Surgery possible for Webb

Arizona pitcher Brandon Webb has had another setback with his ailing right shoulder, raising the possibility the Diamondbacks’ ace may need surgery.

Webb missed the team’s trip to New York and instead will visit Dr. Keith Meister of the Texas Rangers in Dallas, Diamondbacks General Manager Josh Byrnes said Thursday.

Webb has consulted numerous doctors but has been unable to relieve stiffness and soreness in the shoulder. The 2006 NL Cy Young Award winner has not pitched since opening day.

Earlier this month, after meeting with team doctors and three other physicians, Webb rejected surgery and opted for a more conservative approach. At the time, he expressed hope that he would pitch again this season.

Zumaya’s season ends

Detroit Tigers reliever Joel Zumaya is scheduled to have season-ending shoulder surgery in August.

Zumaya, who has had shoulder problems since an off-season injury in late 2007, last pitched on July 18 against the New York Yankees.

He will have surgery to remove a bone shard from the stress fracture in his shoulder.

Cubs acquire Grabow

The Chicago Cubs landed a new left-hander for their bullpen, acquiring John Grabow from the Pittsburgh Pirates in a five-player trade.

The Cubs sent right-handers Kevin Hart and Jose Ascanio and minor league infielder Josh Harrison to Pittsburgh for Grabow and lefty Tom Gorzelanny.

Grabow, a top situational lefty, is 3-0 with a 3.42 earned-run average in 45 appearances.

Gorzelanny, who was 14-10 with a 3.88 ERA for Pittsburgh in 2007, has spent most of this year at triple-A Indianapolis. The 26-year-old Hart was traded minutes after pitching Chicago to a 12-3 victory over Houston on Thursday. He is 3-1 with a 2.60 ERA in eight games, including four starts.

Mets’ Minaya apologizes

New York Mets General Manager Omar Minaya apologized to a beat reporter for questioning his motives and credibility. The writer accepted the apology, saying the GM’s “remorse was sincere.”

Minaya said Thursday he had a good meeting with New York Daily News reporter Adam Rubin a day earlier. But the GM didn’t retract his remarks when asked repeatedly if he stood by his critical comments on Monday while announcing the firing of executive Tony Bernazard.

“Me and Adam had a conversation, we had a conversation that stays between us,” Minaya said. “I’m very comfortable that in the conversation and my apology to Adam, and, as I said before, those are comments that I should not have made.”

In a statement posted on the Daily News’ website, Rubin said: “I appreciated Omar traveling into Manhattan on Wednesday to meet with me in person. His remorse was sincere. I’ve accepted his apology and I am ready to continue my job as Mets beat writer for the Daily News.”

Minaya’s job security has come into question in the wake of a series of embarrassing articles written by Rubin about Bernazard.

Etc.

The Houston Astros released pitcher Russ Ortiz, who gave up nine hits and nine runs in 2 1/3 innings of a loss to the Cubs on Thursday. . . . Houston ace Roy Oswalt will rejoin the Astros in St. Louis today and be evaluated to see if he can make his scheduled start Sunday.