Hentgen Out With Tendinitis

The Baltimore Orioles put right-hander Pat Hentgen on the 15-day disabled list Friday and called up pitcher Josh Towers, who will make his first major league start Sunday against the Texas Rangers.

Hentgen has tendinitis in his right elbow, an injury he first noticed in his last start, May 16 against Detroit.

“I felt it in the first inning and I threw 90 some pitches after that,” Hentgen said. “I wish it happened in the seventh inning at my 90th or 100th pitch. When I first did it, I didn’t think it was such a big deal.”

Hentgen skipped a turn in the rotation and hoped to pitch Sunday. But because the elbow didn’t improve enough, the Orioles opted to put him on the DL. The move is retroactive to May 17.

The 32-year-old Hentgen signed with Baltimore as a free agent in December. He started on opening day, and essentially replaced Mike Mussina as ace of the staff.

He’s 2-3 with a 3.47 ERA in nine starts.

The Milwaukee Brewers put right-hander Jamey Wright on the disabled list with a strained muscle in his side, and recalled Kyle Peterson from triple-A Indianapolis.

The Texas Rangers put infielder Randy Velarde on the 15-day disabled list and recalled infielder Michael Young, a Covina native, from triple-A Oklahoma.

Velarde pulled his left hamstring running to first base in the first inning of Thursday’s game against Tampa Bay.

Cleveland Indian reliever Ricardo Rincon went to Mexico because his 2-year-old son is sick. Rincon will miss the team’s weekend series against the New York Yankees.

Rincon lives in Veracruz, Mexico, during the off-season with his wife, Jaqueli, 8-year-old daughter, Damaris, and son, Ricardo Jr.

Former major league pitcher Al Nipper was hired by the Kansas City Royals to be their pitching coach.

A former flight attendant on the Detroit Tigers’ plane is suing the team for sexual harassment.

Lisa Kesner is asking for lost back pay, including pension and fringe benefits, and emotional damages in excess of $25,000.

Chris Ilitch, son of Tiger owner Mike Ilitch and co-president of all Ilitch properties along with his sister, Denise, called Kesner’s accusations “preposterous.”