Around the Horn - 4/29

Not too much action in the major leagues last night. The Orioles and White Sox had rain interrupt play at the start and the end of their game. It ended up a 3-3 tie with the game suspended after 12 innings. Since it was the end of 4-game series, there's no word on when it would be continued. Daniel Cabera (2 ER 6.1 IP) and Javier Vazquez (1 ER 8 IP) both turned in good starts.

The A's scored 8 runs in the 7th inning to blow away the Angels, 14-2. Frank Thomas was a HR short of the cycle when he left the game, and Daric Barton, Emil Brown, and Jack Hannahan each homered. Chad Gaudin has come back from injuries well to post a 3-1, 3.00 record. John Garland gave up 7 runs in 6 innings for the Angels.

The Mets and Pirates were rained out in Flushing. The Reds held off the Cardinals 4-3 as Bronson Arroyo finally picked up his first win. Rick Ankiel hit his 5th HR for the Cards.

Dan Haren improved to 4-1 in the Diamondbacks 5-3 triumph over the Astros. Mark Reynold's 2-run double gave him 24 RBI for the month.

The Giants moved Barry Zito to the bullpen, but Matt Cain and the pen gave them some relief last night. Cain was the victor in the Giants 4-0 win against the Rockies. Aaron Rowand knocked in a pair of run and is hitting .308.

News and Notes

After passing through waivers, Hideo Nomo was officially released by the Royals.

Mike Lieberthal will be signing a 1-day contract shortly with the Phillies, so that he can officially retire as a Phillie.

Rich Harden is scheduled for rehab start on Thursday as he tries to come back from yet another injury for the A's.

Scott Kazmir threw an 81-pitch rehab start on Monday and could be activated by the Rays this weekend.

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Friday Hot Stove

It's been a bit since we've taken a look at the non-Yankees hot stove, primarily because NOTHING has been going on, but here we go.

Eric Chavez is pissed and who can blame him. The A's have already dealt their best pitcher, Dan Haren, and their best slugger, Nick Swisher. When asked if he thought the A's would sign Barry Bonds, Chavez's response said it all. "If he's in uniform next year, there's a 90 percent chance it will be with the Oakland A's," Chavez said. "It will be old, broken-down guys, me, [Mark] Kotsay and Barry, and a bunch of 19-year-olds."

Chavez addressed his own future as well. "I told Billy [Beane], 'I know what you're doing, if you want to move me, do what you have to do,'" Chavez said. "It's motivation to get healthy, play well and then see what happens. To be honest, with everything that's going on, there's probably no reason for me to stay around, it doesn't add up with what's happening."

Talk about being desperate for pitching- The Royals have inked Hideo Nomo to a minor league deal. The 39-yr old right-hander has not pitched in the majors since a brief stint with the Rays in 2005. He's also recuperating from elbow surgery.

There's no question that players perform better when there's a contract on the line. Manny Ramirez is no exception. 2008 is the final guaranteed year of his contract, and Peter Gammons reports that Manny has become a workout maniac.

Desperate for pitching, part II - the Cardinals have signed Matt Clement to a 1-yr, incentive laden deal. Clement, who is still recovering from elbow surgery, is guaranteed $1.5 million.

The Rockies are close to signing former Blue Jays' pitcher Josh Towers to a 1-yr, $1.8 million deal.

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