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| Sunday, March 18 | |||||
| X-rays negative on Martinez's left hand | |||||
| FORT MYERS, Fla. – Pedro Martinez was hit at the base of
the thumb on his glove hand by a line drive in the fifth inning of
Saturday's game against the Cincinnati Reds.
"I'm not injured," Martinez said. "The glove is the right
hand to be hit. Nothing really scary."
The three-time Cy Young Award winner had X-rays of his left
hand, but they were negative, the Red Sox said.
Wilton Guerrero's line drive struck Martinez in the hand, then
glanced up and hit his left shoulder. Martinez picked up the ball
off the ground and threw Guerrero out.
The right-hander took off his glove and shook the wrist a few
times, then completed the inning after being looked at by manager
Jimy Williams and Red Sox trainers.
Martinez struck out seven and gave up five hits in five
scoreless innings.
Hundreds of fans were lined up outside the Red Sox ticket office
three hours before the game for a chance to see Martinez
pitch and Ken Griffey Jr. hit. The announced crowd of 7,837 was the
second-largest in the eight-year history of City of Palms Park.
Ramirez says hamstring feeling better: Manny Ramirez took batting practice
Saturday and is optimistic that his strained left hamstring is
healing.
"I had no problems with the leg," the Red Sox right fielder said. "It felt good."
Ramirez also hit in the cages and jogged lightly before talking
with fans and signing autographs. He was not scheduled to play in Saturday's spring training game
against Cincinnati.
Ramirez, who signed an eight-year, $160 million contract during
the offseason, took himself out of Wednesday's game against
Minnesota in the third inning with a mild hamstring strain. He
appeared to pull up while chasing Matt Lawton's deep drive to his
left.
Ramirez pulled the hamstring last year and missed 44 games while
playing for Cleveland. This injury is not in the same spot.
"Last year I couldn't do anything," he said. "I couldn't even
jog."
Nagy looks good in lowering spring ERA to 2.08 CLEARWATER, Fla. – Ten months after elbow surgery, Charles Nagy appears to be reverting to his old form. Nagy lowered his spring ERA to 2.08, allowing one run and five hits in five inning Saturday as the Cleveland Indians beat the Philadelphia Phillies 7-1. "To me, that's the best Nagy's thrown so far," Indians manager Charlie Manuel said. "He kept his pitch count down, and he threw some balls good at the same time." Nagy averaged 16 wins from 1995-99 but was 2-7 in 11 starts last season. He had arthroscopic surgery in May and was sidelined until September. This spring, the right-hander is competing with five pitchers for two openings in the rotation. Nelson Figueroa, starting for Philadelphia because Robert Person had a stiff shoulder, allowed six runs and seven hits in two-plus innings. Person skips start because of stiff shoulder: Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Robert Person was scratched from Saturday's scheduled start against Cleveland because of a stiff shoulder. Person said the injury is not serious and he hopes to start on Monday. He battled a slight shoulder tear while having a career year last season. "This is just precautionary," Person said. "I could have pitched today, but why push it? I just felt a little stiffness so I'm backing off a little. We're getting close to the season and I don't need to blow out anything now." Ripken's rib passes fielding test, BP next FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Cal Ripken's injured rib passed another stress test Saturday and the Baltimore Orioles third baseman said he will take live batting practice for the first time this spring within two days. Ripken fielded simulated bunts from strength and conditioning coach Tim Bishop on a practice field. Ripken made 15 or 20 throws in which he would charge a slow roller, field it and throw to first base. "I didn't feel any trace of (pain)," Ripken said. "When you first come back, you're a little bit tentative, thinking there might be some feeling. But so far there hasn't been any." Ripken fractured his upper right ribcage during a workout in his Baltimore home the week before spring training began. His spring workouts were limited until earlier this week, when he began hitting off a tee and taking part in team drills. "You'd like to get to the point where you just take your normal swings and not worry about it, so that's what I'm working toward," he said. "In the bigger picture, you don't want to do anything too fast to affect the first month or two months of the season." Orioles manager Mike Hargrove said Ripken, once healthy, would need only a week of exhibition games to be ready for the team's April 2 opener. That would mean Ripken would have to be in the lineup by March 24. "A week from today? Again, you're asking me to set a timetable and I want to leave it open-ended," Ripken said. "But I'd remain optimistic that a week from today I'll be playing in a game." Hamilton putting best foot forward for Mets PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. – Darryl Hamilton's toe proved to be his Achilles' heel last season. Not this spring. The pain subsided if not gone, Hamilton is trying to play his way back into the New York Mets' lineup. He had a key single that set up Robin Ventura's three-run homer, leading the Mets over the Baltimore Orioles 3-1 Saturday in a split-squad game. "I have to concentrate on getting this foot to where it doesn't bother me at all and I'm still a little way away from it," Hamilton said. "It's doing a lot better than what I expected and I feel I have a chance to play if it's fine." Pain in his left big toe kept the 11-year veteran out of the lineup from April to August. He's running better this spring and also takes extra batting practice most mornings. Hamilton's swing is only 85 percent of where he wants it to be when the Mets open the season April 3 at Atlanta. "It's getting late in spring," he said. "You want you're swing to be where you want it during the season, so with that in mind you have to take extra time and get it where you want it." MRI ordered up for Jones' troublesome shoulder: Mets LHP Bobby M. Jones is still experiencing pain in his pitching shoulder. "It's still believed to be rotator cuff tendinitis and we're getting him an MRI to make sure it's nothing more significant than that," Mets GM Steve Phillips said. "We're going to shut him down a little longer now." Jones was throwing on flat ground Saturday from a distance of 90-100 feet when he felt soreness.  Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories | ALSO SEE Spring report: Jeter leaves game with tightness in quadriceps | ||||