Touch 'Em All: A's Colon draws a 50-game ban

Oakland pitcher Bartolo Colon was suspended for 50 games Wednesday after testing positive for using testosterone.

This was the second suspension in a week for a starter on a Bay Area team that's contending for a playoff spot, after last week's suspension of the Giants' Melky Cabrera, also for using testosterone.

Colon followed Cabrera's example, issuing a statement through the players' union admitting his guilt.

"I apologize to the fans, to my teammates and to the Oakland A's," Colon said. "I accept responsibility for my actions and I will serve my suspension as required by the joint drug program."

The A's, like the Giants, issued their own terse statement:

"The Oakland Athletics are disappointed to learn of today's suspension of pitcher Bartolo Colon," the team said. "The organization fully supports Major League Baseball's Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program . . .."

The 39-year-old righthander was 10-9 with a 3.43 ERA in 24 starts this season, his first with the A's. A two-time all-star, he won the 2005 American League Cy Young Award after going 21-8 for the Angels.

Speaking of Melky Cabrera, the Giants reported that they canceled an order for 20,000 T-shirts just in time to avoid the embarrassment of honoring the disgraced outfielder.

Giants spokeswoman Staci Slaughter said the order was stopped just before the shirts went to print. The new T-shirts, which will be given away during the Sept. 8 game against the Dodgers, will be a "Gigantes" version featuring centerfielder Angel Pagan.

After struggling with the Brewers most of the season, former Philly fave Randy Wolf was released Wednesday, his 36th birthday.

And while the move wasn't an easy one to take, the lefthander said he didn't harbor any bitterness toward the Brewers.

"The way that the organization has treated me through this has been outstanding," Wolf said.

Wolf was 3-10 with a 5.69 ERA in 24 starts this season and lost his last four decisions. The Brewers owe him about $3.7 million in remaining salary and a buyout.

He had his best season with the Phillies in 2003, when he went 16-10 in what was Veterans Stadium's last season. His style and the aging stadium's vibe inspired a crew of fans to show up for his games wearing wolf masks, sit in the cheap seats, and hoot and howl at his exploits. They called themselves "the Wolf Pack."

Mets ace Johan Santana is headed to the disabled list and not expected to pitch again this season.

General manager Sandy Alderson said that the lefthander was going on the 15-day DL with inflammation in his lower back.

Santana has had an up-and-down season in his return from shoulder surgery that kept him out more than a year.

He threw the team's first-ever no-hitter June 1, but he is 3-7 with an 8.27 ERA since throwing a career-high 134 pitches in that game. The two-time American League Cy Young Award winner with the Twins is 6-9 with a 4.85 ERA in 21 starts.

Nationals manager Davey Johnson said Stephen Strasburg - who has thrown 1451/3 innings in his first season back after Tommy John surgery - could miss his final two or three turns in the rotation during the regular season.

Johnson said he came to this conclusion about his ace after talking with general manager Mike Rizzo.

A few weeks back, Rizzo said Strasburg could pitch up to 180 innings.