Never underestimate the power of a good steak dinner.
Don't forget Brett
With everybody in baseball mesmerized by the Roy Oswalt destination derby, teams have forgotten the "other" righthander in Houston who might be worth a prospect or two.
We're talking about our old friend Brett Myers, the only pitcher in baseball this season to have gone six innings or more in every start.
But Myers, who wore out his welcome in Philadelphia before he turned 30, seems likely to stay in Houston.
"All I can tell you is what they told us," an executive of one interested club told Jayson Stark of ESPN.com. "They said they'd have to be overwhelmed to move him or Wandy Rodriguez."
Rodriguez, a lefthander, is 8-11 with a 4.80 ERA following Sunday's 4-0 win over Cincinnati that included seven shutout innings. Myers is 7-6 with a 3.24 ERA. Nice additions, but hardly worth overwhelming value.
No break for Kershaw
The five-game penalty assessed Los Angeles righthander Clayton Kershaw for throwing at San Francisco's Aaron Rowand was left standing by MLB after an appeal on Monday. Kershaw, who pitched eight innings Sunday as the Dodgers beat the Mets, 1-0, will begin his suspension on Tuesday.
The "punishment" pushes Kershaw's next scheduled start back one day, from Saturday to Sunday
Weird stat
The Mets put catcher Rod Barajas on the 15-day disabled list with a mild strain on his left side, and promoted infielder Mike Hessman from triple-A Buffalo.
You're probably never heard of the 32-year-old Hessman, who has hit 18 homers this season for the Bisons. But the former Atlanta prospect has 329 career home runs in the minor leagues, the most among active players.
Noteworthy
Cincinnati's Scott Rolen was back in the lineup on Monday after missing nine games with a strained right hamstring.
Contact staff writer Don McKee at dmckee@phillynews.com.
This article contains information from the Associated Press.
