Cubs put Soriano on the disabled list

Alfonso Soriano was put on the 15-day disabled list Wednesday as the Chicago Cubs lost their star leadoff hitter because of a strained right calf muscle.

Soriano was put the DL after an MRI confirmed it was just a strain, an injury he got Tuesday night just seconds after making his familiar hop to catch a first-inning flyball.

Soriano developed the quirky hop when he first moved from second base to the outfield with Washington in 2006. But as he wore a boot on his right foot Wednesday, Soriano insisted his latest injury was not caused by the hop.

“No, no, no, no. It was afterward. I did two little jumps and then when I started normal running, that’s when I felt it. It’s not the jump,” Soriano said, adding it started bothering him last week in Pittsburgh.

The Cubs recalled infielder/outfielder Eric Patterson from triple-A Iowa.

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A man attending a New York Mets game with his family Tuesday lost his balance on an escalator and fell two stories to his death, police said.

Antonio Nararainsami, 36, was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead half an hour later. The fall was still being investigated Wednesday, police said.

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Reserve infielder Alex Cora was put on the 15-day disabled list by the Boston Red Sox because of a sprained right elbow. Boston purchased the contract of infielder Joe Thurston from triple-A Pawtucket to fill the roster spot.