MLB | Cubs ace Zambrano on DL with minor strain

CHICAGO — Carlos Zambrano insisted he was only "a little bit" upset that he was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a minor strain of his right shoulder.

His initial response said otherwise.

The Chicago Cubs star pitcher stormed off after being told the news, and a loud banging was heard in the shower area in the clubhouse at Wrigley Field moments later.

"That's the reaction you'd want from him," Cubs general manager Jim Hendry said. "He wasn't real pleased with me right away, but we talked through it, and by [today] I'll be telling him it's a chance to work on his hitting."

Hendry and the Cubs' medical staff decided "Big Z" would benefit physically and mentally from a two-week rest. The Cubs expect him to miss two starts.

"There's nothing wrong," Zambrano said. "We just have to be careful, take some time, give it a rest, come back stronger."

Zambrano gave the Cubs a big scare when he left Wednesday night's game at Tampa Bay because of discomfort in his shoulder. He was examined Thursday in Chicago and underwent an MRI arthrogram on Friday. The test, in which dye is injected into the troubled area to provide a more detailed look, revealed no major structural damage.

The DL stint is the second for Zambrano, who missed nearly a month in 2002 with a strained right elbow.

Zambrano will miss starts against Baltimore on Tuesday and at the White Sox next weekend. He is 8-3 with a 3.13 earned-run average in 16 starts.

Halladay OK after

line drive to head

PITTSBURGH — A day after being hit in the head with a line drive, Toronto's Roy Halladay said he was "fine" and would not miss his next start.

The news wasn't as good for fellow Blue Jays starter Shaun Marcum, who was placed on the 15-day DL because of a strained right elbow.

Marcum, second in the American League with a 2.65 ERA, was to fly to Florida Saturday to be examined by Dr. Steve Mirabello.

Halladay was struck near the right temple by a line drive. The ball deflected off him and into the glove of third baseman Scott Rolen.

Halladay had a CT scan taken, and no broken bones were detected.

Padres' Young

back on mound

SAN DIEGO — Padres right-hander Chris Young threw 40 pitches in a bullpen session Saturday, exactly a month after he suffered a broken nose and small skull fracture when he was hit in the face by an Albert Pujols line drive.

Young expects to pitch again after the All-Star break.

It was the first time the 6-foot-10 Young has been on a mound since he was left bloodied and stunned in the third inning against the St. Louis Cardinals on May 21.

"It felt good. I was actually surprisingly sharper than I had expected," said Young, who was an All-Star last year.

Notes

• Red Sox reliever Mike Timlin was placed on the 15-day DL with tendinitis in his left knee. The move allowed Boston to activate right-hander Daisuke Matsuzaka, who started against St. Louis but lasted one inning in a 9-3 loss. It was the shortest outing by a Boston starter since Derek Lowe lasted one inning on Sept. 18, 2004, at Yankee Stadium.

• Washington Nationals first baseman Nick Johnson will visit the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., on Monday to determine why his injured wrist is taking so long to heal. He's been on the DL since May 15 with a torn tendon.

• Kansas City placed veteran pitcher Brett Tomko on unconditional waivers. The 35-year-old was 2-7 with a 6.97 ERA.

• Jolbert Cabrera became the fourth Cincinnati shortstop to go on the DL this season. He suffered a compound dislocation of his left index finger sliding headfirst into second base Friday night.

• Longtime baseball executive Wayne Krivsky was hired by the New York Mets as special assistant to general manager Omar Minaya. Krivsky was fired as GM of the Cincinnati Reds in late April.