More injuries hit several teams

Another bad day for injuries as several players tried to shake off the rust from the week layoff.

Hillsborough beat D.C. 7-6 but lost 1b/DH Dmitri Young. With starting first baseman Ryan Howard already on the shelf, this will leave the Hitmen very thin at the position. Billy Butler is expected to take over full time until Howard returns later this week.

The most injury-plagued team in the league this year is Las Vegas, who can't seem to keep their squad healthy. The latest casualty is third baseman Chone Figgins. The Rats picked up journeyman Scott Spiezio who will split duties with rookie Alex Gordon at the hot corner. The Rats have a league-high four players on the DL now (David Eckstein, Jeff Keppinger, and Orlando Hernandez are the others).

Philly took a 12-9 victory over first-place Vancouver to move to within two games of the Fist, but the Animals lost outfielder J.D. Drew for a week.

Finally the Blue Ridge Bombers lost shortstop Edgar Renteria, also for a week. Rafael Furcal will assume full-time duties.

Brian Giles hit his first homer in a Cutters uniform since the summer of 2004, prompting a standing ovation for the Hoboken icon. Giles pinch hit for third baseman Brandon Inge in the eighth inning and delivered a three-run blast. The Cutters ended up losing the game to Sardine City 9-5.

Send in the medics

The Sugar Bears took over first place as Team Buddah pulled off a miraculous sweep of the Rat Pack. The Buddahs capped off the series with a 3-0 3-hit shutout by Oliver Perez. Perez, as you may remember, struggled in the Rat Pack rotation all last season before being shipped off to the Buddahs in the offseason, where he's currently struggling. Perez struck out 8 Rats and walked 4. Newark only played one game, an 8-7 extra inning victory over Sardine City. The Sardines held a 7-5 lead until the Sugar Bears' Bobby Abreu tied it up with a 2-run homer in the ninth. Jack Cust won the game with a walk-off solo shot in the 11th.

Yesterday was an ugly day for many DMBL squads, but a good day for their medical staffs. Four players were lost with various injuries. Blue Ridge lost second bagger Jose Vidro for around 2 weeks. Dan Uggla, who had platooned with Vidro this season, will take over full time. Uggla took full advantage of the extra playing time by swatting a 3-run home run in yesterday's loss to Philly. Uggla then hit another home run and drove in 3 runs in game two yesterday, an 8-3 win.

D.C. lost Carl Crawford for six days in yesterday's 9-2 win over Arkansas. Replacing Crawford will be Coco Crisp. New Jersey lost a third outfielder, Shane Victorino, for 12 days. Team Buddah picked up the recently released Juan Pierre to fill in.

The Hoboken Cutters lost outfielder Travis Buck a week or so ago, but his replacement will now hit the DL. Ryan Freel left yesterday's game (and will probably leave the Cutters roster as well). The Cutters picked up hometown favorite Brian Giles, who was a mainstay with the team from 2001-2004. Giles had been playing with the independent New Jersey Jackals to stay in shape and Hoboken scouts liked what they had seen. "It's good to be back in Cutters brown" said Giles at a team press conference.

See you again in a week!