This just in from the Indians media relations department...

 

Indians CA Victor Martinez will undergo arthroscopic surgery tomorrow to remove loose bodies from his right elbow joint. He is expected to miss 6 to 8 weeks.  The procedure will be performed by Indians Team Dr. Mark Schickendantz at the Cleveland Clinic.

 

These guys can't catch a break...

...Milton Bradley is at it again. This time he took exception to somethings that were said by (Royals TV announcer) Ryan Lefebrve. According to USA Today, Bradley who was the designated hitter, heard what he considered not so kind remarks made by Lefebvre. Both Rangers Manager and Rangers GM had to intercept him before he reached the Royals TV booth. Here's what Jon Daniels (Rangers General Manager) had to say:

"I don't want to get necessarily into the details," Daniels said. "He was upset. Someone who doesn't know him was passing judgment on TV. It was obvious he was hurt by the comments.

When he came back to the clubhouse, Bradley started yelling at his teammates and then broke down in tears.

...Henry Schulman of the San Fransisco Chronicle is reporting that this just maybe the last year for Giants Second Baseman Ray Durham.

"I don't know. I really have to sit down and think of things. I know it's the last year of my contract. More than that, I've missed a lot of my kids' growing up. That's what's going to be weighing on my mind in the offseason.

"My girl is 14 years old and it's like I barely know her. My son turns 10 tomorrow. They're heavily involved in sports. I haven't seen one of my son's baseball games, not one. He's been playing since tee ball. Thinking of that, that hurts me. I'll weigh all the options this offseason, sit down and decide what direction I could go in."

Durham turns 37 in November and is a veteran of 14 Major League Seasons.

...Well that didn't last long, Jacque Jones has been designated for assignment by the Florida Marlins. It's expected that he'll clear waivers, but it's unclear if he will accept the assignment to Triple A. The move was made so the Marlins could call up Robert Andino.

...There seems to be a dispute as to who actually caught Ken Griffey Junior's 600th home run ball. So much so that the guy who says he actually caught the ball first has lawyered up and filed an injunction against "Joe" who caught the ball and any party that is in possession of said ball.

...According to the USA Today, the New York Yankees are seeking out more public financing for the new Yankee Stadium. Officials are saying that if the Yankees can't get another 400 Million from public financing they might not be able to finish the stadium.

The Atlanta Braves received more bad news late Tuesday night that affected Wednesday's game.  As manager Bobby Cox learned of Tom Glavine's likely trip to the 15-day disabled list, he was also told that their scheduled starter for Wednesday, Jair Jurrjens, was at the bottom of the stairs of the visitor's clubhouse at Wrigley Field.  Jurrjens twisted his ankle on the steps and the injury was serious enough that he needed to be scratched from his start on Wednesday and was replaced by emergency starter Jeff Bennett. 

Not all the news about Jurrjens was bad.  On Wednesday, the condition of his ankle had improved and the Braves are optimistic that he will not need to miss his next scheduled start in five days.  If he progresses as expected, Jurrjens will pitch on Monday against the Rockies.

Atlanta also announced that pitcher Charlie Morton from Triple-A Richmond would replace Tom Glavine in the rotation on Saturday.  Morton will become the ninth different starter used by the Braves this season.  Only Tim Hudson of the original starting rotation of Hudson, Glavine, Jurrjens, John Smoltz and Mike Hampton has not missed a start due to injury.

As for the others, Glavine was placed on the 15-day disabled list, Hampton is at least one week away from his first Minor League rehab start and Smoltz's season ending surgery could be career threatening.

In other Braves news, outfielder Josh Anderson was sent down to Triple-A Richmond and replaced by prospect Brandon Jones.  The move was surprising with Anderson hitting .318 at the time of the move.  Anderson was 7-for-22 with two RBI and two steals in 11 games.  Jones hit .263 with two home runs and 25 RBI in 54 games.

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Just one day after returning from the DL, Mets outfielder Moises Alou was out of the lineup again.  Alou re-injured his left calf and had an MRI done to evaluate how serious the injury was on Wednesday night.  Alou's inability to stay healthy is becoming a point of frustration for both the Mets and Alou.

Alou played just 87 games in 2007 and has missed most of 2008.  Alou missed time due to a hernia operation in March and followed that with the calf injury that has limited him to playing in just 15 games this season.  When Alou has been in the lineup, he has performed well -- he hit .341 in 2007 and is hitting .347 in 2008.

The injury is especially concerning to the Mets who are already hurting in the outfield with Ryan Church recently placed on the 15-day disabled list and Angel Pagan on the DL since May 13 with a shoulder contusion.

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Outfielder Jacque Jones was designated for assignment by the Florida Marlins after their win over the Phillies on Wednesday night.  Jones failed to make a month with the Marlins after signing with Florida a few days following his release from the Detroit Tigers.  To replace Jones, the Marlins recalled Robert Andino to take his roster spot.

Jones performance production dropped from Detroit to Florida.  In 18 games with the Marlins, Jones went 4-for-37 with 2 RBI.  His .108 average was lower than his .165 average in 24 games with the Tigers.

Andino's return gives the team infield depth but is not expected to provide a spike in offensive production.  Andino is a career .194 hitter in 56 Major League games over the past four seasons.  The 24-year-old Andino appeared in 21 games during his first stint with the Marlins this season.  He hit .182 with two home runs and three RBI in 22 at-bats.

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Things are looking up in San Diego.  Winners of six of their last seven, the Padres are on the good side of the news today.  Later today, 2007 NL Cy Young Award winner Jake Peavy will return from the 15-day disabled list and make his first start for the Padres in nearly a month.  Peavy, who last started on May 14, is 4-3 with a 2.91 ERA this season, will try to give the Padres the series win in their rubber match with the Dodgers.

Peavy will be on a pitch count according to manager Bud Black and will be allowed to throw 80-90 pitches.  Peavy has had more success against the Dodgers than any other team in the Major League.  He is 11-1 with a 2.31 ERA in 20 starts including 9-0 in his last 14 starts against the division rivals. 

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The Baltimore Sun reports that former Orioles outfielder Jay Gibbons will return to professional baseball soon when he joins a team in the independent Atlantic League in the next week.

The 31-year-old Gibbons was released by the Orioles in March following his admission to using hGH and Gibbons has been desperate to have another Major League opportunity.  In May, Gibbons sent a letter to every team in Major League baseball in which Gibbons offered to donate his entire Minor League salary and most of his Major League salary to the charity of the team's choice should they be willing to give him a chance to prove himself.

The letter, posted on ESPN.com on Wednesday, did receive some attention from Major League teams but Gibbons received no offers.  Gibbons decided to sign with an Atlantic League team because he "just miss[es] playing baseball" according to the report in the Sun.  He will join one of the teams in the New York and New Jersey area rather than a team located with the Baltimore fan base.  One possible landing spot is with the Long Island Ducks who are familiar with controversial former Major League players -- they have signed John Rocker and Juan Gonzalez and currently have Carl Everett on their active roster.