before making his first Grapefruit League start for the Mets.
The three-time Cy Young Award winner tossed 59 pitches in a simulated game at Tradition Field, possibly paving the way for a start Sunday. He hit 87 mph on the radar gun.
"The main key right here is to feel healthy," Martinez said. "That's how I felt today, I felt like I'm really, really healthy."
In the outing, Martinez threw 43 strikes. He gave up four hits and struck out one. The Mets had Martinez face three extra batters in the third inning to build his pitch count. He got the batters out.
-- The Associated Press
NOMAR TO SKIP CHINA TRIP (2:36 p.m. ET)
Nomar Garciaparra's wrist is improving, but he's uncertain when he'll return to the Los Angeles Dodgers' lineup.
The third baseman was hit by a pitch on his right wrist Friday during a game against St. Louis. X-rays were negative, although his wrist was bruised and swollen.
The 34-year-old infielder hit in the batting cages Tuesday with the wrist wrapped.
Garciaparra was scratched from the team's trip to China. Exhibition games against the San Diego Padres are scheduled for Friday and Saturday in Beijing. A split squad remains in Vero Beach for eight more games before finishing the spring in Arizona.
-- The Associated Press
LIDGE THROWS AT PHILS CAMP (9:09 a.m. ET)
Phillies closer Brad Lidge threw off a mound on Monday for the first time since having arthroscopic knee surgery.
"I was real happy," Lidge said, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. "I didn't feel it at all. I threw 25 pitches in there, and I tried to let it go. And it felt great. So I'm real encouraged by that. Obviously, that's a big step for me."
Lidge might pitch in a Grapefruit League game next week if he stays on schedule in his recovery.
Adam Eaton, who has been experiencing back problems, and Kris Benson, who is recovering from shoulder surgery, also threw in Phillies camp Monday. Eaton said his back felt fine and he'll pitch in a game Saturday. Benson will pitch in a minor league game next week.
PIE OUT 3-5 DAYS (9:03 a.m. ET)
Cubs center fielder Felix Pie will miss the next three to five days while he recovers from an outpatient surgery to fix a twisted testicle.
According to the Chicago Tribune, the surgery is a minor one but if Pie didn't deal with this soon he was in danger of losing the testicle.
Manager Lou Piniella said that the missed time from camp shouldn't keep Pie from competing for the starting center-field job. Pie currently is the favorite to start for the Cubs in center on Opening Day.
RAYS STUNG BY INJURIES (8:54 a.m. ET)
The injury bug is forcing the Rays to adjust their roster plans.
Ben Zobrist, who has impressed in camp in the super utility role, will be out a month after he fractured the tip of his left thumb. And outfielder Rocco Baldelli still appears no closer to playing as he deals with problems with his legs.
"The point's coming pretty soon where we're going to need to get [Baldelli] out on the field and get a clear sense of what we can expect in April and beyond," Rays executive vice president Andrew Friedman said, according to the St. Petersburg Times. "We're not there yet -- we still have 18 days of spring training left to figure these things out -- but it's fast approaching."
Zobrist's injury means Andy Cannizaro might be the favorite to fill the super utility role on Opening Day. And if Baldelli isn't ready, the team might be in the market for another outfielder.
ROTATION CANDIDATE TO HAVE TESTS (8:50 a.m. ET)
One of the candidates vying for a spot in the Astros' starting rotation went back to Houston to have tests on his arm.
Felipe Paulino, who was feeling discomfort in his right arm, will see the team's doctor on Tuesday.
"Any time you hear one of your starting pitching candidates has an arm issue, you are concerned enough to fly him back to Houston," general manager Ed Wade said, according to the Houston Chronicle.
TRACHSEL TAKES ON MENTORING ROLE (7 a.m. ET)
Steve Trachsel has 141 career wins, exactly 80 more than the combined total of the other four pitchers in the Baltimore Orioles' projected starting rotation. When Trachsel threw his first pitch in the major leagues, Adam Loewen was 9 years old.
Loewen, now 23, can learn plenty from a guy like Trachsel. His return to Baltimore gives the Orioles a veteran who can eat up innings and provide stability and instruction to a young, inexperienced staff.
"He's been helping me out with my routine. I didn't really have one for when I was warming up in the bullpen," Loewen said. "Trachs has been really helpful."
Trachsel, in turn, receives another chance to pitch in the majors as he learns to be a player-coach. But helping make his teammates better won't do any good unless he's an effective starting pitcher.
"I can't allow that to happen. That's the main thing. You've got to pick and choose when you're going to talk to guys. Most important for me, obviously, is getting ready," Trachsel said. "I've got to find a balance of when to talk to guys and who to talk to and who to leave alone on the day they pitch. I'm definitely not talking to anybody on the day I pitch."
-- The Associated Press
