San Diego narrows its list to three
After months of evaluating thousands of athletes around the country, the San Diego Padres narrowed their decision on the No. 1 draft pick to three players.
Now comes the most difficult part.
Florida State shortstop Stephen Drew, and right-handers Jered Weaver of Long Beach State and Jeff Niemann of Rice are all being considered by the Padres, who have the top pick in baseball’s draft today.
“We’re fairly happy with all three,” San Diego general manager Kevin Towers said. “It comes down to a choice between two starters, or do you want the position player?”
Towers prefers Drew, who would join brothers J.D. and Tim as the first trio of siblings drafted in the first round. Drew was hitting .349 with 14 homers and 52 RBIs while leading the Seminoles to the NCAA regionals.
Weaver was 15-1 with a 1.65 ERA for the 49ers, and has struck out 201 – just the 15th Division I player to reach that mark. Weaver walked just 19 in 13 61/3 innings.
But Scott Boras is representing Weaver, and a big factor for teams is being able to meet contract demands.
The other option for the Padres is Niemann, the Owls’ 6-foot-9 ace who went 17-0 last season but struggled through groin problems this year. He recently started flashing the form that made him so dominant during Rice’s College World Series run last year.
Owls right-handers Philip Humber and Wade Townsend are expected to join Niemann as first-round picks, making Rice the first college to have three pitchers selected in the draft’s opening round.
Pujols hurts hamstring
Just as Albert Pujols was starting to hit his stride, he got hurt.
The St. Louis Cardinals first baseman left Sunday’s game against the Houston Astros when he injured his left hamstring running the bases in the sixth inning.
Manager Tony La Russa pretty much ruled the defending N.L. batting champion out of the four-game series that starts today at Chicago.
Pujols has had at least four hits in three of his last nine games, batting .559 during that stretch (19 for 34) with five homers and 11 RBIs. Overall he was tied for the major league lead with 17 homers and was batting .325 with 40 RBIs after a slow start.
Trammell says Twins tampered with AC
Alan Trammell thinks the Minnesota Twins might be getting a little help – from some timely air conditioning.
The Detroit manager questioned whether the Twins tampered with the Metrodome’s ventilation system in the ninth inning of a 6-5 victory over the Tigers on Sunday.
Minnesota took a 6-3 lead into the top of the ninth, but, the Tigers rallied for two runs and had the tying run on first with one out when Rondell White hit a deep drive to left, only to have Lew Ford make the catch on the warning track.
After the game, Trammell went public with what other teams have grumbled about in the past, saying the Metrodome’s ventilation system was blowing air through its outfield vents in the ninth inning to help prevent Detroit home runs.
“It seemed like those air conditioners were blowing straight in our face in the top of the ninth,” he said. “There was definitely a difference in the air conditioner in the ninth inning. There was no question that there was some air blowing in the ninth inning.”
Clearing the bases
Cubs reliever Joe Borowski was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a right shoulder strain, and Chicago recalled right-hander Jon Leicester from Triple-A Iowa. . . . Kansas City pitcher Jason Grimsley and first baseman Ken Harvey were taken to a hospital for X-rays after they collided in the sixth inning. The Royals said Harvey’s right wrist and forearm will be X-rayed along with Grimsley’s right jaw and left forearm… . The Phillies activated Placido Polanco from the 15-day disabled list and sent right-handed pitcher Josh Hancock to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre… . Philadelphia closer Billy Wagner struck out two and topped 97 mph three times Sunday in Bowie, Md., in his only scheduled rehabilitation appearance for Double-A Reading.