The New York Daily News reported that Mets centerfielder Carlos Beltran went to a second doctor, Richard Steadman in Vail, Colo., on Monday for a second opinion on his injured right knee. Beltran, who was placed on the disabled list June 22 for what was a called a bone bruise, was told it was indeed just a bone bruise.
Although that is good news for the struggling and injury-ridden Metropolitans, Steadman said Beltran should not return until after the all-star break. And with Beltran, first baseman Carlos Delgado, and shortstop Jose Reyes on the DL, the Mets need all the help they can get.
The Gold Glover was putting up big numbers before taking a seat, hitting .336 with 8 homers, 40 RBIs, and 11 stolen bases.
Pirates continue clearing ship
The Pittsburgh Pirates let it be known in early June that they were building for the future - yet again - when they traded arguably their best player, all-star centerfielder Nate McLouth, to Atlanta for minor-leaguers. And it didn't stop there.
The Pirates, who haven't had a winning record since they had a slender Barry Bonds in 1992, made two more trades for the future yesterday.
They sent Eric Hinske, 31, a former AL rookie of the year who's now a backup outfielder, to the New York Yankees for two minor-leaguers. The Bucs then packaged speedy leftfielder Nyjer Morgan, 27, and reliever Sean Burnett to the Washington Nationals for the much-hyped Lastings Milledge, 23, and reliever Joel Hanrahan.
From Indian reality show to American reality
The Pirates are desperate to catch a break. Desperate enough to offer $10,000 to two 20-year-old India-born cricket players who never had picked up a baseball or watched a game until winning a TV reality show in India a little more than a year ago.
Rinku Singh and Dinesh Patel were aspiring cricket players until they beat out 37,000 people to finish in the top two on Million Dollar Arm. Now the 6-foot-2 Singh and the 5-9 Patel, pitchers who both throw in the low 90s, are set to make their pro debuts in the near future for the Bradenton Pirates of the Gulf Coast League, a Pittsburgh affiliate.
Over the last year, the two have lived in the United States, attempting to get used to the American way of life and working out with former major-league pitcher and coach Tom House. They have had to learn the basics of the sport along with how to throw a change-up and curveball.
"It's going to be fun," Pirates general manager Neal Huntington said.
Noteworthy
The Chicago Cubs promoted former Notre Dame wide receiver Jeff Samardzija from triple-A Iowa. The righthander - who pitched one scoreless inning yesterday - replaced Jose Ascanio, who was optioned to Iowa. . . . San Diego first baseman Adrian Gonzalez left last night's game against the Houston Astros with a strained right knee.
Contact staff writer Jorge Castillo at 215-854-2928
or jcastillo@phillynews.com.
