Apr 21, 2006 2 min read

Baseball Pirates’ Gerut to report

PITTSBURGH (AP) – Outfielder Jody Gerut will report to the Pirates’ extended spring training camp for conditioning and will not have knee surgery.

The agreement was reached Thursday, shortly before a scheduled hearing on the grievance filed by the players’ association after the club stopped paying his $875,000 salary.

Gerut, acquired from the Cubs in a trade last season, was demoted to Triple-A Indianapolis at the end of spring training. Gerut then told Pirates general manager Dave Littlefield his right knee was hurting and he would not report.

While the Pirates agreed with a doctor’s findings that Gerut has tendinitis, they said he passed all medical tests and was fit to play. Gerut was placed on the minor league suspended list after telling the team he planned to have additional surgery on the knee.

Once Gerut gets back into playing shape at Bradenton, Fla., he is expected to be reassigned to Indianapolis.

Robinson wins No. 1,000

PHILADELPHIA (AP) – Frank Robinson got his 1,000th win as a manager Thursday night, with Nick Johnson hitting a pair of homers in the Washington Nationals’ 10-4 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies.

The 70-year-old Robinson is 1,000-1,095 in 16 seasons with Cleveland, San Francisco, Baltimore and the Montreal-Washington franchise. He became the 53rd manager to reach the milestone.

Pat Burrell and Chase Utley had two-run doubles for the Phillies, just 2-7 at home.

Golf

Sorenstam 1 shot back

STOCKBRIDGE, Ga. (AP) – Annika Sorenstam shot a first-round 66 Thursday to put herself one shot off the lead in the Florida’s Natural Charity Championship.

Maria Hjorth and Cristie Kerr shot 7-under 65s to share the lead.

Appleby leads after 66

HUMBLE, Texas – Stuart Appleby shot a 6-under 66 to take a one-stroke lead over Jerry Smith and D.A. Points after the first round of the Shell Houston Open.

Appleby teed off early and took advantage of calm conditions on the Redstone Golf Club’s Tournament Course, the event’s third venue in four years.

Appleby, the 1999 winner at the TPC at The Woodlands, made a 25-foot birdie putt on the sixth and another on No. 11. The Australian bogeyed the 13th, then chipped in on No. 17 and made a downhill 20-foot birdie putt on the 18th.

Aaron Baddeley, the Verizon Heritage winner last week at Hilton Head, was two stroke back along with Charles Warren, Brent Geiberger, Stephen Leaney and Mathias Gronberg. Two-time defending champion Vijay Singh had a 69.