ROCKIES SET ROSTER (11:10 p.m. ET)
The Colorado Rockies set their Opening Day roster Sunday by signing left-handed reliever Micah Bowie and outfielder Scott Podsednik to major league contracts and placing right-handed pitcher Jason Hirsh on the 15-day disabled list due to a strained right shoulder.
Hirsh, expected to be the Rockies' No. 4 pitcher, hasn't pitched since March 1, when he strained his rotator cuff.
Bowie went 4-3 with a 4.55 ERA in 30 games, including eight starts, for the Washington Nationals last year. He signed a minor league deal with Colorado in the offseason with an invitation to spring training, as did Podsednik.
Podsednik, who was released by the Chicago White Sox after two injury-filled seasons, beat out incumbent Cory Sullivan for the Rockies' fifth outfielder spot.
-- The Associated Press
NATS CORRECT MOVE (11:09 p.m. ET)
The Washington Nationals corrected themselves Sunday, saying they had agreed to a minor league contract with infielder Ray Olmedo -- and not Olmedo Saenz, as they announced a day earlier.
Olmedo has a .228 career average in 403 at-bats since breaking into the major leagues with Cincinnati in 2003.
In 2007, he hit .216 with one RBI in 51 at-bats with Toronto.
-- The Associated Press
NOMAR, LAROCHE TO DL (8:11 p.m. ET)
As expected, the Los Angeles Dodgers placed third basemen Nomar Garciaparra and Andy LaRoche and right-hander Jason Schmidt on the 15-day disabled list Sunday. Tony Abreu, another third baseman, is sure to join them before Monday's season opener against the San Francisco Giants.
Although first-year manager Joe Torre provided the answer to one pressing question, saying Andre Ethier will play left field rather than Juan Pierre, it was still unclear as to who will play third in the opener.
Blake DeWitt, a 22-year-old non-roster player who split last season between Single-A Inland Empire and Double-A Jacksonville, was the likely opening-day third baseman as of Sunday.
"He hasn't been told he's going anywhere," Torre said. "We're within regulation right now. We'll have guys show up tomorrow that may not be eligible. You're going to have all teams doing what we've done today."
What the Dodgers did was option outfielder Jason Repko to Triple-A Las Vegas and reassign catchers Danny Ardoin and Rene Rivera, right-handers Chan Ho Park, Brian Falkenborg, Mike Koplove and Greg Jones, left-hander Clayton Kershaw and infielder Ramon Martinez to their minor league camp.
-- The Associated Press
SWEENEY STAYS HOT (7:59 p.m. ET)
Mike Sweeney earned a spot on the Athletics roster with a steady approach at the plate. He also showed his power stroke might be coming back.
Sweeney hit a three-run home run and Oakland beat the San Francisco Giants 7-2 on Sunday in the final exhibition game for both teams.
Bobby Crosby also homered for the A's, and Dana Eveland gave up two runs and three hits in six innings for his team-leading third win of the spring.
The A's, who already began the regular season last week by splitting a pair of games against Boston in Japan, set a franchise record and tied Tampa Bay for the best winning percentage in the majors this spring. Both clubs finished at 18-8 (.692).
-- The Associated Press
DODGERS BLANK BOSOX (7:41 p.m. ET)
Hiroki Kuroda and Clayton Kershaw held Boston hitless into the eighth inning and the Los Angeles Dodgers wrapped up spring training by beating the road-weary Red Sox 8-0 on Sunday.
Things were back to normal at Chavez Ravine following Saturday night's nostalgia-filled side trip five miles down the freeway to the L.A. Coliseum -- where the Red Sox beat the Dodgers 7-4 before a record crowd of 115,300 in a game that brought the local fans back in time to the venue the Dodgers called home during their first four seasons in L.A.
Juan Pierre was the Dodgers' DH, a concession manager Joe Torre made to the Red Sox this weekend despite the fact that the games were played in an NL city. Pierre, told before the game by Torre that Andre Ethier would start in left field on Opening Day instead of him, may have been a tad preoccupied by that news when he was picked off first base by Clay Buchholz in the third after getting the game's first hit.
Dodgers CF Andruw Jones sat out because of a cramp in his leg. Torre said he could have played, but wanted to stay on the safe side.
-- The Associated Press
SMOLTZ ON SCHEDULE (7:39 p.m. ET)
Braves right-hander John Smoltz threw 83 pitches over five innings against minor leaguers in Florida on Sunday, and is on track to make his regular-season debut next weekend.
Braves general manager Frank Wren said before Sunday's season opener against the Washington Nationals that he got a report that Smoltz threw the ball well and felt great.
Smoltz is beginning the season on the 15-day disabled list because of shoulder tightness. He's slated to start next Sunday against the New York Mets.
-- The Associated Press
ERNIE BANKS DAY (6:58 p.m. ET)
Mr. Cub will bat leadoff on Monday. The Cubs announced on Sunday that they will unveil a statue of Ernie Banks outside Wrigley Field before taking on the Milwaukee Brewers in the season opener for both teams.
The entire day is dedicated to the Hall of Fame infielder. He will be recognized during a pregame ceremony on the field and will sing "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" during the seventh-inning stretch.
Also, the Chicago City Council has declared the 2008 Opening Day Ernie Banks Day in the city.
Banks batted .274 with 512 homers and 1,636 RBI in his career and was the first Cub to have his number retired -- in 1982.
GIANTS DESIGNATE KLINE (6:26 p.m. ET)
The Giants designated reliever Steve Kline for assignment and placed shortstop Omar Vizquel on the 15-day disabled list in a flurry of moves the team made Sunday to get down to the 25-player limit.
A day after optioning backup catcher Eliezer Alfonzo to Triple-A Fresno, San Francisco kept busy by trimming seven more players from the roster.
Starting pitcher Noah Lowry, projected third in the Giants rotation before undergoing surgery on his left wrist in early March, was also placed on the 15-day DL along with right-hander Vinnie Chulk and infielder Kevin Frandsen. All the moves are retroactive to March 21.
The decision to designate the left-handed Kline for assignment probably means the end of his two-year stay in San Francisco. The Giants have 10 days to either trade the 35-year-old reliever or expose him to the waiver wire, where he'll likely garner attention from teams looking for bullpen help. San Francisco is responsible for his $1.75 million salary unless he's claimed.
-- The Associated Press
BUCS REACQUIRE KATA (6:26 p.m. ET)
The Pittsburgh Pirates reacquired utilityman Matt Kata on Sunday in a deal with the Colorado Rockies and signed right-hander Jason Davis to be a starting pitcher at Triple-A Indianapolis.
Colorado will receive future considerations for Kata, who hit .250 with one homer and 10 RBIs in 47 games with Pittsburgh last season after beginning the year with Texas. He was designated for assignment by the Pirates in October and claimed by the Rockies.
Davis is 20-22 over six major league seasons, mostly with the Indians. He was 2-0 with a 6.31 ERA in 16 games with Seattle last season after having a 4.76 ERA in eight games with Cleveland. He was in the Rangers' camp this spring but did not make the team.
-- The Associated Press
CHISOX PUT OWENS ON DL (6:26 p.m. ET)
The Chicago White Sox placed outfielder Jerry Owens and infielder Danny Richar on the 15-day disabled list Sunday, and optioned pitcher Ehren Wassermann to Triple-A Charlotte.
"I want people available to play every day," manager Ozzie Guillen said after a light workout a day before the season opener against the Cleveland Indians on Monday. "We start tomorrow and we've got 25 guys here ready to play."
The speedy Owens' bid to earn the starting job in center field this spring was hampered by a slight tear in his right groin. Owens first experienced some discomfort after the team's first intrasquad game on Feb. 25 and was in and out of the lineup for a month. In 10 games, he batted .361 (13-for-36) with three RBIs.
In 93 games with Chicago a year ago, the 26-year-old stole 32 bases in 40 attempts, batting .267 with one homer and 17 RBIs.
-- The Associated Press
BIG UNIT STARTS ON DL (6:23 p.m. ET)
Randy Johnson was one of three Diamondbacks placed on the 15-day disabled list Sunday as Arizona finalized its Opening Day roster.
Arizona also put catcher Miguel Montero and infielder Chad Tracy on the disabled list. The three moves were expected.
The 44-year-old Johnson is coming off his second back operation in less than a year. He went on the disabled list retroactive to March 22, and Arizona is hoping he'll be able to pitch when he's eligible to be reinstated.
Montero broke the index finger on his right hand when he was hit by a foul tip during winter baseball in Venezuela. Tracy, who is recovering from surgery on his right knee, took infield practice and ran agility drills last week.
-- The Associated Press
MARLINS' DE AZA UNLUCKY AGAIN (4:45 p.m. ET)
Alejandro De Aza's uncanny run of bad luck from a year ago has carried over into the start of 2008.
The Florida Marlins placed the outfielder on the 15-day disabled list Sunday with a high left ankle sprain, an injury that could keep him out four to six weeks. He suffered the injury in the ninth inning of Saturday night's exhibition-season finale against the Yankees, when he collided with John Raynor while trying to run down a fly ball and needed to be carted off the field.
De Aza -- who batted .361 in Grapefruit League play -- would have been part of a platoon in center field, and he was the Marlins' opening-day starter at that position a year ago. Instead, the Marlins were forced to recall infielder Robert Andino and reassign Alexis Gomez to minor league camp Sunday before finalizing their 25-man roster for Monday's opener against the Mets.
-- The Associated Press
BAKER PASSES FINAL TEST (4:16 p.m. ET)
Scott Baker passed his last spring test for Minnesota, pitching six sharp innings in a minor league game Sunday.
Baker was bothered by a sore back and then a bad bout with the flu, a setback to his throwing schedule. The Twins wanted to make sure he was strong enough before formally including him in the rotation, so they left him in Florida to pitch in the minor league game. Baker gave up five hits and one run while striking out three and throwing 71 pitches.
"He said he was feeling really, really good," manager Ron Gardenhire said after the rest of the team worked out at the Metrodome. "Kind of expected him to do all right."
Baker will make his first start on Friday, when Minnesota hosts Kansas City.
-- The Associated Press
TIGERS RELIEVERS START SEASON ON DL (3:19 p.m. ET)
Joel Zumaya and Fernando Rodney were placed on the disabled list Sunday by the Detroit Tigers, whose banged-up middle relief is a concern heading into the season.
Zumaya is recovering from shoulder surgery and is expected to be sidelined until midseason. Rodney also has a shoulder injury.
Detroit also put right-hander Jordan Tata (hand) and catcher Vance Wilson (elbow) on the DL; optioned left-handed pitcher Clay Rapada to Triple-A Toledo; and put right-hander Francisco Cruceta on the restricted list.
Right-hander Aquilino Lopez and outfielder Clete Thomas made the Tigers' Opening Day roster. Lopez's contract was purchased from Toledo and Thomas' from Double-A Erie.
Detroit hosts Kansas City in its season opener Monday.
-- The Associated Press
PELFREY TABBED AS METS' NO. 5 STARTER (12:34 p.m. ET)
The New York Mets made Mike Pelfrey their fifth starter Sunday and moved closer to setting their 25-man Opening Day roster.
The move means right-hander Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez, who has been bothered by a foot issue, will start the season on the 15-day disabled list. Hernandez and Pelfrey were battling for the final rotation spot, which will come into play for the first time Saturday when the Mets visit Atlanta.
The Mets open the season Monday at the Florida Marlins.
-- The Associated Press
PIERRE MIFFED AT POSSIBLE DEMOTION (9:12 a.m. ET)
Having stolen more than 40 bases in a season seven times in his career, Dodgers outfielder Juan Pierre is known for being on the move.
After L.A. signed Andruw Jones in the offseason, Pierre moved in a different way from his normal center field position to right field. Now, Pierre may be moving again, this time to the bench.
"If they want to go a different route," Pierre told the L.A. Times of the possibility that the Dodgers might start Andre Ethier in right, "I can live with it and I have to understand it but it's something I don't get."
Last year, Pierre signed a five-year, $44 million contract with the Dodgers. Now, he's simply hoping to crack the starting lineup in L.A. after hitting .293 last season with 64 stolen bases.
YANKS' PATTERSON STILL WAITING FOR 'THE CALL' (9:00 a.m. ET)
Yankees pitcher Scott Patterson thought this might be the year.
After a solid season with Double-A Trenton last year (1.09 ERA in 43 games) and a strong spring training (one hit, no walks in 7 2/3 innings), Patterson entertained the possibility of starting 2008 in the Bronx. It was not to be though.
"I thought I was in," Patterson told the New York Times on Saturday after learning of the team's decision Friday night. "I'm lucky if I slept one hour last night."
Jonathan Albaladejo, Brian Bruney and Ross Ohlendorf got the final spots in the Yankees bullpen, according to manager Joe Girardi. Patterson will start the season at Triple-A Scranton.
"I talked about how the hardest part about going down is to stay focused on the job at hand," Girardi told the newspaper. "He said, 'All I'm going to do is get people out down there and wait for The Call.' I'm very proud of his attitude and the way he pitched. I told him I believe we'll see him."
NEW JOB FOR CARDS' REYES (8:33 a.m. ET)
Anthony Reyes will start his 2008 season with the Cardinals in a somewhat unfamiliar place: the bullpen.
Reyes has 104 career appearances to his credit with all but five coming as a starter. But the 26-year-old will try to adjust to his new surroundings.
"I'm going to go work with the guys in the 'pen and try to get a set routine as soon as possible," Reyes told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "I'm excited about the opportunity."
Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said Reyes' role could involve work any time St. Louis needs more than two innings from a reliever.
SANCHEZ WILL START OPENING DAY FOR PIRATES (8:20 a.m. ET)
Despite suffering through shoulder injuries through most of spring training, All-Star second baseman Freddy Sanchez thinks he's able to start for the Pirates on Opening Day.
"I think I'm ready," Sanchez told MLB.com after a Saturday morning workout. "Obviously that's at [manager John Russell's] discretion, but we went through a lot of work and I'm ready."
The Pirates open the season Monday at Atlanta.
With Sanchez in the lineup, Russell is likely to use his everyday lineup against the Braves on Monday. Starting from top to bottom: Nate McLouth, Sanchez, Jason Bay, Adam LaRoche, Xavier Nady, Ronny Paulino, Jose Bautista and Jack Wilson.
PINKY NO PROBLEM FOR JETER (8:07 a.m. ET)
Sure, he made an error during a spring training game Saturday. But don't expect Yankees captain Derek Jeter to make any excuses.
"During batting practice a ground ball nipped his finger, the right pinky, but he is OK," Yankees manager Joe Girardi told reporters. "If it was something he wouldn't have played."
"I am fine," Jeter said after still starting the game.
The Yankees being their season against the Blue Jays on Monday in the last Opening Day at Yankee Stadium before New York moves into the new Yankee Stadium next season.
