DENVER (AP) — Just to make sure it was real and not some sort of flashback to his childhood, he checked the name above the clubhouse locker.Dereck Rodriguez .Yep, it was his all right and not that of his father — Hall of Fame catcher Ivan Rodriguez."I've been to a lot of stadiums. But I wasn't here for me. I was here for my dad," the right-hander said. "It's nice coming here and having my name on the locker and not his."The San Francisco Giants purchased his contract from Triple-A Sacramento, where he went 4-1 with a 3.40 ERA after signing as a minor league free agent on Nov. 15. He will be in the bullpen Monday against Colorado looking to make his major league debut.His mom has already arrived in Denver. But his father, whose nickname was "Pudge," happened to be out of the country in Colombia. Rodriguez said he spoke to his dad, who was "probably the most emotional out of everybody."His father was a 14-time All-Star and 13-time Gold Glove catcher who was inducted into the Hall of Fame... [More]

DENVER (AP) — Just to make sure it was real and not some sort of flashback to his childhood, he checked the name above the clubhouse locker.Dereck Rodriguez .Yep, it was his all right and not that of his father — Hall of Fame catcher Ivan Rodriguez."I've been to a lot of stadiums. But I wasn't here for me. I was here for my dad," the right-hander said. "It's nice coming here and having my name on the locker and not his."The San Francisco Giants purchased his contract from Triple-A Sacramento, where he went 4-1 with a 3.40 ERA after signing as a minor league free agent on Nov. 15. He will be in the bullpen Monday against Colorado looking to make his major league debut.His mom has already arrived in Denver. But his father, whose nickname was "Pudge," happened to be out of the country in Colombia. Rodriguez said he spoke to his dad, who was "probably the most emotional out of everybody."His father was a 14-time All-Star and 13-time Gold Glove catcher who was inducted into the Hall of Fame... [More]

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Fernando Romero struck out nine in six innings in his second straight scoreless start to begin his major league career, leading the Minnesota Twins over the St. Louis Cardinals 6-0 on Monday night.The victory was a season-high fourth straight for the Twins, who have won 13 of their last 16 games against National League opponents dating to last year.St. Louis had its season-best five-game winning streak snapped, one night after finishing a weekend sweep of the rival Chicago Cubs at nearly 1 a.m.Romero (2-0) permitted just three hits while throwing 97 pitches. The 23-year-old right-hander tossed 5 2/3 scoreless innings in his debut last week, a win over Toronto.Romero got a lift from left fielder Eddie Rosario, who reached over the wall in the first inning to catch a possible two-run homer for St. Louis' Dexter Fowler.John Gant (1-1) gave up six hits and four runs in 5 1/3 innings for the Cardinals.METS 7, REDS 6CINCINNATI (AP) — Jay Bruce hit a two-run homer against his... [More]

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Fernando Romero struck out nine in six innings in his second straight scoreless start to begin his major league career, leading the Minnesota Twins over the St. Louis Cardinals 6-0 on Monday night.The victory was a season-high fourth straight for the Twins, who have won 13 of their last 16 games against National League opponents dating to last year.St. Louis had its season-best five-game winning streak snapped, one night after finishing a weekend sweep of the rival Chicago Cubs at nearly 1 a.m.Romero (2-0) permitted just three hits while throwing 97 pitches. The 23-year-old right-hander tossed 5 2/3 scoreless innings in his debut last week, a win over Toronto.Romero got a lift from left fielder Eddie Rosario, who reached over the wall in the first inning to catch a possible two-run homer for St. Louis' Dexter Fowler.John Gant (1-1) gave up six hits and four runs in 5 1/3 innings for the Cardinals.METS 7, REDS 6CINCINNATI (AP) — Jay Bruce hit a two-run homer against his... [More]

Once again, Greg Bird is hurt as spring training comes to a close.The oft-injured New York Yankees first baseman will need surgery on his ailing right ankle and could be sidelined for two months. The team learned of the setback Monday while in Atlanta for its final exhibition game, three days before the season opener at Toronto."Obviously, we were hoping it was going to be a shorter-term thing," said rookie manager Aaron Boone, who took over a club that reached Game 7 of the AL Championship Series last year. "But we feel like we got some answers. We feel like we know what the surgery's going to accomplish."Bird will have surgery to remove a small broken spur on the outside of his right ankle. Dr. Martin O'Malley is scheduled to operate Tuesday at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York.The slugger is expected to be out for six to eight weeks."Hopefully this is something he will now put behind him for good," Boone said. "We feel pretty good that the surgery is fairly minor and they're... [More]