KAZ MATSUI GOING TO DL (12:33 a.m. ET)
Astros second baseman Kaz Matsui underwent a successful surgical procedure to repair an anal fissure, and though Houston was hoping to keep him of the disabled list, he likely won't be ready to start the season.
MLB.com reported on Monday that the Astros increased his recovery time from two weeks to two to three weeks before he can resume preparations for the season.
"We won't put him on [the DL] right away, but from the report from the doctors, it's a foregone conclusion he'll start the year on the DL," general manager Ed Wade said, according to MLB.com.
Matsui is scheduled to leave the hospital on Wednesday.
CAPUANO FEELS PAIN (8:53 p.m. ET)
Chris Capuano walked off the mound in the fourth inning with pain in his left arm, the Brewers' only downer in a 17-3 victory over the Mariners in a split-squad game Monday. Capuano cruised into the fourth with a shutout but allowed home runs by Richie Sexson and Wladimir Balentien on consecutive pitches, plus a single and a walk, before departing the game.
As he walked down the right-field line and into the clubhouse after allowing three runs and five hits in 3 1/3 innings, Capuano motioned to a trainer that he could feel something in his arm when he tried to extend on his pitches.
"I really can't say anything. I haven't really had it looked at yet," Capuano said, appearing worried as he got into an SUV for his ride to the doctor.
"I was pretty happy [until the injury]. I felt pretty good, mixing my pitches. Hopefully, it's nothing major."
-- The Associated Press
EVELAND ON TRACK (7:35 p.m. ET)
From the first day, Oakland manager Bob Geren tabbed Dana Eveland as the front-runner to join the Athletics' starting rotation.
Eveland's five shutout innings in the A's 6-2 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Monday likely sealed his spot.
Geren announced afterward that Eveland will start the first exhibition game in Tokyo, with Justin Duchscherer starting the other.
"I still don't want to get my hopes up," Eveland said. "I've been let down so many times before that I try not to do that."
Eveland had already been told he's going to Japan with the rest of the team, and with Chad Gaudin, who made his spring debut with two perfect innings, a little behind schedule, the left-hander got one of the starts there.
"I'm excited about the trip and excited that I pitched well enough to go to Japan," said Eveland, who came to the A's from the Arizona Diamondbacks in the trade for Dan Haren. "I like the way I'm throwing the ball. It's the best I felt all spring. Take the two walks away and that's one of my better outings."
Gaudin, who struck out one, figures to be the A's fourth starter and is slated for his first start on April 12 when the A's travel to Cleveland.
-- The Associated Press
LIRIANO OK DESPITE NUMBERS (6:40 p.m. ET)
Francisco Liriano said he's making progress, even if his spring numbers have yet to catch up to how he feels.
Liriano allowed three runs and five hits over three-plus innings in the Minnesota Twins' 5-3 loss to the Florida Marlins on Monday. He walked two, struck out one and threw 33 of his 59 pitches for strikes.
"I think I'll be good enough to start the season," said Liriano, 15 months removed from Tommy John surgery on his left elbow.
Liriano continued to throw more fastballs. He avoided reliance on his slider, which puts more stress on the elbow and may have resulted in his injury.
"I don't want to use my slider as much this year," he said. "It could help me stay healthy. We'll see."
Liriano went 12-3 with a 2.16 ERA in 2006 before the arm troubles began.
Liriano, a native of the Dominican Republic, arrived at camp a week late because of visa problems. He has an 8.10 ERA in three starts this spring and could get three more before the start of the regular season.
Also, Twins pitcher Scott Baker, who has been out with a strained muscle in his back, is sick with the flu. He was excused from camp Monday. "Baker went home sick," Gardenhire said. "I'm not sure when he's going to be back. With this setback, we might have to make an adjustment with him. He hasn't thrown in a while. We'll see where he's at. That's all we can do."
-- The Associated Press
SWEENEY MAKING JAPAN TRIP (5:55 p.m. ET)
Non-roster first baseman Mike Sweeney will be making the trip to Japan with the Oakland Athletics this week. Outfielder Todd Linden was told Monday that he's staying back in Arizona despite a strong spring.
The A's open the season March 25 with the first of two games against the defending World Series champion Boston Red Sox, and the clubs also will play a pair of exhibitions beforehand with Japanese teams.
The 34-year-old Sweeney has had a solid spring after receiving a minor league contract last month to join the A's after spending his first 13 major league seasons with the Kansas City Royals.
"He is playing very well," Oakland manager Bob Geren said Monday. "He's had a great spring. He's been told he's going to Japan. The rosters won't be finalized until right before the game that day, but he's going on the trip."
Linden stayed in the clubhouse before Monday's Cactus League game against the Royals rather than warm up with his teammates -- a clear sign he's disappointed about the team's choice and that he's taking it as a sign he won't make the club.
"Angry, upset," he said of his reaction.
The 27-year-old Linden was 5-for-7 with three RBIs over his previous two games and batting .577 with (15-of-26) overall this spring.
Also Monday, the A's reassigned non-roster pitchers Gio Gonzalez and Greg Smith to minor league camp.
-- The Associated Press
DUKE ON TOP OF WORLD (5:24 p.m. ET)
Zach Duke is healthy and sailing through spring training.
Duke tossed five scoreless innings Monday to lead the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 4-1 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays. The left-hander allowed three hits, struck out one and walked none.
Duke was bothered by elbow tendinitis throughout much of last season and went 3-8 with a 5.53 ERA in 20 games. He is pitching without pain this spring.
"Being healthy makes all the difference in the world," Duke said. "You can't even begin to understand what a difference it makes to be able to get full extension with your arm and be able to finish your pitches."
Since being rocked for five runs in two innings by Cincinnati in his spring debut, Duke has given up just two runs in 12 innings in his last three starts.
Also, Pittsburgh manager John Russell announced after the game that RHP Ian Snell will start the Pirates' opener in Atlanta on March 31. Snell signed a three-year contract Sunday that will be worth at least $8 million and includes club options for the 2011 and 2012 seasons. LHP Tom Gorzelanny will start the home opener April 7 against the Chicago Cubs.
-- The Associated Press
HAMPTON BACK ON TRACK (4:50 p.m. ET)
Mike Hampton is back on track to open the season in the Atlanta Braves' rotation.
Hampton allowed a run and two hits over 4 1/3 innings in a 4-2 loss to the Cardinals on Monday. The left-hander's encouraging performance came 10 days after he had to leave a start with a slight right groin pull.
He threw 75 pitches in his longest outing of the spring. His previous best was only two innings in his exhibition debut on March 2.
"That's the biggest hurdle I've jumped over yet," Hampton said. "To be able to extend it and run the bases little bit, even though I took it easy a little bit, it was a good step.
"I'm pretty happy with the results and where I'm at."
-- The Associated Press
JUAN GONE MISSES ANOTHER GAME (3:51 p.m. ET)
Juan Gonzalez missed his seventh straight spring training game Monday and is losing ground in his effort to win a spot on the Cardinals.
Gonzalez underwent an MRI exam Friday for an abdominal injury and was waiting for it to be read by a specialist. The 38-year-old slugger, attempting a comeback after getting only one at-bat the previous three seasons, said he was told by team doctors that the injury is not serious.
"The doctors say there's no hernia, that it's just the muscle," Gonzalez told The Associated Press on Monday. "I'll keep taking treatment and when I'm fine, I'll go out there."
The two-time AL MVP is battling Rule 5 draft pickup Brian Barton for the fifth outfield job with the Cardinals. The speedy Barton was batting .349 with two homers, three triples and eight RBIs.
-- The Associated Press
LOHSE IMPRESSIVE IN SIMULATED GAME (2:36 p.m. ET)
Kyle Lohse showed the St. Louis Cardinals he wasn't just sitting around waiting for a contract.
The right-hander threw 70 pitches and got 20 outs in a simulated game on Monday, three days after signing a one-year, $4.25 million free-agent deal. The team saw enough to schedule his first spring training start for Saturday.
"You're not going to be 100 percent this time of spring anyway," Lohse said. "I just felt like I normally would at this time of the year.
"Everything was coming out smooth and I felt strong. I wasn't trying to overthrow anything and the ball was doing everything it was supposed to do."
Another Cardinals pitcher, closer Jason Isringhausen, was feeling better after being scratched from his outing Sunday due to back soreness. His next outing is scheduled for Wednesday after the team's lone day off of the spring.
-- The Associated Press
JOBA EXPECTS TO START SEASON IN BULLPEN (1:09 p.m. ET)
Joba Chamberlain might finish the season in the Yankees' starting rotation, but the 22-year-old pitcher thinks come Opening Day, he'll be in New York's bullpen.
The team hasn't officially announced plans for Chamberlain. With Chien-Ming Wang, Mike Mussina and Andy Pettitte to go along with youngsters Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy as the five starters, Chamberlain doesn't think he'll crack the rotation right out of the gate.
Chamberlain does hope to hear the plans for him soon though. He expects to meet with manager Joe Girardi and the coaching staff on Wednesday.
"They've been great, so I can't complain about not knowing anything," Chamberlain told MLB.com. "We're getting close to crunch time and the beginning of the season. Physically it's hard, but mentally, it's a little bit harder. Just to have that idea of what the plan is will be good."
SWEENEY LIKELY TO MAKE A'S ROSTER (9:32 a.m. ET)
The Oakland Athletics haven't said Mike Sweeney will make their opening day roster, but they did tell the designated hitter to pack his bags for Japan, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
Oakland opens its season with a two-game series against the Red Sox in Tokyo.
Sweeney's situation is unique since he was a non-roster invitee to spring training and would have to be added to Oakland's 40-man roster. He's hitting .364 so far this spring. The A's have until March 19 to make their decision.
REDS' YOUNGSTERS MAKING MARK (9:05 a.m. ET)
Two pitching prospects -- Edinson Volquez and Johnny Cueto -- are making their case for joining the Reds' rotation this spring.
When prompted if the two Dominican pitchers would begin the season as starters with Aaron Harang and Bronson Arroyo, new manager Dusty Baker didn't exactly say yes, but he didn't say no either.
"You want me to say it, or are you going to say it?" Baker told the Cincinnati Enquirer. "They're pitching like they belong alongside [Aaron] Harang and [Bronson] Arroyo in the rotation. They're dealing.
"They came in ready to pitch. They played winter ball, so they're ahead -- not so much with velocity but with command. That's what you need. They're pounding the strike zone. If you walk people, you have no chance. If you get behind people, you have a little chance."
SABATHIA IN PINSTRIPES? NOT SO FAST (8:54 a.m. ET)
Indians starting pitcher C. C. Sabathia is a free agent after this season. Tens of millions of dollars of contracts are coming off the books after the 2008 campaign for the New York Yankees. A perfect match?
"I'm focused on this season right now, playing in Cleveland and trying to win," Sabathia told reporters. He later added, "I've been [with the Indians] since I was 17. We'll just have to see what happens."
Sabathia is likely to command an enormous contract next winter and he's already turned down a four-year deal from the Indians valued at more than $17 million a season.
Sabathia, the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner, is just 28 and owns a 100-63 career record.
THE AMERICANIZATION OF HIDEKI OKAJIMA? (8:45 a.m. ET)
When the Red Sox travel to Japan for their season opener in Tokyo, the game will likely hold special significance for Boston reliever and native son Hideki Okajima. But will Japanese baseball fans recognize him?
Apparently Okajima has been trying to change his ways that he learned while plying his craft with the Yomiuri Giants and the Nippon Ham Fighters.
"Right now, I'm trying to stick with the American style," Okajima told reporters through a translator. "I'm trying to forget everything I did in Japan."
