Contenders take big hits
The N.L. Central race took a new direction with the top two contenders taking huge hits to the lineup.
The division-leading Chicago Cubs will be without left fielder Alfonso Soriano for an extended period of time. Meanwhile, the second-place St. Louis Cardinals will have to find a way to win without first baseman Albert Pujols.
Soriano could miss up to six weeks with a broken left hand after the Chicago star was hit by a pitch Wednesday night against Atlanta.
Soriano was hit in the second inning by Jeff Bennett. The Chicago leadoff man will be in a splint for three weeks, Cubs spokesman Peter Chase said.
Bennett’s inside pitch caught Soriano just as he was turning to begin his swing and he immediately sunk to the ground.
Soriano spent time on the disabled list earlier this season with a calf injury.
For a team that has not won the World Series since 1908, the injury was startlingly bad break. Soriano entered the game with a .284 average, a team-high 15 homers and 40 RBIs.
Pujols is expected to miss at least three weeks with a strained left calf, a major setback to a St. Louis team already thinned by injuries.
The first baseman injured his calf while running out a ground ball during a 7-2 win over the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday night. He flew to St. Louis for tests that indicated a strain rather than a severe tear, as initially feared.
Pujols had to be helped off the field on Tuesday night. He took a few steps out of the batter’s box before stopping and grabbing the calf, which had bothered him earlier in the season.
He will start therapy in the next few days. The Cardinals want to be sure the calf is fully healed before he plays again.
St. Louis also put right-hander Adam Wainwright on the 15-day disabled list Wednesday.
Clearing the bases
Atlanta pitcher Tom Glavine went on the 15-day disabled list for just the second time in his 22-year career – both trips this season. … One day after coming off the disabled list, Moises Alou was out of the Mets’ lineup again because his left calf is still bothering him. … Oakland designated hitter Mike Sweeney underwent arthroscopic surgery on both knees and is expected to miss four to six weeks.