LITTLE ROCK — BRAVES
Chipper placed on DL
ATLANTA - The Atlanta Braves placed Chipper Jones on the 15-day disabled list Saturday with a bruised left leg and recalled catcher J.C. Boscan from Class AAA Gwinnett.
Jones is hitting .307 with 5 home runs and 24 RBI in his final season. He will retire after the season.
The loss of Jones could be a key blow to the Braves’ hopes of remaining close in the NL East. The Braves are 19-5 when Jones starts and 7-16 in games he doesn’t, including five consecutive losses before Saturday’s game.
“If he misses six or seven in a row, we’re in trouble,” Manager Fredi Gonzalez said before learning Jones went on the disabled list.
Boscan, who was hitting .192 with two home runs at Gwinnett, started Saturday against the Washington Nationals.
The 40-year-old Jones missed seven consecutive starts before landing on the disabled list. He had a ground ball hit his leg May 18 in Tampa Bay. His only appearance in a game since was a walk as a pinchhitter Wednesday night.
Jones had the hematoma drained by Dr. Marvin Royster on Saturday morning.
CARDINALS Salas sent to Class AAA
ST. LOUIS - The St. Louis Cardinals optioned struggling reliever Fernando Salas, their closer much of last season, to Class AAA Memphis.
The 26-year-old Salas, a righthander, had a team-leading 24 saves and a 2.28 ERA last year. This year, he’s 0-2 with a 6.32 ERA in 18 appearances.
Chuckie Fick, 26, was recalled and was expected to be in uniform Saturday night against the Phillies, making his major league debut.
Fick was a 15th-round draft pick in 2007 out of Cal State-Northridge, and was 10 with a 3.86 ERA and 2 saves in a team-leading 21 appearances covering 21 innings in Memphis. His 2.30 ERA last year with Memphis was the fourth-best among Class AAA relievers with 50 or more appearances.
TWINS Liriano back in rotation
MINNEAPOLIS - Francisco Liriano is getting another shot in the Minnesota Twins’ muddled starting rotation.
Twins Manager Ron Gardenhire announced Saturday that the lefthander is moving out of the bullpen and will start Wednesday against Oakland. Liriano was demoted to the bullpen May 9 after going 0-5 with a 9.45 ERA in 6 starts.
The Twins are hoping Liriano’s time in the bullpen helped him to clear his head. They need the lefty in the rotation to take the place of Anthony Swarzak, who gave up six runs in 3 2/3 innings Friday night against Detroit.
Liriano says he feels good mentally and physically and is eager to be a starter again. He allowed 4 earned runs in 7 1/3 innings during 5 relief appearances.
ODDS & ENDS
Cleveland Indians catcher Carlos Santana is likely headed to the seven-day concussion list. Manager Manny Acta said Saturday that Santana would probably wind up there because of a mild concussion. Acta also said shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera is day to day because of tightness in his left hamstring. Both players left Friday’s game against the Chicago White Sox. Cabrera hurt himself going after a ball and was replaced in the seventh inning, while Santana left in the eighth after being struck by a foul tip. ... Brandon League has lost his job as the Seattle Mariners closer after blowing three of his past five save opportunities. Manager Eric Wedge said Saturday that he will give League opportunities outside of the closer job. League allowed three runs in the ninth Friday as the rival Los Angeles Angels rallied for a 6-4 victory. League, who is 0-4 with a 4.43 ERA , has nine saves and four blown saves. ... Boston Red Sox Manager Bobby Valentine has called out the Tampa Bay Rays’ coaching staff a day after the teams were involved in a benches-clearing scrum. Valentine said the Rays’ staff escalated the situation that arose in the ninth inning of Tampa Bay’s 7-4 victory Friday night after Red Sox reliever Franklin Morales hit Luke Scott on the right leg. He called their actions “unprofessional.” Rays Manager Joe Maddon said he had a lot of respect for Boston’s players, but would not comment on Valentine’s accusations. Benches cleared after Morales threw behind Scott with the first pitch of an at-bat and hit him on a 3-1 pitch.
Sports, Pages 33 on 05/27/2012