Griffey catches Killebrew
Ken Griffey Jr. tied Harmon Killebrew for eighth place on the home run list Tuesday in Cincinnati, hitting the 573rd of his career.
The 37-year-old outfielder hit a two-run shot in the fourth inning, the Cincinnati Reds’ first hit off Washington’s Matt Chico. His drive to right field off a 2-2 pitch was his 10th home run of the season.
Griffey is 10 homers behind Mark McGwire for seventh on the list.
“The Reds recalled third baseman Edwin Encarnacion from Triple-A Louisville and put ailing outfielder Josh Hamilton on the 15-day disabled list.
Braves release Redman
The Atlanta Braves gave struggling pitcher Mark Redman his unconditional release and resumed the search for a fifth starter.
Former No. 1 pick Joey Devine was called up from Double-A Mississippi.
In six appearances, including five starts, Redman went 0-4 with an 11.63 ERA and gave up a staggering 38 hits in 21 2/3 innings.
Mets get good news
New York Mets ace Pedro Martinez could be back on the mound by August.
“Things with Pedro are moving forward very nicely,” Mets general manager Omar Minaya said. “We are hoping for his return in August, but the most important thing is that he recovers from his injury.”
Martinez, in the third year of a four-year contract with the Mets, has sat out the season recovering from rotator cuff surgery. Last year, he went 9-8 with a 4.48 ERA.
Clearing the bases
All that remains between Carl Pavano and elbow surgery is permission from the New York Yankees. The pitcher is awaiting word from the team on whether he can go ahead with an operation that would sideline him for most if not all of what remains on his $39.95 million, four-year contract. … The Kansas City Royals activated right-hander Octavio Dotel and said they would ease him into the closer’s role. Dotel has been out with a strained left oblique muscle since the last week of spring training. … The Los Angeles Dodgers added a third baseman, purchasing the contract of switch-hitting Tony Abreu, 22, from Triple-A Las Vegas of the Pacific Coast League. The Dodgers optioned left-hander Hong-Chih Kuo to Las Vegas. … Oakland right-hander Justin Duchscherer went on the 15-day DL with a right hip strain. The A’s called up right-hander Colby Lewis from Triple-A Sacramento. … The Minnesota Twins placed left-hander Glen Perkins on the 15-day DL with a strained muscle in his left shoulder and purchased the contract of left-hander Carmen Cali from Triple-A Rochester. … The Chicago Cubs recalled left-hander Sean Marshall from Triple-A Iowa and moved him into the rotation. Left-hander Neal Cotts was optioned to Iowa to make room. … An arraignment for Hall of Famer Orlando Cepeda was put on hold in Sacramento, Calif., while prosecutors seek more information about his traffic stop and the substances found in the car he was driving. Last week, prosecutors said they were waiting for laboratory results to identify a white powder found inside the car.