CHICAGO (AP) -The Chicago Cubs scratched right fielder Kosuke Fukudome from their lineup Wednesday night against the Baltimore Orioles because of tightness in his left calf. The team said it was a precautionary move.
Earlier, the Orioles scratched scheduled starter Brian Burres because he was sick and gave Matt Albers the start in his place.
“He’s ill. He’s sick and he’s going back to the hotel,” Orioles manager Dave Trembley said. “We’ll pitch Albers and see how many pitches he can give us.”
Albers, who’s pitched mostly out of the bullpen, made his third start of the season and his 28th appearance.
“When Burres come back, we will not put him in the rotation. He will just skip a start and hopefully he’s OK tomorrow and he’ll go in the bullpen until his next start,” Trembley said.
After the Orioles announced they were changing starters, the Cubs had to revise their original lineup because Burres is a lefty and Albers a right-hander. After Fukudome was sidelined, they had to alter it again.
Fukudome, who has batted leadoff the previous six games while Alfonso Soriano is on the disabled list, was batting .299 with six homers and 33 RBIs. Eric Patterson took his leadoff spot and Mark DeRosa moved to right field.
Soriano, on the DL since June 12 with a broken left hand from being hit with a pitch, said Wednesday he still wants to play in the All-Star game in Yankee Stadium, where he began his major league career with the Yankees.
Soriano and Fukudome are 1-2 in fan balloting for the NL team.
Soriano said he will have his hand X-rayed again Friday and hopes to start playing catch and swinging a bat, if he is given the go-ahead. When he was first injured, it was expected he could miss as many as six weeks.
“He heals really quick. I don’t want to sound overly optimistic. I’ll tell you this, if there’s anybody who can do it, he’s shown he can,” Cubs manager Lou Piniella said.
“I would think just looking at it, it won’t be six weeks. If we can get him back right after the All-Star break, I’d feel really good about it.”
Piniella said he would have no objection to Soriano playing in the All-Star game.
“If he’s going to be ready afterward, the All-Star game would be fine too. If we’re going to have to rush him to get to the All-Star game, that’s a different story.”
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