Baseball notebook: St. Louis signs Smoltz
John Smoltz agreed to a deal with the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday, giving the 42-year-old former ace a chance to rejuvenate his career in the middle of a pennant race.
Smoltz joined the N.L. Central leaders shortly after he cleared waivers, following his release by Boston. He was 2-5 with an 8.33 ERA in eight starts for the Red Sox.
General manager John Mozeliak said Smoltz would likely start Sunday at San Diego, and would probably get at least a few turns in the rotation.
The Cardinals hope Smoltz can either fill a void as the fifth starter or provide right-handed relief in the bullpen.
“He’s going to do whatever we need the most,” manager Tony La Russa said. “It’ll be really good for him to come out and stretch out his arm and work on his pitches and let us take a look at him.”
Buck per look
It’ll cost just a dollar to get a glimpse of the Washington Nationals’ new $15 million man.
The Nationals sold more than 6,000 tickets for $1 apiece in about three hours as part of a promotion tied to an on-field, pregame news conference with No. 1 overall draft pick Stephen Strasburg.
The right-hander will be introduced by his new club before Washington plays Milwaukee on Friday.
Clearing the bases
Los Angeles Dodgers manager Joe Torre said the club has signed free-agent pitcher Vicente Padilla, two days after the right-hander was released by the Texas Rangers. Torre said Padilla will pitch Saturday at Triple-A Albuquerque and start for the Dodgers Aug. 27 against the Colorado Rockies. … Houston Astros left-hander Mike Hampton has a partially torn rotator cuff and hopes to pitch again this season. … Seattle Mariners pitcher Daniel Christensen and Houston pitcher Gabriel Garcia have been suspended for 50 games each following positive tests under baseball’s minor league drug program. Christensen, a 26-year-old left-hander, tested positive for the second time for a drug of abuse. He is 1-6 with a 4.16 ERA for Double-A West Tennessee. … The Dodgers placed right-hander Hiroki Kuroda on the disabled list while he recovers from post-concussion symptoms.