Sanchez injures knee ligament
BRADENTON, Fla. — Reigning NL batting champion Freddy Sanchez sprained a ligament in his right knee Tuesday and left the Pittsburgh Pirates' 11-10, 10-inning loss to the Philadelphia Phillies.
Sanchez was injured when the Phillies' Rod Barajas slid into his knee as he was turning a double play at second base in the fourth inning.
Sanchez stayed down for about three few minutes, then walked off the field accompanied by a trainer. He spent about half an hour in the trainer's room, told reporters that he was OK and was scheduled for an MRI exam.
"As of right now, it just feels like a bruise or something like that," Sanchez said. "It's nothing big."
A test showed a mild sprain of the medial collateral ligament.
"You take a deep breath, obviously. A huge one," Pittsburgh manager Jim Tracy said. "I had my fingers crossed."
Sanchez, who hit .344 last season, is day to day. He didn't complain about the slide.
"I'm a big contact guy, and I don't shy away from it," Sanchez said. "It is spring training, I know. But you're still trying to get ready for the season."
Barajas felt that Sanchez did not do enough to get out of his way.
"I'm taught to go hard to second to break up two, and that's what I did," Barajas said. "I didn't come up high, and my spikes weren't up. I slid the way I've always been taught. Unfortunately, he didn't get out of the way."
Brad Eldred homered for Pittsburgh — he's homered in all four games he's played.
Pirates starter Ian Snell struck out seven but allowed three runs, three hits and two walks in three innings.
Also Tuesday, Cuban defector Yoslan Herrera was one of eight players the Pirates reassigned to minor-league camp with their first cuts of spring training.
Herrera, a 25-year-old pitcher signed to a three-year contract this offseason after two years of inactivity, gave up four earned runs in one-plus inning in his only Grapefruit League appearance this spring. He was optioned to Double-A Altoona, where he is to build up his arm and stamina.
"This is someone who just needs to pitch," manager Jim Tracy said.
Other cuts Tuesday were pitchers Bryan Bullington, John Van Benschoten, Brad Lincoln, Michael Tejera and Kip Bouknight; and catchers Steve Lerud and David Parrish.
Bullington and Van Benschoten were optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis.
Note: Hall of Fame second baseman Bill Mazeroski, attending camp as an instructor, said he was surprised to learn he was on the ballot for Rawlings' all-time Gold Glove team. "It's quite an honor," he said. "Jiminy Christmas, I don't know how to react."
