KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Royals pitcher Kevin Appier will be out four to six weeks with a strained muscle that could be related to his elbow surgery.
Appier, the only right-hander in the rotation, came out in the second inning against Minnesota on Friday night. He had surgery in the offseason for a torn flexor tendon in his right elbow.
He lasted 15 pitches against the Twins before leaving with a strained muscle in his right forearm.
"The muscle he strained works in conjunction with the muscle-tendon area that was surgically repaired," trainer Nick Swartz said. "The same muscle action that's used in throwing, this muscle works in conjunction with it."
Appier, 36, was re-signed by the Royals in September after being released by Anaheim. A 15-year veteran, he has a 169-137 career record, ninth on the active wins list, and a 3.74 ERA. He pitched for the Royals from 1989-99 and holds the club record with 1,456 strikeouts.
Appier was 0-1 in one start this season with a 13.50 ERA.
"It means we go backward from where he was the other night with regard to where he is pitching-wise," Swartz said. "In the big picture, this will heal. It's a muscular strain, so these things do heal."
Manager Tony Pena said he was unsure who would replace Appier in the rotation, although left-hander Dennys Reyes is a possibility.
"It's very tough," Pena said. "Not only for him, but for everybody in this organization. Appier is one of those guys, he works so hard and he wants to do this so bad. He wants to show everybody in baseball that he still has some time left."
PIAZZA TIES MARK: The Mets' Mike Piazza tied Carlton Fisk's major-league record of 351 home runs as a catcher in the sixth against the Dodgers, his original team.
Piazza hit a one-out homer on the first pitch from Hideo Nomo. The line drive to left-center gave the Mets a 4-3 lead.
Piazza, who hit his first 177 homers with the Dodgers, had gone 16 consecutive games without one since homering twice April 7 at Atlanta.
PRIOR UPDATE: Cubs right-hander Mark Prior threw about 50 pitches off a bullpen mound at Bank One Ballpark and came away optimistic.
"It's as good as I've felt since I started rehab," he said.
Prior threw all his pitches in what was meant to simulate two innings of work.
Prior has not pitched in a game this season because of an inflamed Achilles' tendon and sore pitching elbow. He will continue to rehabilitate at the spring training facility in Mesa, Ariz. That work is expected to include simulated games.
Manager Dusty Baker said he had not heard anything about how the session went.
TURF UNDER ATTACK: The Metrodome's new turf is being accused of causing another injury, this time to a visiting player.
Toronto manager Carlos Tosca said "I'm sure (FieldTurf) was a contributor" to the severely sprained left ankle catcher Greg Myers suffered while running the bases in the eighth inning Monday. A step after rounding third, Myers crumpled. The replay seemed to show that Myers twisted his ankle when he stepped on the lip area before getting to the bag.
Myers went on the 15-day disabled list and is expected to miss at least four weeks.
Twins outfielders Torii Hunter and Shannon Stewart have said FieldTurf probably contributed to their hamstring injuries. FieldTurf also is used at Tropicana Field.
ANGELS: Shortstop David Eckstein left in the first inning with a strained right groin.
EXPOS: Right-hander John Patterson left in the sixth with an apparent groin injury.
RANGERS: Brian Jordan was activated from the disabled list and started in rightfield. Jordan went on the disabled list March 27 with a sprained left knee ligament.
REDS: Rightfielder Austin Kearns got a small cast on his left forearm a day after breaking a bone when he was hit by a pitch. He is scheduled to be re-examined Monday. Pirates right-hander Ryan Vogelsong's pitch hit Kearns just above the wrist in the first inning. ... Left-handed reliever Phil Norton bruised his left quadriceps after colliding with first baseman Sean Casey while trying to field a bunt in the sixth.
RED SOX: DH Brian Daubach was called up from Triple-A Pawtucket to replace Ellis Burks, who is expected to miss six weeks after knee surgery.
