Hudson gives up 7 runs in Turner Field debut
Atlanta Braves: Tim Hudson says he's ready for the regular season "despite how that looked today."
Hudson gave up eight hits and seven runs in four innings Saturday during his Turner Field debut for the Braves.
In an odd exhibition game finale, the Braves used a six-run 10th inning to rally for an 11-9 win over the Indians, a game that teams agreed would go 11 innings because of Friday's rainout.
Hudson ended the spring with consecutive poor outings. After allowing only two runs in his first three games, Hudson gave up 14 runs -- 11 earned -- in his last two starts as his spring training ERA climbed to 6.63.
"I feel good; I feel ready to go," Hudson said. "I was just missing with some pitches.
"It's definitely not the outing I wanted," he said. "It's still spring training. If there's one time you want to have a game like this, it's when it doesn't count. But you want to end on a good note."
After the game, Braves manager Bobby Cox said he was pushing Hudson back one day to Thursday in the opening series at Florida. John Smoltz will start Tuesday's opener and be followed by Mike Hampton, who pitched two innings Saturday. Cox attributed the switch to Hudson's high pitch count -- 85 pitches in four innings.
"I don't want to bring him back on three days' rest," Cox said.
Bernero gave up seven earned runs in his last three appearances but impressed the Braves with his high strikeout total. Bernero, a right-hander who has previous major-league experience with Colorado and Detroit, made the 25-man roster even though Kevin Barry and Buddy Hernandez posted better spring numbers.
The Braves will open the season with 12 pitchers. Jorge Sosa, a right-hander acquired Thursday in a trade that sent utility infielder Nick Green to Tampa Bay, made the roster. Another right-hander, Kevin Gryboski, made the roster. There had been some talk Gryboski could open the season on the disabled list when tendinitis in his right shoulder left him lacking arm strength at the start of spring training. The only left-hander in the bullpen will be veteran Tom Martin.
Langerhans, who hit three homers and drove in 10 runs this spring, impressed Cox with his defensive skills while playing all three outfield positions. Langerhans was out of minor-league options, and his versatility will be especially important as he may see significant time behind 38-year-old left fielder Brian Jordan and right fielder Raul Mondesi.
Pete Orr, who along with Wilson Betemit made the cut as utility infielders, can also play in the outfield.
Houston Astros: Roger Clemens was hit on the left wrist by a line drive off the bat of Kansas City's Matt Stairs during the Astros' 3-0 exhibition loss to the Royals, but the Rocket didn't think the injury was significant.
"It is a little sore, but I'm going to ice it. It will be all right," Clemens said.
In his final tuneup for his first regular-season start Friday against Cincinnati, Clemens gave up two runs -- one earned -- and five hits in six innings. He was hit by Stairs' liner in the sixth.
"It doesn't matter, I had better be getting my mind in tune to pitch six or seven innings," Clemens added. "My body feels good and my legs feel good. I just need to get my mind right now."
Houston manager Phil Garner did not seem concerned about the injury to the seven-time Cy Young Award winner.
"The stitches hit right on his wrist and it looked like it might bleed, but he wasn't going to do anything. It hit on his left wrist so it might affect his hitting and he might not try to steal a base, but that is a good thing," Garner joked. "I was very pleased with the way he threw. His leg looked solid and of course, hit arm was strong."
Springer was 0-1 with a 2.63 ERA in 16 games last season and pitched twice in the division series win over Atlanta.
Astacio had been battling Brandon Duckworth for the fifth spot in the Houston starting rotation.
With the moves, Houston got down to the 25-man active limit.
Oakland Athletics: The A's placed right-hander Chad Bradford on the 15-day disabled list as he recovers from surgery to repair a herniated disc in his back, one of several moves to set their Opening Day roster.
Infielder Marco Scutaro made the team for now but will likely be sent down to Triple-A Sacramento when the A's first need their fifth starter -- Kirk Saarloos -- probably late next week. Saarloos is a non-roster invitee who was sidelined nearly half of last season with bone spurs in his elbow but has had a great spring.
If No. 2 starter Rich Harden is not ready to go Wednesday at Baltimore because of a blister on his right middle finger, Saarloos might be needed sooner.
"Right now, we're going with 11 pitchers before he'll pitch," manager Ken Macha said. "When he's activated, we'll go with 12. He'll be there when we need him."
Oakland optioned right-hander Seth Etherton to Sacramento, ending the competition for the fifth starter between him and Saarloos.
Rookie Huston Street, already considered Oakland's closer of the future, made the club with only one minor-league season of experience behind him. Street, a star closer at Texas who helped the Longhorns reach the College World Series for three straight seasons, played at all three levels in the A's farm system last year. He worked on a changeup this offseason, and has been pleased with his progress.
In addition, the A's sent right-hander Tim Harikkala outright to Sacramento. Saarloos and right-hander Britt Reames, outfielders Hiram Bocachica and Jermaine Clark -- all non-roster invitees -- were all reassigned to minor-league camp.
Charles Thomas, acquired in the trade of Hudson to Atlanta in December, made the team as a backup outfielder.
Philadelphia Phillies: Right-hander Vicente Padilla threw four shutout innings in a rehabilitation start for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons.
Padilla, recovering from right triceps tendinitis, allowed one hit while striking out five. He threw 48 pitches.
Blue Jays third baseman Corey Koskie, playing for Syracuse, went 0-for-4 and struck out twice against Padilla.

Detroit Tigers-New York Mets: The Tigers traded left-hander Steve Colyer to the Mets for right-hander Matt Ginter.
On Friday, Detroit had sent Colyer outright to Triple-A Toledo along with right-hander Gary Knotts. New York assigned him to Triple-A Norfolk.
Coyler, 26, was 1-0 with a 6.47 ERA in 41 games with Detroit last year and 0-2 with a 6.75 ERA in 11 games during spring training.
Ginter, 27, was acquired by the Mets from the White Sox on March 27 last year for outfielder Timo Perez and went 1-3 with a 4.54 ERA in 14 starts and one relief appearance. He was 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA in three starts and two relief appearances in spring training.
"It was a surprise," Ginter said in Jupiter, Fla., where the Mets played the Marlins. "It's another new start. They made a lot of upgrades to their team, and they're happy to get me."
Pittsburgh Pirates: Catcher Humberto Cota was placed on the 15-day disabled list because of an abdominal injury, creating a roster spot for newly acquired David Ross.
The Pirates purchased Ross from the Dodgers on Wednesday after it became apparent Cota's injury might sideline him for the start of the season.
Cota, who was expected to start about one-third of the Pirates' games as the backup to 40-year-old Benito Santiago, missed about two months of last season with a similar injury. The Cota move is retroactive to March 26, meaning he could come off the disabled list when the Pirates play in Milwaukee next weekend.
Ross, an excellent defensive catcher, hit .207 in 118 games with the Dodgers the last three seasons. He hit 10 homers in 124 at-bats in 2003.
Los Angeles Angels:
The Angels optioned infielder Casey Kotchman to Triple-A Salt Lake and placed right-hander Kelvim Escobar on the 15-day disabled list on Saturday night as they reduced their active roster to the 25-man limit.
The defending AL West champions also purchased the contract of infielder Lou Merloni from the minor leagues and transferred outfielder/designated hitter Tim Salmon from the 15-day disabled list to the 60-day DL.
The Angels' roster includes 11 pitchers, three catchers, six infielders and five outfielders. Right-hander Matt Hensley and second baseman Adam Kennedy also are starting the season on the DL.
Baltimore Orioles: The Orioles reassigned utility infielder Enrique Wilson and reliever Jay Witasick to their minor-league camp, moves that reduced Baltimore's roster to the 25-man limit.
Wilson was competing against Chris Gomez for the utility job, and Witasick was hoping to find a place in the bullpen. Wilson and Witasick will likely seek to sign with another team rather than open the season in the minors.
The Orioles also optioned left-hander Eric DuBose and infielder Ramon Nivar to Triple-A Ottawa and placed three players on the disabled list -- right-hander Kurt Ainsworth, right-hander Jason Grimsley and outfielder Val Majewski. All three are expected to miss most of the season.
Baltimore will open the season with 12 pitchers, including relievers Jorge Julio, Steve Kline, John Parrish, Steve Reed, Todd Williams, Rick Bauer and B.J. Ryan.
Florida Marlins: Right-handed relievers Tim Spooneybarger and John Riedling were placed on the 15-day disabled list when the team trimmed its active roster to 25 players.
The Marlins also sent infielder Wilson Delgado and outfielder Mark Little to the team's minor-league camp and purchased the contracts of right-hander Brian Moehler and infielder Lenny Harris from Triple-A Albuquerque.
Spooneybarger, recovering from reconstructive elbow surgery performed in September 2003, did not pitch in any spring training games but is expected to join the team within a few weeks. Riedling was limited to three spring training appearances because of a muscle injury in his right shoulder.
Florida will open the season with 12 pitchers.
Cleveland Indians: The Indians set their 25-man roster with the expected demotion of infielder Brandon Phillips, who lost the spring training competition for starting shortstop to Jhonny Peralta.
Phillips, who lives in Stone Mountain, Ga., was optioned to Triple-A Buffalo after the Indians' final exhibition game against Atlanta.
"He did a great job," Cleveland manager Eric Wedge said. "He's got a great attitude. He'll be a fantastic big-league player."
Phillips hit only .125 (5-for-40) this spring. He hit .303 in 135 games for Buffalo last season and .182 in six games with Cleveland.
"It was a blessing I got to play here," Phillips said of the exhibition game at Turner Field. "I always wanted to play here. To play in front of family and friends, that was beautiful."
He added: "I'll be back up. I'll be ready. I'll go down, have a good season and be back up here in a heartbeat."
The Indians acquired Phillips, along with outfielder Grady Sizemore and left-hander Cliff Lee, in a 2002 trade with Montreal for right-hander Bartolo Colon.
Tampa Bay Devil Rays: Outfielders Alex Sanchez and Chris Singleton were added to the D-Rays' roster as the team set its 25-man active roster.
Left-hander Bobby Seay was designated for assignment, and three players -- catcher Kevin Cash, right-hander Franklin Nunez and outfielder Rocco Baldelli -- were placed on the 15-day disabled list.
Cash and Nunez each have right shoulder tendinitis; Baldelli is still recovering from surgery to repair torn ligaments in his left knee and is expected to miss the first two months of the season.
Cincinnati Reds: The Reds finalized their Opening Day roster by bringing up Rich Aurilia and Jacob Cruz and reassigning utility infielder Luis Lopez to their minor-league camp.
Aurilia is expected to platoon with Felipe Lopez at shortstop, and Cruz will serve mostly as a pinch-hitter.
"It was the toughest decision we had to make," manager Dave Miley said. "Jake did a good job from the left side for us last year and he can play the corner outfield positions and first base. We knew going into spring training there would be a lot of competition. The way our roster stacks up, Jake is what we need."
Miley had Ken Griffey Jr. batting second in the final two exhibition games in Memphis and Louisville and said Griffey will likely bat second on Opening Day.
"Our main goal and how it played out was to split up the left-handers instead of having (Adam) Dunn, (Sean) Casey and Junior all in there together," Miley said. "Junior's capable of hitting anywhere in the lineup. He feels comfortable in that spot right now. It's not to say that he'll spend X amount of games there."
The Reds placed pitchers Luke Hudson, Josh Hancock and Jung Keun Bong on the disabled list along with infielders Anderson Machado and Ray Olmedo.
Milwaukee Brewers: Catcher Pat Borders was among three players reassigned to minor-league camp by the Brewers.
Also reassigned were infielder Trent Durrington and pitcher Rick Helling.
Infielder Jeff Cirillo, pitcher Tommy Phelps and outfielder Chris Magruder made the major-league roster, and their contracts were purchased from the minors.
San Diego Padres: The Padres placed center fielder Dave Roberts on the 15-day disabled list as they finalized their roster for Opening Day.
The move is retroactive to March 29. Roberts, an experienced leadoff hitter acquired from Boston, has a lingering groin injury.
The team also reassigned seven players to Triple-A Portland, including right-handers Joe Dawley, Brian Falkenborg and Steve Sparks; catcher Michel Hernandez; infielders Jesse Garcia and Damian Jackson; and outfielder Robert Fick.
The Padres also reassigned right-handed pitcher Andy Ashby to Single-A Lake Elsinore.
With the moves, San Diego got down to the 25-man active limit.
Seattle Mariners: The M's will start their season Monday without veteran starting shortstop Pokey Reese because of a sore right shoulder.
The Mariners announced that they've placed Reese, 31, signed as a free agent in January after playing in 96 games for the world-champion Red Sox last season, on the 15-day disabled list.
The Mariners started Wilson Valdez, claimed off waivers from the Mets, at shortstop in their spring finale against the Cubs in Las Vegas on Saturday. Valdez made the team's opening day 25-man roster.
Reese started Friday night's game against the Cubs in Las Vegas.
In addition to Valdez, the Mariners have Willie Bloomquist on their roster. Bloomquist started 55 games for Seattle last season, including 16 at shortstop.
In another move, the Mariners placed right-hander Joel Pineiro on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to March 27.
Pineiro, 26, was expected to be the Mariners' Opening Day starter when spring training started in Peoria, Ariz., but he was bothered by shoulder stiffness. So instead of Pineiro, 42-year-old soft-throwing left-hander Jamie Moyer will start Monday at Safeco Field against the Twins. Pineiro will join the Mariners' rotation when he comes off the disabled list.
The Mariners announced, as expected, that right-handers Aaron Sele and Jeff Nelson will be on their pitching staff at the start of the season, Sele in the rotation and Nelson in the bullpen. Sele, 34, pitched for the Angels last season, while Nelson was with the Rangers in 2005.
Right-handers Bobby Madritsch and Gil Meche will start the season in the Seattle rotation with Moyer, Sele and Pineiro.
Right-hander Ryan Franklin, who made 32 starts in each of the past two seasons for Seattle, has been demoted to the bullpen.
In addition, the Mariners designated outfielder Abraham Nunez for assignment; re-assigned 18-year-old top right-hander prospect Felix Hernandez, left-hander Ryan Rowland-Smith and infielder Ramon Santiago to minor-league camp; placed right-hander Scott Atchison on the 60-day disabled list; and put outfielder Chris Snelling on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to March 25.
The Mariners claimed Nunez off waivers from Kansas City this week.
The subtraction of Santiago, a shortstop who played 15 games with Seattle last season, means Greg Dobbs, a 26-year-old rookie who made 10 starts at third base with the Mariners late in 2005, made the team for Opening Day. He will be used as a left-handed pinch-hitter and can spell new starting third baseman Adrian Beltre as well as new starting designated hitter Raul Ibanez, who is taking over for the retired Edgar Martinez.
Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press

