Hip forces out Sabathia
Yankees left-hander CC Sabathia was pulled from his start Friday with right hip soreness and sent for an MRI exam.
Sabathia threw 58 pitches in four innings against the Orioles then was removed. He allowed three solo home runs and New York trailed 3-2 when he left.
Sabathia, who had surgery on his right knee after the 2016 season, made 27 starts last year while going 14-5 with a 3.69 ERA. He re-signed with New York on a $10 million, one-year deal during the winter. All-Star out: The Brewers placed All-Star closer Corey Knebel on the 10-day disabled list. He is expected to miss at least four weeks with a strained left hamstring. Knebel was walking with a limp Friday, a day after he was injured while pitching against the Cubs.
“Right from the start I kind of thought it was pretty serious, the way it felt,” Knebel said. “Then once I got home I started to kind of realize it doesn’t feel as bad. I knew if it was torn off the bone I wouldn’t be able to do anything, so it definitely was a little bit of a relief.”
Knebel had a 1.78 ERA and 39 saves in 45 chances last year, supplanting Neftali Feliz as closer in early May. Logo protest: The Indians’ decision to remove the contentious Chief Wahoo logo from their caps and jerseys starting next season didn’t stop a group that protests the logo for every home opener. They marched and protested at Progressive Field. The team will keep selling merchandise featuring the smiling, big-toothed caricature after removing it from their uniforms. Weather woes: The big winner so far this season is the wintry mix. Nine games have been postponed amid a chilly spring, and several others have been held in frosty settings, including 27 degrees in Colorado on Friday. White Sox players slathered Vaseline on their bodies to keep warm, Mets players built a snowman and Cleveland opened in bitter and blustery conditions, beating Kansas City. “I think my lipstick was frozen,” longtime Indians fan Rita Hoppert said. Briefly: Boston’s top third base prospect, Michael Chavis, was suspended for 80 games under baseball’s minor-league drug program after testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance. Chavis was selected with the 26th overall pick in the 2014 draft and signed for a bonus of $1,870,500. Also, Cleveland left-hander Alsis Herrera was suspended for 80 games following a positive test for Stanozolol and Arizona right-hander Luis Diaz was banned 72 games for a positive test for Stanozolol . ... Yankees outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury, sidelined since early March with an oblique strain, is now bothered by a sore left hip that led him to leave the team’s spring training complex in Florida to see a specialist in New York, NJ.com reported.