ANGELS NOTEBOOK: SHIELDS COULD GET MORE PROMINENT ROLE.Byline: Gabe Lacques Staff Writer ANAHEIM - The game ball from Scot Shields' first major-league victory remained in his locker Saturday afternoon. It was stuffed into a shoe, and Shields said it won't be featured prominently in his home. However, he might be pitching himself into a more prominent role in the Angels' bullpen. Shields pitched a scoreless 10th inning Friday night and earned the victory when David Eckstein's infield single scored the game-winning run in the bottom of the inning Noun 1. bottom of the inning - the second half of an inning; while the home team is at bat bottom inning, frame - (baseball) one of nine divisions of play during which each team has a turn at bat . Shields' outing continued a solid stretch that started when he pitched three scoreless innings in a loss at St. Louis on June 18. That performance got Shields some notice. He got a key double-play ball in the eighth inning of a 6-3 victory at Texas on June 27, and he has retired the first batter he's faced seven of eight times. That success, combined with the recent struggles of the Angels' bullpen and the absence of setup man Al Levine (sore shoulder), means Shields figures to be in key situations more often. ``I think Shields has definitely pitched well enough to work himself into the deeper part of games,'' manager Mike Scioscia Shields (1-1, 3.46 ERA) was recalled from Triple-A Salt Lake on June 14, when the team released Donne Wall Donnell Lee Wall (born July 11, 1967 in Potosi, Missouri), is a former professional baseball player who pitched in the Major Leagues primarily in relief from 1995-2002. Teams
--D'Rays' Johnson goes home: Tampa Bay Devil Rays The Tampa Bay Devil Rays are a professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida, Florida. The Devil Rays are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Devil Rays have played in Tropicana Field. third baseman third baseman n. Baseball The infielder stationed near third base. Noun 1. third baseman - (baseball) the person who plays third base third sacker Russ Johnson William Russel Johnson, better known as Russ Johnson, is a Minor League Baseball utility infielder for the Pittsburgh Pirates. He was born on February 22 1973 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. left the team Saturday morning and returned home to Baton Rouge Baton Rouge (băt`ən r  zh) [Fr.,=red stick], city (1990 pop. 219,531), state capital and seat of East Baton Rouge parish, SE La. , La., until after the All-Star break for personal reasons.
Manager Hal McRae ``It's personal reasons,'' McRae said. ``That generally covers it. I see that in the papers all the time. So there is no reason to pursue it.'' The club would not say whether Johnson's departure was related to anything that occurred inside the Devil Rays' clubhouse after Friday night's loss. The clubhouse doors were closed to the media for 1 hour, 17 minutes, though McRae and individual players spoke in the corridor. --Also: Levine threw on the side for a second consecutive day and could start a rehabilitation assignment after the break. ... Closer Troy Percival Troy Eugene Percival (born August 9, 1969 in Fontana, California) is a Major League Baseball reliever on the St. Louis Cardinals. Percival came out of retirement on June 8, 2007 when he signed a minor league deal with the Cardinals[1]. has 20 saves before the before the break for the fifth consecutive season. ... Tim Salmon, in the lineup at designated hitter, was honored before the game for recently breaking Brian Downing's franchise RBI RBI abbr. Baseball runs batted in Noun 1. rbi - a run that is the result of the batter's performance; "he had more than 100 rbi last season" run batted in record of 846. Salmon added to his total in his first at-bat, hitting a two-run homer into the rock formation in left field. The Associated Press contributed to this report. ANGELS vs. TAMPA BAY Time: 5:05 p.m., Edison Field. TV/Radio: No TV; 570-AM, 1090-AM (Spanish). Matchup: Angels RH Ramon Ortiz (8-6, 3.38 ERA) can tie Jarrod Washburn for the team lead in victories with a win today against the D'Rays and RH Tanyon Sturtze (1-9, 4.81 ERA). That would put Ortiz and Washburn on pace for 16-win seasons, something no Angels pitchers have done since 1993 (Chuck Finley, Mark Langston). - Gabe Lacques CAPTION(S): box Box: ANGELS vs. TAMPA BAY (see text) |
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