Bad Day In Baseball For Ex-Beavers

The Nine games after his return from five broken ribs that cost former Oregon St. Beaver Jacoby Ellsbury most of his season with the Boston Red Sox, and a collision in the first inning with Texas Rangers pitcher Tommy Hunter that ended with Ellsbury landing on the same ribs he had injured in the spring has sent Ellsbury for an MRI.

"It's very concerning,'' Red Sox manager Terry Francona said. "The exam that [trainer Mike Reinold] gave him is very concerning. We'll get him looked at as quickly as we can so we can try to make a decision going forward.''

The news wasn't immediately encouraging about another OSU alum, as Darwin Barney went 0-4 in his first game in the batting order for the Chicago Cubs after being called up mid-week. Barney did not bat in late inning defensive appearance in his first game up.

"It's just another game," Barney remarked after the game, "except, it was with 45,000 people, and monsters like (St. Louis Cardinal first baseman Alex) Pujols (a 230 pounder who would be at home on the football field), and other guys like that."

Barney did make solid contact in all four at bats, but all four were hit right at Cardinal fielders.