Astros SP Jason Jennings is looking to a fresh start next year

Injuries, moves, rumors and newsmakers...

A couple of big sluggers chug around the bases; call it a season for Jason Jennings; the Rays look toward the future in the rotation; Jose Reyes keeps on running; and more...

  BIG MEN MOVE

When you're 6-4 and bigger than 230 pounds, running isn't going to be your forte. That's what makes Tuesday's feats by a couple of the game's top sluggers so significant.

In Ryan Howard's first 371 games in the majors he only attempted one stolen base and was caught as a rookie in 2005. But Tuesday night the 255-pounder made his second-career attempt a good one, with his first-ever stolen base. His last pro steal was in 2004 at Double-A Reading.

Tampa Bay was host to Red Sox DH David Ortiz's rare feat of fleet feet. The lumbering slugger legged out his first triple of the year to drive in Boston's first run of the game Tuesday night. What's surprising here is that Big Papi has actually had at least one triple every year since his first full season in 2000.

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ANGELS 
There will probably be no bigger offensive game by a single player this year than the one had late Tuesday night by Angels left-fielder Garret Anderson. The oft-injured veteran has not enjoyed the greatest of seasons, but he battered Yankees pitching by going 4-for-6 with two doubles, two home runs and an incredible 10 RBIs. It almost goes without saying that the 10 RBIs are a franchise record. The major-league record for that sort of thing is 12, set by two former Cardinals in Hall-of-Famer Jim Bottomley and Mark Whitten.

ASTROS 
For the second time this year, righty Jason Jennings has hit the disabled list with an elbow injury. And this time he's probably made his last pitch as an Astro thanks to a torn flexor tendon. After being acquired from the Rockies in the off-season, it's pretty much been a lost year for Jennings, who has struggled all season, going 2-9 with a 6.45 ERA. He'll be a free agent at the end of the season... But the good news in Houston Tuesday was the return of hotshot rookie Hunter Pence. The 24-year-old center-fielder looked like a superstar for 73 games before hitting the DL with a wrist injury almost a month ago and will now try to resume his quest for NL Rookie of the Year honors.

BRAVES 
With steady southpaw Chuck James sidelined with a sore shoulder, the Braves called up rookie Jo Jo Reyes to rejoin the rotation to make Tuesday's start. The young lefty was wild and roughed up in his first five starts this year and the same wildness that hurt him in the past crept up again, giving up four walks, four hits and five runs in just 2.2 innings. As for James, he was placed on the DL despite earlier hopes that he'd just miss the one start.

BREWERS 
Hard-throwing righty Seth McClung was called up by the Brewers for the first time since being traded from Tampa on July 27. Though he's still just 26, he pitched in parts of three seasons for the Devil Rays, both as a reliever and as a starter, and posted a nasty 6.27 ERA in 251.0 innings due to shoddy command. Though the Rays thought he had closer potential, and he did a good job in the minors since the trade, he'll be used in middle-relief for now. Young righty Carlos Villanueva was sent down to Triple-A to make room for McClung... Meanwhile, the Brewers aren't going to need a fifth starter until late next week thanks to a pair of off-days, and they plan on taking advantage of that fact. Struggling righty Chris Capuano, who has a 7.71 ERA in his last five starts, will be banished to the bullpen at least until late next week, if not longer if ace Ben Sheets can recover quickly from his latest setback in rehab.

DEVIL RAYS 
In an effort to both alleviate some of the workload for young starters Scott Kazmir and James Shields, and to give another kid an opportunity, the Rays are considering using a six-man rotation in September. A prime candidate for that sixth spot is top prospect Jeff Niemann. The big righty is 11-5 down at Triple-A Durham with a 3.90 ERA and 45:108 walks-strikeouts ratio in 22 starts.

DODGERS 
It was fun while it lasted for all those Randy Wolf owners out there. Attempting his first full season since returning from Tommy John surgery last year at mid-season, the veteran lefty was on pace for his best season ever. He was taken down with a shoulder injury in early July and now it's a good-news, bad-news situation for him and his fantasy owners. The good news is that he will return this year, probably in September. The bad news is he won't be used as a starter again until next year.

METS 
With new first-base coach Rickey Henderson looking on, Mets leadoff man Jose Reyes is enjoying a Hendersonian stretch of stolen bases these days. Reyes stole his 64th base of the year Tuesday night, giving him 10 steals in the last nine games. The dynamic shortstop is on pace for the first 80-steal season since Henderson and Vince Coleman in 1988.

PHILLIES 
A tough break for rookie righty Yoel Hernandez: he was called up on Monday, pitched an inning and strained his shoulder, so he was placed on the DL on Tuesday. Little lefty Fabio Castro, who struggled in five appearances earlier this year, was called up to take Hernandez's seat in the bullpen.

REDS 
In his first four big-league starts since being called up on August 1, top prospect Phil Dumatrait has clearly proven that he's not quite ready for the big time, with an unheard-of 14.17 ERA in 13.1 innings. As a result, he was sent back to Triple-A Louisville on Tuesday. They'll need to find a new fifth starter by the weekend and they could already have it after calling up veteran Kirk Saarloos on Tuesday. Saarloos hasn't been much better than Dumatrait this year, with an 8.19 ERA in 29 outings, including two starts.

ROCKIES 
After being named to the AL All-Star Team with the Royals last year, lefty Mark Redman has joined his fourth organization of 2007 after signing a minor-league contract with the Rockies. He was atrocious in five starts and one relief appearance with the Braves this year (11.62 ERA), and after they released him on May 22 he failed to reach the majors again with the Royals and Blue Jays before signing with the Rockies. There's a chance he could resurface in Colorado, considering all the injuries in their rotation, but they can't expect much out of him.

WHITE SOX 
Andy Gonzalez goes down, Andy Gonzalez comes up. Like a see saw, the rookie infielder was optioned to Triple-A on Monday and called back up on Tuesday to take the place of reserve infielder Alex Cintron, who was placed on the bereavement list.