Piniella handed suspension
Chicago Cubs manager Lou Piniella was suspended indefinitely and fined an undisclosed amount by Major League Baseball on Sunday for his latest dirt-kicking tirade against an umpire.
Piniella was ejected in the eighth inning of Saturday’s 5-3 loss to the Atlanta Braves.
After Angel Pagan was thrown out trying to steal third on a pitch that bounced away from the catcher, Piniella stormed out of the dugout and kicked dirt as he argued and tossed his cap, leading to his ouster by third-base umpire Mark Wegner.
MLB also said Piniella made contact with Wegner during the outburst – which Piniella denied.
Piniella began serving his suspension Sunday. The length of Piniella’s suspension will be determined today after a meeting with John McHale Jr., the MLB executive vice president for administration.
“I wasn’t expecting anything until the early part of the week,” said Piniella, who has been known to kick dirt and toss bases since he started managing in 1986.
Bench coach Alan Trammell will manage the team during the suspension.
Rocket aims for Pirates
Roger Clemens will have tests on his ailing groin today, and the New York Yankees hope he can make his first start of the season next weekend.
Yankees manager Joe Torre said that Clemens could pitch Saturday against the Pittsburgh Pirates, five days after he was originally slated to return to the struggling team before being scratched because of a fatigued right groin.
“We’re tentatively looking at possibly next weekend,” Torre said. “The only thing I know is he’s going to have an MRI (today) and we’ll have more information. They’ll see if whatever he’s dealing with is old or new.”
Matt DeSalvo was scheduled to start in Clemens’ place tonight at the Chicago White Sox.
The MRI won’t be the only factor that determines whether Clemens pitches on Saturday.
“He’s going to be the one that has to feel (ready),” Torre said. “We certainly don’t want him to say, ‘Well, I can pitch with this.’ “
First baseman needed
New York Yankees first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz will soon be placed on the disabled list with a broken right wrist and a concussion after he was hurt in a collision with Boston’s Mike Lowell on Saturday.
With Jason Giambi already out because of a foot injury, Torre said Josh Phelps will be the team’s regular first baseman for the foreseeable future, with Miguel Cairo as the backup. Center fielder Johnny Damon has been taking grounders at first but is expected to keep serving mostly as a designated hitter.