Rays/MLB

AL notebook

By TIMES WIRES
Published May 31, 2006

CLEVELAND - Indians pitcher Scott Sauerbeck apologized Tuesday to his family and teammates following his early morning arrest, another distraction for a struggling Cleveland team.

Sauerbeck and a woman were taken into custody after fleeing the left-hander's vehicle and were found hiding behind bushes, police said.

"I want to apologize first and foremost to my family," Sauerbeck said before the Indians played the White Sox. "I'm sorry to my teammates, the organization and fans for causing any embarrassment."

Sauerbeck, who is married, was the passenger in his 1966 Lincoln convertible, which a patrolman observed weaving at 3:45 a.m. The vehicle pulled into a driveway and the driver, Lily Miller, 28, and Sauerbeck got out, walked into the backyard and jumped a fence.

The owner of the house reported hearing voices outside and police found Sauerbeck and Miller hiding between the home and some bushes.

Sauerbeck was charged with obstructing official business and permitting someone intoxicated to drive his vehicle.

"In trying to do the right thing I made a terrible error in judgment, something I'm going to have to live with for the rest of my life," he said. "I'm a big boy and I'm going to have to handle it."

Minor league umpires settled their season-long strike, ratifying a six-year contract that calls for a $100 monthly salary increase. As part of the new deal, per diems rise gradually to $40 at Triple-A in 2011, $35 at Double-A and $30 at Class A.

Umpires will return to work by June 12. They had been on strike since April 6.

Catcher Bengie Molina left the game against Boston after getting hit on the right hand by a pitch in the fifth. He ran the bases and scored on Aaron Hill's single, but didn't take the field for the top of the sixth. There was no word on the severity of his injury.

[Last modified May 31, 2006, 01:58:10]