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Around the NL

Compiled from Times wires

© St. Petersburg Times, published March 31, 2001

Woods strong in Cubs' loss to minor-leaguers

MESA, Ariz. -- Kerry Wood pitched five strong innings in his final start of spring training Friday as the Chicago Cubs lost to a team of their top minor-leaguers 4-2. Wood allowed one run and five hits. He struck out six and walked two.

The former NL Rookie of the Year was 3-1 with a 4.57 ERA in his previous spring outings.

Steve Rain, who pitched for the Cubs last year and was released by Kansas City last month, was the winning pitcher.

The Cubs acquired reliever Manny Aybar from the Florida Marlins for minor-league pitcher Oswaldo Mairena.

Aybar, 26, split last season between the Cincinnati Reds, Colorado Rockies and Marlins, and signed a one-year contract with Florida in January.

The right-hander was a combined 2-2 with a 4.31 ERA in 54 appearances last year.

Mairena, 25, has been assigned to Florida's Double-A affiliate in Portland, Maine.

The left-hander made his major-league debut with the Cubs in September and appeared in two games, yielding four earned runs in two innings.

SUSPENSIONS UPDATE: Chicago pitcher Julian Tavarez and San Francisco third baseman Russ Davis, suspended this week for their fight at spring training, appealed the penalties and will be eligible to play on opening day.

Tavarez was suspended for five games and Davis was suspended for three games. The penalties were to have started Monday, but will not begin pending a hearing.

The suspensions were the first issued in spring training since T.J. Mathews, then with St. Louis, admitted he threw at Bret Boone, then with Cincinnati, in March 1997.

Mathews was suspended for six games, lost his appeal and served the penalty in the regular season.

The Cubs are home against Montreal on Monday and the Giants are home against San Diego.

ASTROS: Houston placed starting pitcher Shane Reynolds and reliever Doug Brocail on the disabled list.

Reynolds, recovering from knee surgery in December, went on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to March 27.

He pitched four strong innings Thursday night and will be eligible to come off the DL on April 11.

Reynolds hopes to rejoin the rotation April 16-18 at Pittsburgh.

Brocail went on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to March 23 with a right hamstring injury. He'll be eligible to rejoin the team on April 7.

CARDINALS: Mark McGwire drew a standing ovation, then struck out in his first at-bat at the Oakland Coliseum since being traded by the Athletics on July 31, 1997.

METS: Jay Payton (strained oblique muscle) and Timo Perez (strained groin) are on line to begin the season on time.

Both players received about eight at-bats and ran hard without pain in a minor-league intrasquad game.

Both are scheduled to play the outfield today in a minor-league intrasquad game, the last hurdle to being cleared by the medical staff.

PIRATES: Warren Morris, Pittsburgh's starting second baseman for the past two seasons, was sent to the minors as the team reached the 25-man roster.

The Pirates also sent outfielder Chad Hermansen and infielder Abraham Nunez to Triple-A Nashville, while calling up right-hander Marc Wilkins and utilityman John Wehner.

ROCKIES: The Yankees Traded pitcher Craig Dingman to Colorado for a player to be named.

Dingman, 27, pitched in 10 games for the Yankees last season, going 0-0 with a 6.55 ERA. He was 6-1 with a 3.05 ERA in 47 games for Triple-A Columbus.

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