INDIANS
Miller on shelf for 10 days
CLEVELAND -- Indians left-hander Andrew Miller won't throw off a mound for 10 days and the team said there's no timetable for when its ace reliever will return while he continues to deal with a sore right knee.
Miller has been on the 10-day disabled list since May 26. Manager Terry Francona said Saturday that Miller will play catch and work on strengthening his knee. Miller was on the DL twice last season with patellar tendinitis.
The Indians said Miller has rejoined the team after attending to a personal matter for a few days. He will resume throwing off flat ground on Monday.
Miller pitched 10 scoreless innings this season before being put on the DL in late April with a strained left hamstring. He missed two weeks and struggled after returning. Miller is 1-3 with a 4.40 ERA in 17 appearances.
The AL Central leaders have counted on Miller since acquiring him during the 2016 season. He helped the Indians reach the World Series that year, working in a variety of roles out of the bullpen.
NATIONALS
Zimmerman ready for return
Ryan Zimmerman has been a quiet presence in the Washington Nationals' clubhouse, coming and going and chatting pleasantly, no different from when he is playing every day. It's just that he hasn't played in weeks.
"The whole situation is frustrating. It is what it is," Zimmerman said. "There's nothing I can do. There's nothing I could have done differently. Now it's just a matter of getting things ready."
The 33-year-old finally seems to be moving toward a return. He and his manager indicated a consensus belief that he will be ready to go on a rehab assignment shortly after the Nationals return from their upcoming road trip.
When he first went on the disabled list, retroactive to May 10, he and the Nationals conveyed the belief that his stint would be short. He had some back trouble; the team officially listed it as an oblique injury but it didn't seem to fit the mold. Zimmerman has had oblique injuries more toward the front of his side, and those prevented him from hitting.
Even now, swinging lightly does not cause Zimmerman pain. Throwing doesn't trouble him, either. Running, however, poses a bigger problem than one might expect.
He will need participate in a few minor league games before returning, though if he does head on a rehab assignment in a week or so, he would probably be on target to return a week later -- eight weeks or more after the original injury. He and the Nationals, it seems, are determined to wait as long as it takes.
"I think things are going well. Everything is going like it should be. Unfortunately, obliques, if you rush it -- that's kind of the last thing we want to happen," Zimmerman said. "They always say with obliques that when you're ready, take five more days."
BRAVES
Vizcaino unavailable with sore shoulder
ATLANTA -- The Braves know that if they hope to have closer Arodys Vizcaino healthy for the long haul of a season, they're going to have to be a bit more careful with him than most other teams are with their closers.
"Viz has been put back together a couple of times, so there's always going to be an awareness of that," Braves Manager Brian Snitker said Saturday, a day after Vizcaino wasn't available to pitch in a 15-inning loss to the Orioles which led to a frenzy of social-media criticism of Snitker.
Vizcaino received a cortisone injection Thursday to alleviate soreness in the shoulder and wasn't ready to pitch Friday because the medication hadn't taken full effect yet.
No one outside the team was aware of the situation, seeing as the Braves didn't mention it last week or before Friday's game. So when Vizcaino didn't enter the game with a 3-1 lead in the ninth, the figurative knives came out on Twitter and elsewhere the rest of the night during a game that lasted nearly 5 1/2 hours.
PADRES
Lyles scratched with tight forearm
SAN FRANCISCO -- San Diego Padres pitcher Jordan Lyles was scratched from his scheduled start against San Francisco because of right forearm tightness.
The change was announced after the Padres batted in the top of the first inning Saturday.
Matt Strahm replaced Lyles. Strahm previously started last Sunday in Atlanta when he matched a career high of five strikeouts while pitching into the fourth inning.
BLUE JAYS
Sanchez, Garcia on DL
ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Toronto Blue Jays have put pitchers Aaron Sanchez and Jaime Garcia on the 10-day disabled list. The Blue Jays activated right-hander Marcus Stroman off the 10-day disabled list. He’d been out since May 8 with shoulder trouble. Stroman is 0-5 with a 7.71 ERA. Toronto also recalled left-handed reliever Tim Mayza from Class AAA Buffalo. Sanchez sustained a right finger contusion prior to starting an 8-5 loss to the Los Angeles Angels on Thursday, giving up two runs in one inning before leaving the game. He is 3-5 with a 4.52 ERA. Garcia is dealing with soreness in his left shoulder, Manager John Gibbons said. Garcia is 0-6 in his last 10 starts and has not won since April 17.
BREWERS
Veteran Miller recalled
MILWAUKEE — The Milwaukee Brewers recalled veteran infielder Brad Miller from Class AAA Colorado Springs and optioned struggling outfielder Domingo Santana. Miller, acquired from Tampa Bay on June 10 in exchange for first baseman-outfielder Ji-Man Choi, was in the Brewers starting lineup at second base for Saturday’s game against the St. Louis Cardinals, batting sixth. Santana hit .278 last season for Milwaukee with 30 home runs and 85 RBI, but never got on track this season. He hit .249, with 3 home runs and 17 RBI in 189 at-bats. With Jesus Aguilar and his team-best 16 home runs earning more time at first base, recently activated Eric Thames has been playing more outfield, reducing Santana’s role. Miller batted .256 with 5 home runs and 21 RBI in 48 games this season with Tampa Bay.
Sports on 06/24/2018