Here we go again with Mark McGwire.
McGwire, who has missed more than half of Oakland's games in the last three seasons because of injuries, hurt his right foot while running the bases Tuesday and will return home for further examination."It was impossible to walk on it. There was a lot of swelling," said McGwire, on crutches in the clubhouse. "It's just mind-boggling."
The Athletics said their star slugger had a strained arch. McGwire, however, said the injury seemed similar to the one that caused him to miss the last two months of the 1994 season.
If McGwire's diagnosis is correct, "then the rehab process begins immediately and we'd be looking at six weeks or so," A's general manager Sandy Alderson said.
McGwire was injured in an exhibition game against the Chicago Cubs in Mesa, Ariz. He was trying to score from first on a double by Terry Steinbach in the third inning and limped home.
Erik Hanson wasn't happy, either, after another poor start for Toronto.
Hanson, the Blue Jays' biggest winter addition, has been hit hard in all three spring outings. Signed as a free agent to a three-year, $9.4 million contract, he allowed five runs on eight hits and two walks in four innings.
"I just stink. Whatever you want to say, I stink. I pitched better in high school," Hanson said.
Already awarded the opening day assignment April 1 at Oakland after going 15-5 for Boston last year, Hanson actually lowered his exhibition ERA from 12.60 to 12.00. His day got off to a bad start when Wade Boggs doubled on the first pitch of the game.
Cubs 9, Athletics 8, 10 innings
Luis Gonzalez homered in three straight at-bats and drove in six runs for Chicago. He gave the Cubs an 8-6 lead in the seventh inning with a three-run drive.
Gonzalez, normally an outfielder, has been taking practice grounders at third base while the Cubs try to replace injured Dave Magadan.
Yankees * 8, Blue Jays 7
Joe Girardi went 4-for-4 with a walk and scored three times, while Tino Martinez drove in three runs for New York in Dunedin, Fla. David Cone pitched five innings and made one mistake, a three-run double by Ed Sprague.
Carlos Delgado hit his third spring homer for Toronto.
Mets 6, Braves 0
Greg Maddux gave up six runs, three of them unearned, in 3 2-3 innings. Gary Varsho hit a home run off the four-time Cy Young winner.
Bobby Jones pitched five innings and Jason Isringhausen finished with four innings of one-hit ball in Port St. Lucie, Fla. Isringhausen, who struck out four, retired 11 straight batters during one stretch.
Mariners 15, Padres 8
Ken Griffey hit his first home run of the spring and also tripled for Seattle. Russ Davis, who went 3-for-3, and Joey Cora homered as the Mariners rapped 20 hits in Peoria, Ariz.
Angels 3, Brewers 2
Chris Turner hit a solo home run in the eighth inning, giving California a 13-1-1 record in exhibition play. Chuck Carr homered for Milwaukee in Tempe, Ariz.
Pirates 4, Indians 1
Denny Neagle pitched three hitless innings for Pittsburgh in a win at Winter Haven, Fla. Eddie Murray, who missed Cleveland's first 11 games because of a sinus infection, played for the first time and hit into two double plays.
Phillies 8, Reds 4
Down to its last out, Philadelphia scored seven times in the ninth inning when Todd Zeile hit a tying, three-run double and Pete Incaviglia had a three-run homer in Plant City, Fla.
Royals * 5, Cardinals 0
Jason Jacome, trying to show he belongs in the rotation, pitched four innings in his second strong start for Kansas City. He's allowed one run in nine innings, and also helped himself in St. Petersburg, Fla., by hitting a double and scoring a run.
White Sox * 5, Twins * 1
Ray Durham led off the game with a triple, and Robin Ventura and Eddie Pearson later homered during Chicago's victory in Fort Myers, Fla. White Sox starter Jason Bere allowed one run and five hits in four innings.
White Sox * 7, Rangers 4
Frank Thomas, Ozzie Guillen and Dave Martinez hit their first home runs of the spring as another split squad of White Sox won in Sarasota, Fla. Thomas and Guillen homered off Ken Hill.
Marlins * 3, Orioles 0
Chris Hammond, hoping to earn a spot in the rotation, gave up two hits in four innings in Florida's split-squad win in Melbourne, Fla.
Marlins * 3, Royals * 1
Kevin Brown and three relievers combined on a one-hitter for Florida. Les Norman singled with two outs in the seventh inning off Ryan Bowen for Kansas City's hit at Haines City, Fla.
Dodgers 5, Expos 4
Raul Mondesi hit a three-run homer and Mike Piazza hit a two-run homer as Los Angeles won at West Palm Beach, Fla.
Giants 6, Rockies 5
Jeff Reed, who spent the last three seasons with San Francisco, homered against his former team in Colorado's loss in Tucson, Ariz.
Astros 12, Tigers 5
Derek Bell had two hits, drove in two runs, scored twice and stole a pair of bases for Houston in Kissimmee, Fla.
Yankees * 4, Reds 3 *
Rookie Matt Luke hit a two-run homer, giving him nine RBIs this spring for New York, in a split-squad game in Plant City, Fla.
Red Sox 8, Twins * 5
Reggie Jefferson had a three-run homer among three hits to back Boston's Roger Clemens against a Minnesota split squad in Fort Myers, Fla.