SPRING TRAINING ROUNDUP : Tendinitis slowing Cardinals' infielder

JUPITER, Fla. - Brendan Ryan's pursuit of a starting job with the St. Louis Cardinals is being slowed by tendinitis in his right wrist.

The 26-yearold infielder is among several players seeking the regular role at second base, but he could also see playing time this season at shortstop and third base. He fielded grounders Monday but doesn't expect to swing a bat until Friday at the earliest.

Ryan said the soreness he is experiencing is similar to what he felt at the end of last season, when he hit .244 in 80 major league games. He batted .289 in 2007.

"It's not like I'm worried about a tear or something," Ryan said. "I think it's just swollen, so I'm going to take it easy for a few days."

Ryan has been a utility player in parts of the last two seasons, shuffling between Class AAA Memphis and St. Louis.

The second base job is open after Aaron Miles left as a free agent and Adam Kennedy was waived earlier this month. Among the other candidates is Skip Schumaker, who has spent his entire professional career as an outfielder.

CUBS

Zambrano says shoulder OK

MESA, Ariz. - Chicago Cubs pitcher Carlos Zambrano says his shoulder is just fine and he'd like to look ahead, rather than back to last season.

He is showing no signs of the problems that hampered him last season, although the team is taking a conservative approach with its ace this spring.

"Physically, I feel the best I've ever felt in spring training," Zambrano said Monday after a free-and-easy throwing session against hitters. "I'm not a rookie. I know what to do and I know my job here is to get ready."

Last season he had a stint on the disabled list in June - his first trip to the DL in six years - and needed an injection in early September for a sore shoulder. But later that month, he pitched a no-hitter against the Houston Astros in Milwaukee.

Zambrano spent the off-season strengthening his shoulder, and the Cubs sent a trainer to his native Venezuela to work with him.

"It's important," he said. "I won't want that to happen to me again this year."

Zambrano went 14-6 with a 3.91 ERA last season. He was 10-3 with a 2.84 ERA in 18 starts before the All-Star Game - in which he pitched two innings. But after the break, he was 4-3 in 12 starts with a 5.80 ERA. He also was the loser in Game 2 of the playoffs against the Los Angeles Dodgers when shaky Chicago fielding led to four unearned runs.

BLUE JAYS

Outfielder hurts hamstring

DUNEDIN, Fla. - Toronto Blue Jays center fielder Vernon Wells injured his left hamstring during drills and could be sidelined for most of spring training.

It's the same hamstring that kept Wells out for a month last season. The two-time All-Star was scheduled for a magnetic resonance imaging.

Wells missed 52 games because of injuries in 2008. He broke his left wrist making a sliding catch early in the season, then returned to the disabled list July 10 with a strained left hamstring.

A three-time Gold Glove winner, Wells hit .300 with 20 home runs and 78 RBI in 108 games last year. He spent the off-season working with a personal trainer, hoping to strengthen hamstrings that have bothered him for years.

RED SOX

Penny feels fine

FORT MYERS, Fla. - Boston Red Sox right-hander Brad Penny felt fine after throwing batting practice for the first time in spring training.

Penny threw 30 pitches Monday and said the session answered a lot of questions for him, both mentally and physically. His 2008 season with the Los Angeles Dodgers was cut short by shoulder problems, and Boston signed him as a free agent.

"I felt great," Penny said. "Today, for me, answered a lot of questions, mentally and physically. I didn't even know what to expect going out there the first time facing hitters, but everything felt great."

Red Sox pitching coach John Farrell said Penny would have two days off between batting practice sessions instead of the one day off for most pitchers. But Farrell said that barring a setback, Penny will be ready for the start of the regular season. He's scheduled for his first spring training start March 5. After consecutive 16-victory seasons with the Dodgers, Penny finished at 6-9 with a 6.27 ERA. He went 1-7 after May 2.

NATIONALS

Pitcher released

VIERA, Fla. - The Washington Nationals released disgruntled pitcher Odalis Perez on Monday, a day after he failed to show up at spring training by the mandatory reporting deadline.

Perez, 31, signed a minor league contract with Washington on Feb. 5 that would have paid him $850,000 if he made the team. In recent days, however, the left-hander said he wanted a better deal.

Perez was 7-12 with a 4.34 ERA in 30 starts for the Nationals last season.

WEDNESDAY'S GAMES - All times Central

NY Mets vs. Baltimore at Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., 12:05 p.m. Florida vs. St. Louis at Jupiter, Fla., 12:05 p.m. Washington vs. Houston at Kissimmee, Fla., 12:05 p.m. Atlanta vs. Detroit at Lakeland, Fla., 12:05 p.m. NY Yankees vs. Toronto at Dunedin, Fla., 12:05 p.m. Philadelphia vs. Pittsburgh at Bradenton, Fla., 12:05 p.m. Cincinnati vs. Tampa Bay at Port Charlotte, Fla., 12:05 p.m. Chicago White Sox vs. Los Angeles Angels at Tempe, Ariz., 2:05 p.m. Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Chicago Cubs at Mesa, Ariz., 2:05 p.m. Oakland vs. Milwaukee at Phoenix, 2:05 p.m. San Francisco vs. Cleveland at Goodyear, Ariz., 2:05 p.m. Seattle vs. San Diego at Peoria, Ariz., 2:05 p.m. Kansas City vs. Texas at Surprise, Ariz., 2:05 p.m. Arizona vs. Colorado at Tucson, Ariz., 2:10 p.m. Boston vs. Minnesota at Fort Myers, Fla., 6:05 p.m.

Originally Published at: http://www.nwanews.com/adg/Sports/253340/

Baseball: Five bold predictions for 2009

1. The Cubs will win the pennant

Carlos Zambrano was wrong in 2007. Ryan Dempster was wrong in 2008. And after consecutive seasons of hearing players predict the Cubs, the team that hasn't won a World Series in more than a century, would end that drought, manager Lou Piniella instructed his team to not make any predictions for 2009. That will let the rest of us make the predictions for him: For the first time since 1945, the Chicago Cubs will be playing in the World Series. Last year's squad rolled to 97 wins and the NL Central title but was swept out of the NLDS by an inferior Dodgers team. This year's team features the best offense in the National League and a pitching staff that specializes in missing bats. The Cubs return virtually every key part of an offense that led the league in runs, walks, on-base percentage and slugging percentage and finished second in batting average and hits. Their pitching staff not only topped the league in wins, but also in strikeouts and fewest hits allowed, while finishing second in runs allowed and ERA. They lost All-Star closer Kerry Wood to free agency, but replaced him with promising Carlos Marmol and, for insurance, imported veteran closer Kevin Gregg from the Marlins. There should be little competition from the NL Central this year, which will allow the Cubs to cruise to their third-straight division crown, gain home-field advantage in the playoffs and rest their regulars and their rotation for the only month that will truly challenge them: October.

2. Another big steroids name will be revealed

As much as everyone associated with the game -- from the players to the press and certainly the fans -- wishes the talk of steroids would take a backseat once the season begins, that hardly seems possible. Now that Alex Rodriguez's positive survey test has been revealed to the public, it seems increasingly likely that other players on the 104-name list will be outed. Throw in the ongoing legal proceedings involving Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens, the distinct possibility Jose Canseco isn't done talking and the recent revelations about trainer-to-the-stars Angel Presinal, and baseball is likely to be helpless as other bombshells explode during the season. The best hope is the damage is minimized by an on-field product entertaining enough to divert attention from the game's off-field ills.

3. Manny Ramirez will win the MVP award

Ramirez does not yet have a team, but rather than hindering him, his absence from a major league roster could actually enhance his candidacy. Once he signs, few players in baseball will be able to provide the instant impact Ramirez can, as witnessed by the way he jump-started the Dodgers after his arrival from Boston last July. In 53 games after relocating to Hollywood, Ramirez led the National League in batting average (.396), on-base percentage (.489) and slugging percentage (.743), while finishing second with 17 home runs, all the while spearheading the Dodgers' transformation from underachievers to NL West champions. For his efforts, he finished fourth in last year's NL MVP voting. If he plays with the same level of dedication he showed in two months in L.A., Ramirez, wherever he plays, will undoubtedly produce award-worthy numbers. Now all he needs is a team to do it for.

4. Jake Peavy will not be traded

Even the stock market didn't fluctuate as wildly this winter as the trade market for the Padres' Cy Young-winning right-hander. First, he was definitely going to be traded (the Cubs and Braves were the most likely destinations). Then he wasn't. Then he was, but it would be a three-team deal. Then a four-team deal. Then all the trades were dead. Until they weren't, when they were revived again. Then they finally died for good when Padres GM Kevin Towers announced Peavy would begin the 2009 season with the only organization he's ever pitched for. Of course there were no guarantees trade talks won't spark again, leading to further speculation that a deal will get done at some point, perhaps around the midseason trade deadline, when Peavy himself fully expects to be traded, despite his full no-trade clause. Peavy is guaranteed $59 million through 2012 on the five-year extension he signed after winning the Cy in 2007, and the Padres are still hoping to slash their payroll. But the most likely reason he won't be dealt is this: The Padres can win now. Despite modest offseason improvements by the Diamondbacks, Giants and Dodgers, the NL West remains winnable with a victory total in the mid-80s. Last year San Diego won 63 games, but mediocre competition means a quick turnaround isn't completely out of the question. Factor in the wild card, the small number of teams who will be willing to take on a payroll like Peavy's (especially at the cost of the premium prospects it would take to land him) and the tender elbow that landed him on the disabled list last season, and it seems increasingly possible Peavy will finish this season exactly where he began it: in San Diego.

5. The AL East will be the best division race ever

No division has ever had three teams win 95 games, but that very real possibility exists in the AL East this season. The Rays (97 wins in 2008), Red Sox (95) and Yankees (89) each made significant upgrades to their rosters. The Rays added Pat Burrell to bring some right-handed punch to their lineup at designated hitter, and wunderkind David Price provides yet another young arm to an already impressive pitching staff. There is still plenty of room for improvement for young stars Evan Longoria, B.J. Upton and Dioner Navarro. The Red Sox have gambled on aging or injured talent this winter, signing Brad Penny, John Smoltz and Rocco Baldelli, among others. But they still have a top-heavy rotation that features Josh Beckett, Daisuke Matsuzaka and Jon Lester, as well as the best offense in the league, led by AL MVP Dustin Pedroia.

All of this means that the Yankees figure to have the most difficulty surviving this gauntlet and reaching the postseason. Despite spending a half a billion dollars on three star players (pitchers CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett and first baseman Mark Teixeira), the Yankees have significant questions to address, such as:

• Are they too old? Johnny Damon had a solid 2008 (.303/.375/.461), but he is now 35. Derek Jeter still managed to hit .300 last season, but his numbers have been declining for two-straight years after a near-MVP campaign in 2006. He will turn 35 in June and his defense remains suspect at best. Jorge Posada is 37 and played just 51 games last year due to injuries.

• How will the steroid controversy affect Alex Rodriguez? A-Rod is simply too good a player to not put up impressive numbers, but the circus that is likely to follow him this year, especially if any further controversy arises, may make it difficult for him to thrive. The Yankees need A-Rod to be A-Rod to help carry their aging offense.

• Can they count on their youngsters? Robinson Cano regressed notably last season, from .306/.353/.488 in 2007 to .271/.305/.410 in 2008. A pair of underwhelming offensive players, Brett Gardner and Melky Cabrera, will handle center field, while Xavier Nady is unlikely to duplicate the lost production of Bobby Abreu in right field.

• Who can they rely upon in their bullpen? With Joba Chamberlain likely ticketed for the starting rotation, the Yankees are once again forced to hope they will be able to find a suitable bridge to closer Mariano Rivera. Midseason acquisition Damaso Marte was retained to be a lefty specialist, but he was far more effective against righties (.233 average on balls in play for righties vs. .392 for lefties). The Red Sox and Rays both boast better 'pens than the Yankees, and in a division with such a small margin for error, that alone could make the difference between playing in the postseason and spending October on the golf course.

Originally Published at: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/ted_keith/02/23/bold.predictions/?eref=sircrc