Strained Hamstring

On deck Randy Johnson of the Diamondbacks goes for his 19th victory today, facing the Cubs. He said it "The worst thing he could do was try to leg out an infield hit. It was stupid. I admire him, but it was stupid." Tony La Russa, Cardinals manager, on the play that put star starter Matt Morris on the DL with a strained hamstring

The Orioles, who have scored just five total runs in three games since the All-Star break, are hoping the return of designated hitter Luke Scott will give their punchless offense a boost. Out since June 30, when he strained his left hamstring while rounding first base on a home run, Scott will rejoin the Orioles on Monday, and it's expected that he'll be in the lineup for the series opener against the Tampa Bay Rays. "If he gets here [Monday] and the decision is to activate Luke, he is going to be in the lineup," interim manager Juan Samuel said.

GREEN LIGHT Linebacker Roderick Green was a force during 11-on-11 drills. On one play, he bull-rushed past offensive tackle Michael Kracalik and would have sacked quarterback Kyle Boller. Several plays later, Green correctly read an end-around to wide receiver Brian Bratton and would have made another tackle behind the line of scrimmage. POST TIME Kicker Matt Stover launched a 48-yard field-goal attempt that banged the crossbar and successfully rolled over. Stover's next kick, from 43 yards, nicked the left upright and strayed wide left.

A day after walking off the field in the middle of pitching to a batter, Koji Uehara said his strained left hamstring is still sore and will keep him from pitching for several days. He expects to play catch Saturday, but said he hasn't been cleared to run. "We haven't talked about that yet," Uehara said through interpreter Jiwon Bang. "Probably not within a couple days." Uehara suffered a similar injury last May and was sidelined nearly three weeks. He said he wasn't sure when he'd pitch again, but doesn't want to attempt it until the discomfort subsides.

Astros: Yesterday's game drew 16,258, raising Houston's total to 139,122 for five games, an average of 27,824. . . . Doug Drabek, who missed his Opening Day assignment because of a strained hamstring, pitched a simulated game Saturday and will make his season debut tomorrow against the Giants.Braves: Marquis Grissom also hit a grand slam against the Cardinals as a member of the Expos on April 28, 1991.Cardinals: St. Louis has sold more than 52,000 tickets for today's home opener with Montreal.

Quote: "I've been getting guys out with bad pitches all year. Tonight, I didn't get away with it. Call it the law of averages, tip your hat to their hitters." -- Rangers reliever Jeff Zimmerman, who entered with a 1.16 ERA and gave up four runsIt's a fact: Miguel Tejada's 34 RBIs in August are the most for an Oakland player in a month since Jose Canseco drove in 35 in July 1991.Who's hot: Tigers rookie Francisco Cordero has not allowed an earned run in 10 innings.Who's not: The Royals haven't homered in their past 12 road games.

GOOD HANDS Rookie wide receiver Demetrius Williams showed off the hands that convinced the Ravens to spend a fourth-round draft choice on him. He leaped to snatch a high throw from quarterback Brian St. Pierre before landing in the end zone. Williams juggled another pass and caught it while being dragged down. WHAT INJURY? Linebacker Ray Lewis is putting to rest any doubts about the torn hamstring that ended his 2005 season. Lewis almost intercepted Kyle Boller once. On the ensuing play, Lewis turned, sprinted toward a wide-open P.J. Daniels, and broke up another Boller pass.

A day before their scrimmage against the Washington Redskins, the Ravens put family before football. The team canceled yesterday's afternoon practice at McDaniel College in Westminster so players could attend the funeral of offensive tackle Jonathan Ogden's father. Shirrel Ogden died on July 26. More than 20 players attended the funeral in Washington, including most of the offensive line, linebacker Ray Lewis, safety Ed Reed and quarterback Kyle Boller. Coach Brian Billick, who spoke at the funeral, said after the morning practice that he hoped the tragedy served to remind fans that the players are people, too. "It reminds us that these guys have personal lives," Billick said after yesterday's morning session.

BaseballAngels: Activated P Scott Sanderson from 15-day DL.Braves: Optioned P Jason Schmidt and IF Ed Giovanola to Triple-A Richmond. Recalled P Tom Thobe from Richmond. Recalled IF Mike Mordecai from Triple-A rehab stint and reinstated him from DL.Brewers: Activated OF Chuck Carr from 15-day DL. Optioned IF Mark Loretta to Triple-A New Orleans.Cardinals: Placed OF Ron Gant (strained hamstring) on 15-day DL. Recalled P Rich Batchelor from Triple-A Louisville.Marlins: Placed OF Andre Dawson on 15-day DL. Purchased contract of OF Russ Morman from Triple-A Charlotte.

Her strained hamstring and strained back were painful. Her double dose of ear infections were unsteadying. Her "knotted" stomach -- almost unbearable.But Dulaney's Amanda White trudged through it all yesterday, winning the 3,200-meter race at the first day of the state Class 3A-4A track and field championships at Western Maryland College.The senior, running in her final state-sanctioned meet, struggled the entire way, beating Arundel's Christy Nichols by just a little more than two seconds -- her closest margin of victory in a state meet.

The Toronto Blue Jays put a hurting on Orioles pitching Thursday by bashing six homers, but the pain incurred wasn't limited to bruised egos in a 13-3 loss. In the span of eight pitches in the fifth inning, Orioles catcher Craig Tatum left with a bruised left index finger and then his battery mate, right-hander Koji Uehara, walked off the field with a strained left hamstring. Uehara has been bothered by hamstring troubles off and on during his career, including last spring.

FORT MYERS, Fla. - Koji Uehara, the only Oriole currently in camp who has a spot in the rotation locked up, could miss a start after straining his left hamstring during his outing Monday. Uehara suffered the injury while covering first base during the second inning of the Orioles' 9-8 loss to the New York Mets. Uehara was scheduled to pitch four innings but lasted only two, allowing three earned runs on four hits and two walks. "It's not really pain, just a little tightness, a slight strain," Uehara said through interpreter Jiwon Bang.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Reliever George Sherrill was shut down yesterday after tweaking his right hamstring during Friday morning's workout, and he will likely remain inactive for a few more days as a precaution. Sherrill felt his hamstring tighten as he covered first base during a drill on the back fields. He walked to the clubhouse with assistant athletic trainer Brian Ebel and received treatment before leaving the ballpark. "It should be a few days and I'll be back," he said. "It's so soon, I'll just take today completely off, and we'll go from there."

GREEN LIGHT Linebacker Roderick Green was a force during 11-on-11 drills. On one play, he bull-rushed past offensive tackle Michael Kracalik and would have sacked quarterback Kyle Boller. Several plays later, Green correctly read an end-around to wide receiver Brian Bratton and would have made another tackle behind the line of scrimmage. POST TIME Kicker Matt Stover launched a 48-yard field-goal attempt that banged the crossbar and successfully rolled over. Stover's next kick, from 43 yards, nicked the left upright and strayed wide left.

Justin Green and Ovie Mughelli aren't sure which one will be tabbed as the Ravens' starting fullback. It's the same dilemma confronting the coaching staff. Thirteen days into training camp at McDaniel College at Westminster, the competition for the job is still open. At times Green -- who is listed first on the depth chart at the fullback spot ---has been part of the first-team offense, but Mughelli has run with the same unit on other occasions. It's a somewhat troubling situation for an offense that prides itself on a power running game.

GOOD HANDS Rookie wide receiver Demetrius Williams showed off the hands that convinced the Ravens to spend a fourth-round draft choice on him. He leaped to snatch a high throw from quarterback Brian St. Pierre before landing in the end zone. Williams juggled another pass and caught it while being dragged down. WHAT INJURY? Linebacker Ray Lewis is putting to rest any doubts about the torn hamstring that ended his 2005 season. Lewis almost intercepted Kyle Boller once. On the ensuing play, Lewis turned, sprinted toward a wide-open P.J. Daniels, and broke up another Boller pass.

A day before their scrimmage against the Washington Redskins, the Ravens put family before football. The team canceled yesterday's afternoon practice at McDaniel College in Westminster so players could attend the funeral of offensive tackle Jonathan Ogden's father. Shirrel Ogden died on July 26. More than 20 players attended the funeral in Washington, including most of the offensive line, linebacker Ray Lewis, safety Ed Reed and quarterback Kyle Boller. Coach Brian Billick, who spoke at the funeral, said after the morning practice that he hoped the tragedy served to remind fans that the players are people, too. "It reminds us that these guys have personal lives," Billick said after yesterday's morning session.