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Petco motto: Bee prepared

A beekeeper made Petco Park safe again Thursday. (Associated Press / The Spokesman-Review)
Associated Press
A beekeeper made Petco Park safe again Thursday. (Associated Press / The Spokesman-Review)

Talk about adding a late-inning buzz to a ballgame.

Thursday’s game between the Houston Astros and San Diego Padres was delayed for 52 minutes in the top of the ninth inning Thursday when a swarm of bees took over part of left field at Petco Park in San Diego.

A beekeeper was called to the downtown ballpark and sprayed a chair and a ballgirl’s jacket that had attracted the bees.

“The umpires made the right call to stop the game,” Padres president Tom Garfinkel said. “There’s a couple thousand bees there. If they decide to swarm on a person, whether that’s a person, an employer or a fan, we could have a real situation.”

The game was halted at 3:09 p.m. The beekeeper arrived at 3:56 and the game resumed five minutes later.

After Joe Thatcher’s first pitch to Miguel Tejada with two outs in the ninth, Padres left fielder Kyle Blanks began walking toward the infield. Second-base umpire Mike Reilly walked toward left field to see what was going on. Within minutes, the other players left the field.

MLB loans to Rangers

The Texas Rangers borrowed millions of dollars from Major League Baseball within the last week, according to a Yahoo! report.

Rangers spokesman John Blake told the Web site that the club would have no comment. Rich Levin, a spokesman for the commissioner’s office, said baseball does not comment on team finances.

Baseball will continue to offer financial assistance to owner Tom Hicks until he is able to sell the team, the Web site reported, citing a major league source with knowledge of the situation.

Clearing the bases

The St. Louis Cardinals gave a $3.1 million signing bonus to 16-year-old Dominican outfielder Wagner Mateo, considered to be among the top amateur free agents from Latin America. The New York Yankees also gave a $3 million bonus to a 16-year-old Dominican prospect, catcher Gary Sanchez. … The Cleveland Indians acquired right-hander Winton Abreu from the Tampa Bay Rays for minor league right-hander John Meloan. … The Chicago Cubs acquired infielder Jeff Baker from the Colorado Rockies for minor league right-handed pitcher Al Alburquerque and designated infielder Ryan Freel for assignment.