May 24, 2009 in Sports

Wasn’t right with Price

Associated Press
 
Associated Press photo

Bryan Price, left, didn’t like Arizona’s direction.
(Full-size photo)

400

Career home runs for Oakland slugger Jason Giambi. The designated hitter became the 44th player to join the 400 home run club.

2,000

Career innings pitched for Atlanta starter Derek Lowe. The milestone was reached in the fifth inning against Toronto.

9

Home runs through his first 21 games for Minnesota’s Joe Mauer. The catcher’s career high is 13 home runs.

Bryan Price, who served as Mariners pitching coach under Lou Piniella, Bob Melvin and Mike Hargrove before resigning in 2006 to join Melvin in Arizona, was part of the Diamondbacks’ recent purge.

Actually, Price quit when close friend Melvin was fired, rather than go to work for his managerial replacement, A.J. Hinch.

“It had to be done,” Price said of walking away from his six-figure contract.

Price, who is now doing special-assistant work for the Philadelphia Phillies, elaborated in a recent story by Jack Magruder in his hometown newspaper, the Marin (Calif.) Independent-Journal.

Price was offended when the Diamondbacks named Hinch – previously the director of player development – as Melvin’s replacement. Hinch had no previous managing or coaching experience at any level.

“The hiring of A.J., I thought, was a poor decision,” Price told Magruder. “A.J. has worked hard to get his credibility in the business in that side of the game, but he doesn’t have any credibility between the lines as a manager. That, for me, just wasn’t going to work.”

Price has had managerial aspirations, interviewing for the position with the Mariners after Piniella stepped down. Also on the Arizona coaching staff, fired along with Melvin, were Chip Hale, a Mariners managerial candidate this past offseason, and Kirk Gibson.

Indians setback

Cleveland put starter Anthony Reyes and reliever Aaron Laffey on the 15-day disabled list, a day after both were forced to leave a game with injuries. The Indians have six players on the disabled list, five of them pitchers.

Left-handers Jeremy Sowers and Rich Rundles were called up from Triple-A Columbus.

Escobar to bullpen

Kelvim Escobar, who has embarked on a rehab stint with Class A Rancho Cucamonga (Calif.), thinks it would be best for his surgically repaired shoulder to return in the bullpen.

“I think it’s a better deal for me physically and mentally to get ready as a reliever,” Escobar told the Orange County Register.

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