Rookie Takes Mound After Darr Accident

Ben Howard made his San Diego Padre debut Friday, pitching two weeks after surviving an auto accident that killed teammate Mike Darr and one of Darr’s friends.

Howard pitched 12/3 innings of a 6-1 loss to the Colorado Rockies at Tucson. He came on with one out in the fourth inning and struck out Todd Helton and Todd Zeile. In the fifth, Howard walked Benny Agbayani but did not give up a hit or run.

“I’m still trying to recover,” said Howard, whose fastball was clocked as high as 92 mph. “My ribs are still pretty sore. But I think it’s coming back pretty well. My arm feels good.”

Howard, 23, has been advised not to talk publicly about the accident that killed Darr and Duane Johnson on Feb. 15. The SUV Darr was driving rolled over on a highway near the Padres’ camp in Peoria, Ariz.

Arizona highway patrol officials said the accident appeared to be alcohol related. Darr and Johnson were not wearing seat belts and were ejected. Howard, a passenger in the back seat, was wearing a seat belt and sustained minor injuries that did not require hospitalization.

Howard spent most of last season at Class-A Lake Elsinore, where he was 8-2 with a 2.83 earned-run average. He is not a candidate to make the Padres’ opening day roster.

“Everybody has come to see how I’m doing,” Howard said of his teammates. “That’s helped me out a lot. They haven’t let me just sit in my locker by myself with my thoughts.”

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Chicago Cub outfielder Sammy Sosa will miss two to three days after straining his right ankle.

Sosa was injured during Thursday’s game against San Francisco. X-rays Friday were negative.

“Its nothing to be alarmed about,” Cub Manager Don Baylor said.

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Cincinnati Red right-handers Chris Booker and Jose Silva are scheduled for arthroscopic surgery on Monday. Booker has torn cartilage in his right shoulder and could miss the entire season. Silva is to have bone chips removed from his right elbow and could be back in mid-May.

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The New York Mets signed outfielder Jay Payton and three other players to one-year contracts. Outfielder Gary Matthews Jr. and pitcher Kane Davis, both acquired since last season, and infielder-outfielder Jorge Toca also signed.

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Former players Bill Madlock, Tom Lawless and Jeff Newman were hired by the commissioner’s office as field assistants and will report to Bob Watson.