Reds and Brewers are solid dogs

A couple of unbeaten NL Central division teams take to the road today and both will be live dogs! The Cincinnati Reds coming off an impressive sweep of the New York Mets head to <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Minute Maid Park in Houston and face Hall of Famer Roger Clemens. Meanwhile the Milwaukee Brewers head to Wrigley Field for a date with the Cubs and Kerry Wood. The Reds if and that is a big if, could be the surprise team of 2005, as long as Ken Griffey can stay healthy and their starting pitching overachieves. The Brewers increased their payroll by about $11 million this season and they have a much underrated hitting lineup, to go along with a very good pitching staff. Do not underestimate the managing ability of Ned Yost!<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /> American League:Baltimore: Rafael Palmeiro singled in the ninth Thursday, his first hit in 10 at-bats. Teammate Melvin Mora, who hit .340, last year, is at .083 after going 0-for-4. ... C Javy Lopez played Wednesday and Thursday but admitted his sore lower back would not have allowed him to play if a game had been scheduled for Tuesday. He said the pain was of his own making because he was exercising improperly during spring training. ... RF Sammy Sosa spent 15 minutes before Wednesday's game learning to play balls off the right field scoreboard at Oriole Park.Boston: RHP Curt Schilling gave up seven runs in six innings in a rehabilitation start for Class AAA Pawtucket (R.I.), appearing to grow stronger as the game progressed and showing no signs of lingering effects from his offseason ankle surgery. Schilling allowed 11 hits, including two solo homers, a triple and a double. He struck out six and walked none, throwing 77 of 104 pitches for strikes in a 7-5 loss to Indianapolis. After throwing 47 pitches and struggling with left-handed hitters in the first two innings, he retired 12 of his last 16 batters, striking out four. ... RH Wade Miller threw 60 pitches in an extended spring training game Thursday and hopes to make his first start for the Red Sox in late April. The 28-year-old missed much of last season with Houston because of a frayed rotator cuff. Miller threw mostly fastballs and allowed five hits and one walk with two strikeouts. He threw four 15-pitch innings and faced 16 batters. Miller signed as a free agent after going 7-7 with a 3.35 ERA in 15 appearances for the Astros last year.Chicago: Joe Crede has had his troubles on offense going back to last season, but manager Ozzie Guillen insists Crede still is his starting third baseman. "There are a lot of managers in this town," Guillen said of the speculation that Crede was in trouble.Cleveland: LHP Cliff Lee had another rough outing against the White Sox on Thursday, giving up five runs in 3 1/3 innings. In his last four starts against Chicago, Lee has a 10.42 ERA.Detroit: The Tigers released 3B Dean Palmer from Class AAA Toledo (Ohio). Palmer, who last played in 2003 and last homered in 2001, is expected to retire if he cannot get a job with another major league team. ... OF Magglio Ordonez (stomach virus) missed Thursday's game after leaving Wednesday's game with dizziness.Kansas City: RHP Zack Greinke was struck on the right forearm by a Carlos Guillen line drive Thursday. Greinke was diagnosed with a bruise. He is not expected to miss a start. ... OF Matt Stairs sat out with hamstring tightness.Los Angeles: 2B Chone Figgins moved from No. 9 in the batting order to No. 2 on Wednesday when Texas started LHP Kenny Rogers. Juan Rivera was the DH instead of Jeff DaVanon. "We're going to look for some chemistry," said manager Mike Scioscia.Minnesota: A precautionary CT scan of 1B Justin Morneau showed no damage after a pitch hit him in the right temple. Morneau was hit by Seattle's Ron Villone in the eighth inning Wednesday. Morneau's batting helmet appeared to absorb most of the blow, and after about a minute on the ground, he got up and walked off on his own. After Wednesday's scan, Morneau was cleared to join the team's late-night flight back to Minnesota. The Twins' home opener is Friday against the White Sox.New York: SS Derek Jeter, who left Wednesday's game against Boston after being struck in the head by a Mike Timlin pitch, had a CT scan and was expected to play Friday. The pitch deflected off Jeter's left shoulder and hit the earflap of the batting helmet. ... The results of an MRI exam on RHP Kevin Brown's back revealed no structural damage. Brown has been throwing on flat ground and hopes to have a bullpen session this weekend.Oakland: RF Bobby Kielty went 0-for-4 in his first start of the season. ... RH Kirk Saarloos pitched six innings of one-hit ball Wednesday while wearing a pink bracelet on his glove hand to support his mother's fight against cancer. "I'll continue to wear (the bracelet) until I'm told to take it off," Saarloos said.Seattle: LHP Bobby Madritsch had to come out of Wednesday's game after coming down with what an MRI exam showed to be a mild strain of his left shoulder. RHPs Ryan Franklin and Joel Pineiro (who was supposed to have one final rehabilitation start) are the top candidates to, if necessary, take Madritsch's next start, scheduled for Monday. ... RF Ichiro Suzuki has had two hits in each of his first three games. Including games at the end of the 2004 season, he has hit in his last 16 games.Tampa Bay: The Devil Rays are to find out by noon ET Friday whether veteran C Charles Johnson would be with them for the weekend series against Oakland. Johnson requested a personal leave of absence Wednesday for undisclosed reasons, and the Devil Rays told him if he wasn't back by Friday they would place him on the restricted list without pay and replace him on the roster. Johnson is not expected back until Tuesday at the earliest, and veteran Tim Laker is the most likely candidate to be called up from Class AAA Durham (N.C.).Texas: LHP Kenny Rogers, who left Wednesday's game after six innings with a blister on his left hand, is not expected to miss a start.Toronto: Manager John Gibbons blamed himself for Wednesday's loss. Gibbons said he may have tried to push the envelope with LH Scott Schoeneweis, who was pitching in his third consecutive game. "It is a lot to ask a guy coming out of spring training, three nights in a row," Gibbons said. "So I'll take that one." National League:Arizona: LF Luis Gonzalez leads all hitters in career home runs off RHP Greg Maddux with nine. "I just feel comfortable against him," Gonzalez said.Atlanta: Chipper Jones improved to .367 (11-for-30) against Florida's A.J. Burnett. Atlanta is 16-6 against Florida since the start of last season.Chicago: RHP Kerry Wood will start Friday's home opener. He said the tightness in his shoulder that he felt in spring training is gone, but questions about his mechanics remain. Pitching coach Larry Rothschild insists Wood's mechanics are normal, though. "Is he perfect? No. But not very many people are," Rothschild said.Cincinnati: OF Adam Dunn struck out three times Thursday, raising his three-game total to seven. Dunn set a major league record by fanning 195 times last season. LHP Eric Milton, who won his Reds debut Wednesday, will start again Sunday at Houston, getting three days between starts. In the other three times he's gone on short rest, Milton was 0-2 with a 3.10 ERA.Colorado: The Rockies are in a no-lose situation with OF Mike Restovich, whom they claimed on waivers. If the Rockies like Restovich, they keep him. If they think he's not ready for the big leagues, they put him on waivers, sending him to Class AAA Colorado Springs if he clears. If another team were to claim him, they'd get the $20,000 waiver fee that would offset the $20,000 they paid to pick up Restovich.Florida: Carlos Delgado went 1-for-3 against Atlanta's Tim Hudson and remained at .333 (10-for-30) against the right-hander with five homers. Delgado and Hudson hooked up in the American League when Delgado played for Toronto and Hudson was with Oakland. They switched leagues this past offseason. Houston: Brooks Kieschnick, a former University of Texas standout recently released by Milwaukee, agreed to a minor league contract. Kieschnick, a pitcher and outfielder, will report to the Astros' new Class AA affiliate in Corpus Christi, Texas, where he was a high school star 15 years ago. The Brewers released him during spring training after he compiled a 5.68 ERA in seven appearances. Kieschnick, 32, started his pro career as an outfielder but started pitching some in 1999 before becoming a full-time reliever for Milwaukee in 2003. He is 2-2 with a 4.50 ERA in 74 major league appearances, and he has a career batting average of .248. Kieschnick was the 10th overall pick by the Cubs in 1993.Los Angeles: RHP Derek Lowe will receive his World Series ring along with the rest of the Boston Red Sox on Monday. The Dodgers have granted him permission to leave the team to receive his World Series ring before the Red Sox play their home opener against the Yankees. He will rejoin the Dodgers on Tuesday. The 6-6 Lowe won 14 games for the Red Sox last season, plus three victories in the postseason.Milwaukee: In sweeping a season-opening two-game series in Pittsburgh, the Brewers' revamped lineup worked exactly as manager Ned Yost hoped when he drew it up in spring training. "We functioned like this all spring if you look at the numbers," Yost said. "We were a good offensive team, from top to bottom. We just like our offense."New York: RF Mike Cameron remained unable to play because of tendonitis in his left wrist and didn't attempt to swing a bat. Manager Willie Randolph said the team has not decided whether to put Cameron on the 15-day disabled list, but he appears headed for the DL on Friday.Philadelphia: A notoriously slow starter, LF Pat Burrell has six hits and six RBI in the first three games. Only 21,693 fans turned out Thursday at Citizens Bank Park, a possible sign fans are disenchanted with the Phillies one season after the team had 44 sellouts and set a franchise record in attendance.Pittsburgh: The Pirates placed starting 2B Jose Castillo on the 15-day disabled list with a strained muscle in his left side. Castillo was hurt swinging at a pitch by Milwaukee's Doug Davis in the second inning of Wednesday's 10-2 loss. Manager Lloyd McClendon is expected to use the left-handed hitting Rob Mackowiak and right-handed hitters Bobby Hill and Freddy Sanchez at second base until Castillo returns.St. Louis: SS David Eckstein, the Cardinals' new leadoff man, has reached base in four of nine plate appearances but has yet to score a run.San Diego: RHP Adam Eaton had to come out of Wednesday's game at Coors Field with a stomach cramp. Eaton fell an out short of qualifying for the win when he departed, having allowed five runs (three earned) on six hits in 4 2/3 innings.San Francisco: RF Moises Alou might soon join LF Barry Bonds on the disabled list. Alou, 38, will have an MRI exam on his strained right calf Friday to determine his status. He left Wednesday's 10-4 loss to Los Angeles after the fourth inning with tightness in the calf - the same injury that landed him on the DL during the 2000, '01 and '02 seasons. Alou, the 40-year-old Bonds and 37-year-old CF Marquis Grissom make up baseball's oldest outfield.Washington: 1B Wil Cordero was placed on the 15-day DL after hurting his left knee early in the game, so Carlos Baerga will take his spot on the roster.