ST. PETERSBURG, FL – The Tampa Bay Rays have signed outfielder Rocco Baldelli to a minor league contract. He has been assigned to the Charlotte Stone Crabs (A) of the Florida State League.
Baldelli, 28, rejoined the Rays as a special instructor during spring training. He spent the 2009 season playing for the Boston Red Sox, where he hit .253 (38-for-150) with seven home runs and 23 RBI in 62 games. The right-handed hitter is a six-year major league veteran, including his first five seasons (2003-04, 2006-08) with the Rays. He owns a .279 (526-for-1,886) career batting average with 59 home runs, 257 RBI, 98 doubles and 59 stolen bases.
Baldelli was selected No. 6 overall by the Rays in the 2000 June Draft. He played in a career-high 156 games in 2003, finishing third in American League Rookie of the Year balloting. He missed the entire 2005 season and most of the 2007 and 2008 seasons due to injuries, but returned to the Rays on August 10, 2008 and remained on the active roster throughout the postseason.
Padres Extend Bud BlackSAN DIEGO, Calif. – The San Diego Padres announced today that they have extended the contract of manager Bud Black through the 2013 season with club options for the 2014 and 2015 seasons. Executive Vice President/General Manager Jed Hoyer made the announcement.
“I am really happy to announce that the Padres have reached an agreement on a well-deserved contract extension for Bud Black,” said Hoyer. “This news comes at a time when the team is playing well, but my faith in Bud goes far beyond wins and losses. He and his staff are exceptionally well prepared, he embraces the challenge of teaching young players and, most importantly, the players compete for him every night.”
Black, 53, made his managerial debut with the Padres in 2007. In parts of four seasons with San Diego, he has led the club to a 281-297 (.486) record, including an 89-74 mark in 2007. The 89 wins were the most for San Diego since the club won a franchise-record 98 contests in 1998.
Through 91 games this season, the Padres are in first place while boasting the National League’s best record at 54-37 (.593). They are the only team in the NL with a winning record on the road at 24-18. Over the club’s last 153 games, Black has led the Padres to a 91-62 record (.595).
“On a personal level, I have thoroughly enjoyed the partnership that we have developed since I came to San Diego in October,” said Hoyer. “His input and support have been invaluable to me during my first nine months with the Padres and I look forward to working with him for many seasons to come.”
Named the 16th manager in franchise history on November 9, 2006, Black joined the Padres after seven seasons as the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim pitching coach (2000-06). He previously spent four years in the Cleveland Indians organization, holding the position of Special Assistant to General Manager John Hart for three years (1996-97, 1999) and pitching coach for Cleveland’s Triple-A affiliate in Buffalo for the 1998 season.
A left-handed pitcher, Black pitched 17 years professionally, including 15 seasons in the Majors with the Seattle Mariners (1981), Kansas City Royals (1982-88), Cleveland Indians (1988-90, 1995), Toronto Blue Jays (1990) and San Francisco Giants (1991-94). In 398 Major League games (296 starts), he compiled a 121-116 record with 32 complete games, 12 shutouts, 11 saves and a 3.84 ERA (876 ER/2053.1 IP). Black, who played in two American League Championship Series with Kansas City in 1984-85 and was a member of the Royals 1985 World Series Champion team, is only the third individual over the last 40 years to have a playing career in which he won at least 100 games as a pitcher and served as a club’s manager. Bob Lemon, who last managed with the Yankees in 1982, won 207 games during his playing career, while Larry Dierker won 139 games before managing the Houston Astros from 1997-2001 (Elias Sports Bureau).
Originally signed by the Mariners as a 17th-round pick in the 1979 June Free Agent Draft, Black played two seasons (1978-79) of college ball at San Diego State University where he earned a bachelor’s degree in finance in 1979.
Orioles Reactivate ScottThe Orioles today announced that OF LUKE SCOTT has been reinstated from the 15-day disabled list. To make room for Scott on the roster, RHP FRANK MATA has been optioned to Triple-A Norfolk.
Scott was placed on the disabled list on July 1 with a strained left hamstring. At the time of his injury, Scott was batting .274 (61-223) with 12 home runs and 30 RBI in 66 games for the Orioles.
Mata posted a 7.79 ERA (17.1IP, 15ER) in 15 games for the Orioles after making his major league debut on May 26. He allowed just one earned run in his first seven appearances for the Orioles, but has allowed eight earned runs in his last four appearances (5.1 innings).
Indians Recall ToddCLEVELAND, OH — The Cleveland Indians today announced the club has recalled RHP JESS TODD from AAA Columbus. To allow room on the 25-man roster the Indians have optioned RHP JEANMAR GOMEZ to Columbus.
Todd, 24, has spent the entire season to date at AAA Columbus going 3-2 with four saves and possessing a 2.75ERA in 34 appearances (39.1IP, 38H, 14R/12ER, 12BB, 46K, .245avg). He hasn’t allowed a run in 15 of his last 17 games (18.0IP, 17H, 3R/ER, 4BB, 21K) and has struck out at least two batters in each of his last six appearances (7.0IP, 5H, 1R/ER, 1BB, 12K, .200avg). He went 0-0 in five relief appearances for Cleveland in spring training (4.1IP, 8H, 6R/4ER, 3BB, 3K) before being optioned to Columbus on March 23.
In 2009, the Longview, TX native made 19 appearances for Cleveland and went 0-1 with a 7.40ERA (20.2IP, 31H, 17R/ER, 7BB, 18K). He will wear #40 and it will be his season debut when he appears in a game.
Gomez received his first Major League win in his first career start yesterday when the Indians finished a four-game sweep of the Detroit Tigers with a 7-2 win. The 22-year old threw seven innings and allowed two runs (both unearned) on five hits with one walk and four strikeouts to become the first Indians pitcher since September of 2008 to be victorious in his MLB debut.
A’s IR SweeneyOAKLAND — The Oakland A’s placed outfielder Ryan Sweeney on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to July 12 with right patella tendinitis, the club announced today. To take his spot on the roster, the A’s recalled right-handed pitcher Henry Rodriguez from Triple-A Sacramento.
Sweeney was batting a team leading .294 with 20 doubles and 36 RBI in 82 games and goes on the disabled list for the fourth time in his career. He was hitting .292 with 10 runs scored over his last 13 games but has a career high 54-game homerless streak. Sweeney is eligible to be reinstated July 27.
Rodriguez joins the A’s for the fourth time this year and has no decisions and a 3.86 ERA in seven relief appearances with Oakland. He pitched once during his first stint from May 5 to 14 (13.50 ERA), twice during his second stay from May 16 to 19 (4.50 ERA) and once during his last stint from June 4 to 7 when he tossed 2.0 scoreless innings June 7 against Los Angeles (1 bb, 2 K). The 23-year old right-hander was 0-2 with 11 saves and a 1.69 ERA in 20 relief appearances with Sacramento. Rodriguez did not allow an earned run and had five saves in six appearances with Sacramento following his last option on June 8, which included a stay on the disabled list from June 15 to July 9 with a strained right hamstring.
The A’s have now used the disabled list 18 times this year and 82 times over the last four years. The 18 players have combined to miss 731 games, an average of 40.6 games missed per DL stint. Oakland currently has a season high tying 10 players on the DL and has had at least seven players on the DL every day since April 21.
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http://fullcountpitch.com/2010/07/19/...
