NL | Hurricane lay in catcher's path to major leagues

WASHINGTON — Luke Montz's first journey from Class AAA to the majors took him through a hurricane. Literally.

On Tuesday evening, Luke Montz and his father were navigating the rainy remnants of Gustav in Louisiana, avoiding closed roads and downed power lines as they completed the 17-hour almost-nonstop drive from Ohio following the end of the Class AAA season in Columbus the night before.

Montz, 25, was eager to see how his family was weathering the storm. He was also looking forward to spending the offseason with his buddies in Lafayette.

"I spent 30 minutes at home. My buddy and I were walking out to eat at Popeye's when the phone rang," Montz said. "Popeye's never happened."

On the phone was Washington Nationals general manager Jim Bowden. Catcher Jesus Flores had just sprained his left ankle in a collision at home plate in a game against the Philadelphia Phillies. Montz was finally getting the call to the big leagues. He is to start today's game at Atlanta.

"Nothing's better than that phone call," Montz said. "The buddies can wait. ... I'm the happiest man on the planet right now."

Arizona: LF Eric Byrnes, out since July 1, said he was encouraged by MRI Tuesday on his injured hamstring. "It's healthy and it's healing quickly," said Byrnes, who isn't expected to return until spring training.

Atlanta: 3B Chipper Jones missed the game with a twisted right knee he sustained during infield practice a day earlier. He reiterated that he should be able to play in a few days. Omar Infante replaced him for the second straight game.

Chicago: Carlos Zambrano visited the team orthopedist Wednesday to check out his right arm but didn't have an MRI. Zambrano left after five innings Tuesday. Manager Lou Piniella also revealed that right-hander Rich Harden, who is being given 12 days between starts to rest his arm, has experienced some soreness.

Florida: While the official attendance to the Marlins' 5-3 victory over Atlanta, based on tickets sold, was 11,211, the ballpark was so quiet that home-plate chatter could be heard. There were about 600 in attendance at the weekday afternoon game with sweltering humidity and the heat topping 90 degrees.

Milwaukee: Major League Baseball's scoring review committee ruled Wednesday that official scorer Bob Webb did not err when he decided that Pittsburgh's Andy LaRoche singled against Brewers pitcher CC Sabathia in the bottom of the fifth inning of Milwaukee's 7-0 win on Sunday. It was the Pirates' only hit.

New York: Closer Billy Wagner (strained forearm) threw a 36-pitch bullpen session on Wednesday in New York. Wagner's next step will be to throw another bullpen on Friday.

St. Louis: 1B Albert Pujols has hit 30 homers in his first eight seasons. According to Elias Sports Bureau, that's double the next-longest streak of 30-homer seasons to start a career. Mark McGwire did it his first four seasons, from 1987 to 1990. Also, Troy Glaus hit his 300th home run Wednesday.

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