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Compiled from Times wires

© St. Petersburg Times, published March 27, 2001

Griffey iffy for opener with hamstring strain

HAINES CITY -- Ken Griffey had to be helped off the field Monday after sustaining another hamstring injury a week before opening day.

The Reds centerfielder slipped as he rounded third while trying to score on a single during the seventh inning of Kansas City's 3-2 victory, straining his left hamstring.

"You look forward to starting the season and right now, I can't do it," Griffey said in a downcast voice in the visitors' dressing room. "That's right now. Things could change day by day, though."

The Reds said they don't know if he'll be ready for Monday's opener against Atlanta.

Hamstring injuries can take weeks to heal, and the Reds will be cautious in light of Griffey's left hamstring problems over the past two years. It bothered him for much of last season, his first with his hometown team, and he partially tore it Sept. 11.

Griffey strengthened the hamstring in the off-season, but it bothered him again early in spring training. He had been running at full speed without a problem for about the past 10 days, diving for balls and making running catches without pain.

He reinjured it when his foot slipped in the dirt by third base as he tried to score from second on Alex Ochoa's single to left. Griffey made it less than halfway home before pulling up lame and falling on his back, grabbing his leg in pain.

CUBS, GIANTS BRAWL: Cubs pitcher Julian Tavarez took a flying kick at San Francisco's Russ Davis after a third-inning confrontation, setting off a bench-clearing brawl in Chicago's 6-3 win over the Giants.

The trouble erupted in the third inning when Tavarez struck out Davis, who swung and missed at a 2-and-2 pitch.

Tavarez dropped to one knee and followed through on his delivery. Davis saw it as a gesture of celebration and showboating.

The players exchanged words, and Davis charged. Tavarez took a jump-kick at Davis, and the players punched at one another. Both benches emptied and both players were ejected.

"He thought I was a hot dog. He said something to me, and I wasn't going to take it," Tavarez said. "I don't show up anybody when I strike out somebody or anything like that."

Davis didn't make himself available to reporters.

The Cubs, meanwhile, optioned top outfield prospect Corey Patterson to Triple-A Iowa. During spring training, the 21-year-old centerfielder batted .231 with no home runs and six RBI. In 52 at-bats, he struck out 13 times.

Chicago's first-round pick in 1998 is rated by Baseball America as the No. 2 prospect in baseball, behind the Devil Rays' Josh Hamilton.

The Cubs also signed right-hander Scott Kamieniecki to a contract with Triple-A Iowa.

METS-ROCKIES TRADE: Seeking an experienced right-hander for its bullpen, Colorado acquired veteran Mark Leiter from New York for right-hander Brian Rose. Leiter, 37, missed last season recovering from right shoulder surgery. He last pitched for the Mariners in 1999. Rose, 25, went to the Rockies in a trade with the Red Sox in July and went 4-5 with a 5.51 ERA in 12 starts.

CARDINALS: Outfielder Bobby Bonilla expects to play by the weekend. He left Saturday's game because of a strained left hamstring.

DODGERS: Furious at being designated for a rehabilitation assignment at Triple-A Las Vegas to begin the season, left-hander Carlos Perez directed an expletive-laced tirade at the team, even threatening retirement. "There's always something new here, and I'm getting tired of it," Perez said. "I'm ... ready (to pitch), that's why I'm upset. They better wake up. ... I never get upset about this job. But when I get mad I get mad."

EXPOS: General manager Jim Beattie said right-hander Carl Pavano will be shut down for a couple of weeks because of ongoing problems with his right elbow.

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