Wolcott to Fill in for Johnson

Instead of Randy Johnson, the Seattle Mariners will send Bob Wolcott against the Boston Red Sox tonight at Seattle.

Wolcott will be recalled from triple-A Tacoma to start in place of Johnson, Mariner Manager Lou Piniella said Sunday.

Johnson was forced to leave in the seventh inning of an Aug. 20 start against Cleveland because of tendinitis in his left middle finger. His condition is listed as day-to-day and team doctors are hopeful Johnson will miss only tonight’s start.

Johnson is 17-4 with a 2.32 earned-run average and leads the major leagues with 264 strikeouts.

Wolcott is 5-5 with a 5.68 ERA for the Mariners.

To make room for Wolcott, the Mariners will put third baseman Russ Davis on the 15-day disabled list. Davis suffered a sprained ankle Sunday in a collision with Yankee catcher Joe Girardi in the fifth inning.

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Cal Ripken marked his 37th birthday by playing in his 2,443rd consecutive game for the Baltimore Orioles, a streak that began when he was a 21-year-old rookie. . . . Texas outfielder Warren Newson will sit out the rest of the season after suffering a ruptured right biceps tendon while making a diving catch in the second inning of Sunday night’s game against Chicago. . . . Toronto’s Tomas Perez was taken to a Kansas City hospital for precautionary X-rays after he injured his left wrist sliding into second base in the sixth inning. He is listed as day-to-day. . . Cleveland optioned pitcher Bartolo Colon (2-6, 5.69 ERA) to triple-A Buffalo and recalled outfielder Bruce Aven. It is Colon’s fourth demotion this season.