Braves Ban Their Own Announcers

The Atlanta Braves banned four TBS announcers from the team’s chartered flights after the cable channel revealed that the catcher’s box was altered at Turner Field, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported in Tuesday’s editions.

Skip Caray, Joe Simpson, Don Sutton and Pete Van Wieren usually fly with the team on trips. Now they will have to use commercial flights, beginning with today’s game at Montreal.

The ban was imposed even though TBS and the Braves are both subsidiaries of Time Warner Inc.

During the first inning of Saturday night’s game against the Milwaukee Brewers, TBS aired video showing the catcher’s box was four to five inches smaller than the previous night. The footage was shown after a rare balk call Friday against Atlanta catcher Fernando Lunar for lining up with his right foot outside the box.

Opposing teams have long claimed that Atlanta pitchers are given the benefit of an extra-wide strike zone, particularly on the outside corners. Catchers who set up wide of the plate can increase the chances of an outside pitch being called a strike.

*

The Arizona Diamondbacks put right-hander Todd Stottlemyre on the 15-day disabled list and brought up minor league sensation Alex Cabrera to fill the roster spot.

Cabrera, 28, was having one of the best minor-league seasons anyone has had. At double-A El Paso, the right-handed hitting first baseman was batting .382 with 35 home runs and 82 RBIs in only 53 games. His 21 home runs in May were the second-most ever in one month by a minor leaguer.

*

Houston reliever Billy Wagner, who led the National League with 39 saves last season, will undergo surgery on his left elbow today and miss the rest of the season.

*

The exclusive negotiating period has passed, and NBC and Fox have rejected baseball’s demand that they triple their payments for broadcast rights starting next season, preferring to let the bidding go on the open market. That means ABC and CBS can now talk with baseball about rights.