Fish Bytes

Marlins reliever Juan Carlos Oviedo has sprained elbow

According to the Marlins, an MRI has revealed that relief pitcher Juan Carlos Oviedo has suffered a UCL sprain in his right elbow.

As of Monday evening the team has not given a timetable for his return.

Oviedo walked off the mound Saturday night in a rehab appearance at Triple A New Orleans after recording only one out because of right elbow discomfort.

Oviedo was back in Miami Sunday and was examined by team doctors. Manager Ozzie Guillen spoke to the media at 4:15 Monday afternoon and said Oviedo's MRI results were being evaluated.

Oviedo is eligible to return from his eight-week suspension for age and identity fraud on July 23.

Charles Barkley supports Ozzie Guillen

Saw an article in USA Today talking about a radio interview Thursday morning on The Dan Patrick Show, between host Patrick and former NBA star Charles Barkley.

Barkley said he has “reached out” to suspended Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen.

Barkley told Patrick he hadn’t spoken to Guillen, but as someone who had “made some stupid mistakes,” he understood what the Marlins manager, who served the second of a five-game suspension Thursday was going through.

“I don't condone what Ozzie said, but he's apologized,” Barkley told Patrick. “I reached out to him just to tell him to keep his head up.”

Barkley said he would have also reached out to recently-fired University of Arkansas football coach Bobby Petrino, too, if he knew him.

“When you are living in that storm, you think the world is going to end,” Barkley told Patrick. “It's easy for everybody to go crazy on you on radio and TV because everybody gets the God complex when they're on television and radio, thinking like they ain't never done anything wrong. Everybody is just God, judge and jury on you and just crucifies you.''

BURRELL TO RETIRE

            The Phillies announced that former outfielder and University of Miami star Pat Burrell will officially retire next month. Burrell, who hit .257 with 251 homers and 827 RBI, will sign a one-day minor league contract and retire as a member of the Phillies.

Marlins starting lineup Thursday vs. Phillies

Lineups for the #Marlins series finale Thursday night vs. the Phillies

Marlins: Reyes ss, Bonifacio cf; Ramirez 3b; Stanton rf; Morrison lf; Sanchez 1b; Infante 2b; Buck c; Buehrle p

Phillies: Victorino cf; Polanco 3b; Rollins ss; Pence rf; Mayberry, Jr. lf; Wigginton 1b; Ruiz c; Galvis 2b; Blanton p

Ozzie Guillen will return to Miami Tuesday to address Castro comments

Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen said prior to Monday’s game against the Phillies that he would travel back to Miami after the game and hold a press conference Tuesday to address the recent comments in a Time magazine article concerning Cuban dictator Fidel Castro.

            Guillen was quoted in a recent online article by Time Magazine as saying he respected Castro for having been able to remain in power in Cuba as long as he has.

Guillen later apologized for the comment during the team’s road trip this past weekend to Cincinnati where he said: “I’m against the way he [Castro] treats people and the way [he has treated] his country for a long time. I’m against that 100 percent.”

“I was planning to do something Friday, but tomorrow we have the day off and I want to make everything clear so people can talk to me face to face,” Guillen said. “They can ask me whatever questions they want, and the sooner the better for the people, for the ball club and for me. I want to tell people what is going on in my mind and what I believe.”

Guillen said he has been struggling with the situation the past three days, and hasn’t been able to sleep.

The Marlins did not release an exact time for the press conference as of Monday morning, but Guillen said it would take place at Marlins Park.

“I want the people there,” Guillen said. “I feel embarrassed. I feel guilty not because I’m not lying, but because this thing hasn’t let me sleep for three days. Only my wife knows how bad it’s been last few days. I feel very guilty, sad and embarrassed. Anyone who wants to be there, feel free. I want to be there by myself and I want the Cuban people to understand what I’m going to say because everything I’m going to say is true.”

Guillen said he wasn’t surprised by the reaction and knew how deeply it would affect the Cuban community.

“I have to face it,” Guillen said. “I have to make people feel good about themselves. I will say what I said a couple of days ago. I don’t want to just make a statement and that’s it because I think when you do that, that’s a bunch of crap.

“I feel sad because I know I hurt a lot of people,” Guillen said. “I’m Latino. I live in Miami. I have a lot of friends, and players [that are Cuban]. They know who I am. They know how I feel.”

Guillen said he had not spoken to Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria about it and didn't think this would affect his job status. He the saddest part for him was to apologize to Cuban broadcasting legend and Hall of Famer Felo Ramirez.

Ramirez, the Marlins Hall of Fame spanish radio announcer, did not wish to speak much about the situation but said he felt Guillen was doing the right thing by returning to Miami.

Guillen said he also apologized to Cuban-born Phillies pitcher Jose Contreras.

“Obviously it’s something that was going to affect people a lot and [Guillen] realizes that,” Ramirez said. “I think he will answer everything [in Miami].”

The ripple effect reached members of the Cuban community even in Philadelphia.

Phillies spanish radio announcer Rickie Ricardo, who was born in New York but whose family migrated from Cuba, said the situation was something that could be more damaging to the team’s image than anything negative on the field.

“Let’s hope Ozzie addresses it and clears things up,” Ricardo said. “That’s a subject that’s untouchable. This team could go 0-50 and it wouldn’t hurt the Cuban community as much as him saying something like that.”

 

Marlins sign veteran infielder Chad Tracy

Hey fans,

Andre Fernandez filling in for Manny and Clark today. Here's some news on a move the Marlins made today:

   The Marlins signed free agent infielder Chad Tracy Thursday in
the hopes of adding depth at the third base position.

   Tracy, 30, was recently with the New York Yankees' Triple-A
affiliate, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, before being released last
week. Tracy began the season with the Cubs, and hit .250 in 28
games before being sent down to the minors. At Scranton, Tracy
hit .324 with six home runs and 18 RBI in 68 plate appearances.

   Tracy, a left-handed batter, spent six seasons with the
Diamondbacks and is a career .279 hitter.

   "I was sitting at home [in Charlotte] when the Marlins
called,'' Tracy said. "I didn't have any idea they'd call.
There's always possibilities all over the place and different
variables.''

   Marlins manager Edwin Rodriguez said before Thursday's game
that Tracy will be used primarily off the bench, and should get
some playing time at third base.

   "This year, [while managing in the minors], I saw him when we
played the Cubs Triple-A team in Iowa,'' Marlins manager Edwin
Rodriguez said. "In that series, he had eight or nine hits. He's
a very good hitter. A good defender, playable at first or
third.''

   The move came a day after the Marlins optioned outfielder
Bryan Petersen and catcher Brad Davis to Triple-A New Orleans,
and activated catcher Brett Hayes from the disabled list.

   Tracy said he'd gladly conform to any role the Marlins give
him.

   "It's whatever I can do to help,'' Tracy said. "The reason I
left the Yankees was because I didn't want to play in minors
anymore. I'm happy to be back up.''

Marlins focused on catching Phillies, not Rockies

With three weeks left in the season, the Marlins are more focused on catching the division-leading Phillies instead of the wild-card leading Rockies. Why? They've got six games left against the Phillies and the Rockies control their own destiny.

Manager Fredi Gonzalez said his team was scoreboard watching in New York Thursday night and wincing as the Phillies rallied with five runs in the ninth before falling against the Nationals.

Cody Ross said the Marlins believe their previous calls might be what ultimately puts them over the top.

"It seems like everytime this point in the year we find ourselves in the same spot and hopefully now that we have had those experiences and a couple games under our belts we can prosper this year and move forward instead of the other way," outfielder Ross said.

"We fell short the last couple years and that's not a good feeling. Nobody in here the last couple seasons after the year was over was saying that was good run, nice going. That's not what we're about. We want to go out and we want to play in October."

IDENTITY THEFT: Even professional baseball players can fall victim to identity theft.

Reliever Kiko Calero is the latest. The Marlins reliever received an unexpected phone call from an Arizona state detective Thursday asking him to identify himself after police stopped a man on Phoenix freeway who presented a fake Puerto Rican driver's license with Calero's name on it.

The 41-year-old man, identified by an Arizona Department of Public Safety spokesman as a Mexican citizen, was pulled over for having a low tire. When he presented a license and social security card with Calero's digits, authorities quickly became suspicious.

Fingerprint confirmation and a criminal history check identified the driver as Oscar Corral. He was arrested for possession of forged documents.

Calero said he had his wallet stolen while he was living in Puerto Rico in 2000, but never called social security because he thought nothing was going to happen. "This was the first time anybody used my identity that I know of," Calero said. "Now, there could be more than one person who bought or copied my ID. It's going to be a headache. But I've been told I'll be ok."

> Chris Volstad will start Sunday in place of Rick VandenHurk. Fredi Gonzalez, however, was non-commital about starting Volstad after Sunday.

Randy Johnson goes for No. 300 tonight

For the past 21 years, Randy Johnson has been one of the most dominating pitchers in baseball. Tonight, he'll attempt to become the 23rd pitcher to reach 300 career victories when he pitches against the Nationals in Washington.

But if he isn't able to accomplish the feat this week, his next attempt will come against the Marlins at Land Shark Stadium next Monday night.

Johnson, 45, is 4-4 with a 5.71 ERA this season. He began his career with Montreal Expos and has pitched for the Diamondbacks, Astros, Mariners and Yankees. He is 4-3 with a 2.99 ERA against the Nationals since they moved over from Montreal.

His career numbers against the Marlins are even scarier. He's 8-1 in 13 career starts against the Fish with a 1.78 ERA, 117 Ks and just 23 walks.

I wrote about Johnson and his chase for 300 in my Sunday baseball column and whether or not he'll be the last pitcher in baseball to achieve the feat. Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports wrote an interesting piece on Johnson's road to 300 and how much his former teammates might or might not be happy when he reaches the record.

Oddly enough, if The Big Unit doesn't get the job done against the Nationals, he could pitch against Marlins rookie left-hander Sean West on Monday. West, who is getting the start tonight versus the Brewers, had the same agent as Johnson -- former MLB pitcher Bobby Witt. West (6-8, 240) was nicknamed 'The Little Unit' by Witt before the Marlins drafted him in the first round four years ago. West said Johnson is the pitcher he looks up to most. 

Report: Manny Ramirez tests positive for PEDs

Move over A-Rod. There's another hefty slugger joining you on baseball's busted list.

The Los Angeles Times is reporting that Major League Baseball will announce later today that Dodgers outfielder Manny Ramirez has tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs and will be suspended for 50 games.

In his first full season as a Dodger, Ramirez is batting .348 with six home runs and 20 RBIs. L.A. has jumped out to a 21-8 record -- best in the majors -- and a 13-0 record at home, which set the modern major league record for a home winning streak to start a season.

But we will have to see how the Dodgers survive this one.

The 50-game suspension will cost Ramirez $7.7 million, 31% of his $25-million salary because players in violation of baseball's drug policy are not paid during suspensions.

The Dodgers are set to visit the Marlins May 15-17.

Marlins writing letter to MLB about Mets delay tactics

The Marlins weren’t happy with the way the Mets took their sweet time Wednesday getting pinch hitter Omir Santos to the plate with the game in the balance in the bottom of the ninth. And now, apparently, they’re doing something about it.

“We will talk to major league baseball about it,” manager Fredi Gonzalez told reporters before Thursday’s game at Wrigley Field. “I don’t know if you can do anything, I don’t know if you can get a clock on it. It’s gamesmanship. But Larry [Beinfest] is going to write a letter. We’ll see where it goes from there.”

A few minutes ticked away Wednesday with closer Matt Lindstrom on the mound waiting for someone to step out of the Mets' dugout with the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the ninth. Santos, who was in the bullpen catching, finally made it to the plate and popped out to shortstop to end the game. The Marlins won 4-3.

But apparently, there was more to the story after all. Mets manager Jerry Manuel acknowledged afterward he went with Santos on purpose – because he was indeed trying to throw Lindstrom off his game. According to the New York Times, Santos stopped on the long way in from the Mets bullpen and took six or seven swings in the clubhouse to stretch it out further.

Stay tuned. We'll see if Major League Baseball decides to take action.

Lindstrom: "I have to mix my pitches better"

Matt Lindstrom didn't get a good night's sleep Friday and he didn't receive any supportive phone calls from friends around the league after his meltdown against the Phillies. The life of a closer can feel pretty lonely at times.

The 6-4, 210-pound hard throwing right-hander is learning -- among other things in his new role -- that coming into a ninth inning situation can be hard. But the good news for Marlins fans, who unleashed their venom on Lindstrom on the airwaves and on message boards, is that the 29-year old felt like he learned something last night after spending a few extra hours watching himself on video replays. 

"Last night was embarrassing for myself. No excuses. I just didn’t get it done," Lindstrom said from his locker Saturday, making sure to answer every question from reporters (even if all of them pertained to his worst night in baseball). "But I know what I have to do now to have more success -- and that’s mix my pitches better and stop getting behind hitters, giving them a hitter’s count."

"The only real explanation I have [for the wildness] was that is it was tough to harness [the fastball]. I felt good. My release point seemed like it was there. My ball just had an unusual little late life and cut on it. I’d get behind and I’d have to come with strikes. I didn’t utilize my breaking ball enough. I think I started with the four hitter and the first time I threw [the breaking ball] was to the nine guy. I just got to mix my pitches a little better."

For what it's worth, Marlins fans might want to cut Lindstrom a little slack. Friday's outing was just his 13th opportunity in a save situation in his three seasons in the majors. The two home runs he gave up? Before Friday, he'd only surrendered three in 143 appearances. And, this was the Phillies he was pitching against.

The bottomline is his fastball wasn't working and when he tried to throw it for strikes, the Phillies were sitting on it. "There’s probably quite a few pitches I few I wish I could have had back, ones I didn’t throw with quite as much conviction as I would have liked to," Lindstrom said. "The problem was I think I had about six inches of cut on my four seemer. It started in off the middle third and then breaking and [catcher John] Baker would be going like this [extending his arms to catch it]. It was frustrating. Then, I had to kind of ease one in there just to throw a freaking strike. That’s not going to cut it – especially when these guys are timing it."

Manager Fredi Gonzalez said he had a talk with Lindstrom before Saturday's game in the weight room. But the talk wasn't about baseball. “This guy has only had 13 opportunities to save games in three years,” Gonzalez said. “You aren’t going to create that ninth inning stuff that goes on in the seventh. The adrenaline, 30,000 people screaming, facing the middle of the lineup. He’s got to feel that and get that.”

Gonzalez said while the option was there Friday to stick with Leo Nunez, who retired the top of the Phillies order 1-2-3 in the eighth, the only thing he was thinking about heading into the ninth was giving Lindstrom (who had five days off between outings) a chance to experience the ninth.

"You can [go with Nunez]," Gonzalez said. "But don’t you want to try and develop your closer? Don't you want to develop a guy whose only had 13 opportunities to save games in three years? You got to develop other pieces. Yeah, you could run Nunez out there. But he’s our guy that we’re going to go to."

Gonzalez said he believes Lindstrom has all the ingredients the Marlins want in a closer. "Stuff wise he's got it. The big arm, 96 miles per hour. His breaking pitch is being developed to be an above average pitch. His two seamer is working," Gonzalez said. "Now, he needs to develop the other stuff that comes with winning games."