Braves Lose Veras for the Season

Atlanta second baseman Quilvio Veras tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee Friday night and will be sidelined for the season.

Veras injured his knee when caught in a first-inning rundown but remained in the game against the Baltimore Orioles. He showed obvious discomfort when batting in the fourth inning and was replaced by Keith Lockhart in the bottom of the inning.

An MRI on Saturday revealed the extent of the damage.

“When you lose a guy like that, you’ve got to pitch a little better, hit a little better and play a little better,” Manager Bobby Cox said. “We’ll cover it.”

The Braves acquired Veras from San Diego in December in a trade that sent Ryan Klesko and Bret Boone to the Padres. Veras was hitting .309 with five home runs, 37runs batted in and a team-high 25 stolen bases.

Today, the Braves will call up infielder Steve Sisco, hitting .274 with nine homers and 29 RBIs in 64 games with triple-A Richmond.

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Chicago White Sox right-hander Cal Eldred, who had to leave Friday night’s game in the fifth inning after experiencing pain in his right elbow, was scheduled to speak with team doctors to see if he would have to miss his next start. He said the elbow was still tender.

The preliminary diagnosis was that a nerve flared up as Eldred delivered a pitch. Eldred underwent “Tommy John” ligament replacement surgery in 1995. He’s 10-2 this season and hasn’t lost since May 10, winning eight consecutive decisions. Eldred is scheduled to throw in the bullpen Monday, and his next scheduled start is Wednesday at Minnesota.

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New York Met outfielder Darryl Hamilton could be accused of cavorting with the enemy. Right after the Yankees’ Roger Clemens beaned Mike Piazza, Hamilton--who has been on the disabled list almost all season-- returned to Texas for the All-Star break with Clemens on his private plane, Newsday reported. Yankee pitchers Andy Pettitte and Mike Stanton were on the same flight. Pettitte said it would be wrong to blame Hamilton. “He lives right down the street from Roger,” he said. “We were going home.”

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Met third baseman Robin Ventura probably will be put on the disabled list with an injured right rotator cuff. Venturahad an MRI test in New York that showed a bruise. Ventura hurt himself sliding into second base June 25 against Pittsburgh, and has been bothered by the injurysince. . . . Montreal shortstop Orlando Cabrera, who suffered a dislocated right shoulder Friday night when he dove for a fly ball, was put on the 15-day disabled list and shortstop Tomas De La Rosa was recalled from triple-A Ottawa. . . . Expo catcher Chris Widger left Saturday’s game against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays after he was involved in a collision at the plate with Jose Guillen. Widger suffered a mild concussion. . . . Cleveland reliever Jaime Navarro made it back to the majors after spending three weeks with the Indians’ triple-A affiliate in Buffalo. Navarro pitched 11 2/3 scoreless innings and gave up seven hits while striking out nine in five outings for the Bisons.