Walker to Attend Funeral

Colorado Rockies slugger Larry Walker, the NL batting leader, will miss the next two or three games to attend the funeral of his best friend.

Walker will be in his hometown of Maple Ridge, Canada, for the funeral of Kevin Rice, who died in a motorcycle accident last weekend. Walker planned to rejoin the Rockies in St. Louis either for the series opener Friday or for Saturday game.

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Florida Marlin center fielder Preston Wilson returned from the team’s current trip to see an orthopedic surgeon about his recent back spasms, and an MRI was negative. He’s expected to rejoin the team Friday in Pittsburgh.