Adam Dunn unlikely to play (or pinch hit) this weekend

Disappointed that he didn't play Thursday, White Sox designated hitter Adam Dunn hoped to play against the Rays on Friday.

Instead it's highly likely that Dunn, who had an emergency appendectomy on Wednesday, won't play on Saturday or Sunday, either, and maybe beyond.

And if manager Ozzie Guillen needs a pinch-hitter, it's probably not going to be Dunn.

"Hopefully we don't have to. I'd rather lose a game than lose a guy for another month," Guillen said, per Dave Van Dyke of the Chicago Tribune. "If I have to pinch-hit Adam Dunn with the game on the line, I'd rather lose the game than have him hurt himself and lose him for we don't know how long."

Mark Teahan, who's batting eighth, started at designated hitter for the White Sox.

Monday Night Links

''He said, 'Good luck. Sincerely, Ozzie.' And couple more phrases,'' said [Cubs manager Lou] Piniella [of a note left by Ozzie Guillen]. ''It wasn't twitted, and I'm appreciative of that.''

Mariners pitcher Cliff Lee had a pain-free catch for a second day in a row.

Giants ace Tim Lincecum threw seven scoreless innings in tonight's win over the Astros.

Albert Callaspo might start at third base for the Royals on Wednesday.

In his first at bat of the season, Mets third baseman David Wright homered.

And Pittsburgh's Garrett Jones homered twice.

Meanwhile, Braves rookie phenom Jason Heyward crushed a home run in his first-ever at bat in the big leagues.

Blue Jays closer Jason Frasor said of his blown save today: “Unfortunately, I have 48 hours to think about it. I’m six years older than I was when I first started blowing games, so it’s a little easier.”

The Red Sox will give Josh Beckett $68 million over four years.

Meanwhile the Pirates have the lowest payroll ($35.4 million) in baseball in 2010.

Shameless plug(s) of the day: Check out our 2010 fantasy football (quarterback) rankings or weigh in on a McNabb-versus-Kolb discussion on our football forums.

Sunday Night Links

Tigers center fielder Austin Jackson says of the comparison to Curtis Granderson, "I get that all the time. I've been compared to him, and that is a real compliment."

Granderson homered in his first at bat as a Yankee.

With Cody Ross and Dan Uggla, the Marlins had two (of the seven) players under 6'0" to hit 20+ home runs.

Orioles president Andy MacPhail said to "not read too much into" Nolan Reimold fielding ground balls at first base.

White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said of Gordon Beckham's move to second base: 'He's got a great chance to be a good one. I think the move to second will make it easier for him. He's more comfortable. He can just worry about his hitting.''

The four-year extension for Toronto's Adam Lind could be worth as much as $38.5 million, per Morgan Campbell of The Toronto Star.

Jason LaRue will be the Cardinals' Opening Day catcher.

Roger Mooney of The Tampa Tribune names B.J. Upton, David Price, Sean Rodriguez and Rafael Soriano as his players to watch in 2010 in addition to prospects Desmond Jennings and Jeremy Hellickson.

Mets closer Francisco Rodriguez has returned to the Mets after his brothers' automobile accident in Venezuela.

Dodgers shortstop Rafael Furcal says the Dodgers are capable of reaching the World Series.

Giants pitcher Jonathan Sanchez focused on slowing down his delivery.

Padres second baseman David Eckstein said, “This team is definitely headed in the right direction with a lot of good, young talent. I think we’re going to surprise a lot of people, maybe ourselves.”

The Red Sox added Scott Schoenweis to their Opening Day roster after placing Daisuke Matsusaka and Junichi Tazawa on the disabled list.

Giants outfielder John Bowker, who led the team this spring with 23 RBIs, won the starting right field job.

Orioles outfielder Adam Jones is tired of losing.

Braves phenom Jason Heyward wears number 22 in honor of Andrew Wilmont, his former high-school teammate and the son of his favorite high-school teacher. Wilmont passed away after a car accident.

Marlins closer Leo Nunez said, "Finding a song [for a closer] isn't easy. You are supposed to have something intimidating.''

Eric Chavez is now the Athletics designated hitter.

Shameless plug: Get our Twitter updates @EDSBaseball.

Giants catcher Bengie Molina said of ace Tim Lincecum, "... some of the starts he won, he won because of his name. He wasn't always feeling the best. He wasn't throwing as hard, and his breaking ball wasn't as good. He was beating them because the hitters knew who they were facing. Obviously, I'm not trying to put Timmy down. Everybody knows how nasty he is. Even if he doesn't have his good stuff, he knows how to pitch a good game."

The Rockies left fielder on Opening Day will Seth Smith, per Troy Renck of the Denver Post.

Some (more) shameless plugs for our latest posts at our other blogs: NCAA Championship prediction, Ravens' consensus draft pick and Donovan McNabb dealt to Redskins.

Tuesday Night Links

Reds closer Francisco Cordero said, "It's not only about me having a good year. It's about getting the team in the playoffs and maybe the World Series.

Meanwhile, his teammate Aroldis Chapman is likely to start the season in the minors.

And Reds manager Dusty Baker says of his bullpen, "You need a good bullpen. We've got a good bullpen."

John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle points out that the difference between the "Big 3's" of Atlanta and Oakland in the past and the Giants today is offense.

Phillies reliever J.C. Romero says of his latest outing, "... today was very good and I am very happy about everything that went on today."

With his roster spot secure in 2010, Phillies starter J.A. Happ said, "I obviously don't want to give up hits or runs, but last year I had to go with what I was most confident in. This year, I'm maybe able to try a few different things. I did that."

San Diego's Chase Headley leads the majors in runs batted in (21) this spring.

Cubs outfield prospect Tyler Colvin, who's hitting .455 this spring, could push the starters.

As expected, Yovani Gallardo is the Brewers' Opening Day starter.

Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrera hit a pair of 500-foot homers.

White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen says of outfielder Carlos Quentin's new attitude:''I love it, oh, my God, yes. I think Carlos enjoys the game a little bit more. I don't want him to change, I don't. ... I think he's out there more with the players, and I like that, believe me.''

The Mariners have released pitcher Seth McClung.

Reds starter Aaron Harang said about today's loss and being ready as Opening Day starter: "Yeah, I feel great. This is the best I've felt in spring training. The outcome is not what you want and expect. But it doesn't count. This is about getting ready for the long haul of the season. Overall, I feel very comfortable with the new stuff with my mechanics. I feel like the ball is coming out very well. It's a matter of coming in and stretching it out come Monday."

The Marlins acquired pitcher Nate Robertson from Detroit.

Pitcher Jeff Suppan was placed on the disabled list, retroactive to March 26th, by the Brewers.

Shameless plug of the day: here's the link to the latest post on my football site.

Follow me on Twitter @EDSBaseball.

Are you smarter than a Cubs' fan?

You are if you're a White Sox fan. At least, that's according to White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen.

Cubs manager Lou Piniella noted the surge in attendance at U.S. Cellular Field when the cross-town rivals played each other this weekend compared to the 22,000 that showed for the Dodgers-White Sox series.

Why?

Of course, the never-shy Guillen had the answer:

"Because our fans are not stupid like Cubs fans," Guillen said. "They know we're [expletive]."

Guillen said Cubs fans will watch any game at Wrigley Field because "Wrigley Field is just a bar."

I'm not a Cubs fan. Or a White Sox fan. But how can you not love Ozzie?

Jenks admits to throwing at (behind) Kinsler

Chicago White Sox closer Bobby Jenks didn't beat around the bush. Jenks says that he meant to throw behind Rangers second baseman Ian Kinsler to "send a message."

After Rangers pitchers hit six White Sox batters, Jenks said that he was "sick" of it.

"No, I meant to. To send a message. Basically I was saying, 'I'm sick of seeing our guys get hit and hurt and almost get taken out of the game.' I threw it with intention."

"I'm not going to put a guy on in that situation," he said. "I was not going to hit him. I made my point with that pitch and it came across the way I wanted it to.

"I'm not going to go dirty. I was going to keep it low and behind him."

Jenks got Kinsler out and the White Sox won 3-2, but both teams were warned by umpire Lance Barksdale.

Jose Contreras sent to minors

White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen has decided to send pitcher Jose Contreras to the minors.

Clayton Richard will start Wednesday in place of Contreras.

Contreras is 0-5 with an ERA of 8.19 in six games.

"Good deal,'' [Richard] said when told he would start Wednesday. "Coming up last year and my whole career has been starting, I'm comfortable with that role. Any time you get an opportunity, you want to make the most of it and hopefully go out there and do what I'm capable of - but really just put the team in a position to win.''

"His work ethic is second to none, and to see him struggling is tough,'' he said. "He'll figure it out. It's just a matter of time before he gets it clicking.''

Last year, Richard, who is 25 years old, made eight starts. This year, Richard has an ERA of 4.41 in 11 relief appearances.

Ozzie Guillen: I see your 50 and raise you 112

Major League Baseball has become tougher on steroids and performance-enhancing drugs when compared to its past. Only 5 years ago did mandatory testing begin. In fact, no players were suspended for steroid use in 2004.

Beginning in 2005, the penalties became stiffer and public.

2005 penalties: 10-game suspension (1st offense), 30-game suspension (2nd offense), 60-game suspension (3rd offense) and full-season suspension (4th offense).

2006-present penalties: 50-game suspension (1st offense), 100-game suspension (2nd offense) and full-season suspension (3rd offense).

Now Chicago White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen is calling for even stiffer penalties that will show the sport is more serious about combatting steroid use in the game. He proposes a one-year suspension for a first offender.

It is certainly a harsh penalty, and the MLBPA is as likely to go for this as they are for a salary cap, but I think it would do a lot to improve the image of the game.

Baseball's current penalties are in line with other sports, especially football. By comparison, an NFL player who violates the NFL's policy against performance-enhancing drugs receives a 4-game suspension (or 1/4 of the season). Baseball players get a 50-game suspension (or roughly 3/10 of the season).

Many suspect that everyone in baseball (players, coaches, GMs, the commissioner, etc.) is culpable in this whole mess. But a drastic measure, such as a full-year suspension, will demonstrate to everyone including the skeptics that the sport is ready to turn the corner.