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DETROIT -- Michael Bourn was ready to return to the majors. Nasty weather delayed his plans. Bourn, who missed Clevelands first 13 games with a strained left hamstring, was activated from the disabled list on Tuesday before the Indians series opener with the Tigers was postponed by cold weather. Bourn had expected to make his season debut only to have it pushed back by temperatures in the low 30s and snow sitting on the outfield grass in Comerica Park. "He was ready to go," Indians manager Terry Francona said of his speedy centre fielder. "He wanted to play, but you cant control the weather." Its the third postponement for the Indians, who already have been forced to play two doubleheaders this season because of rainouts. No makeup date was announced, but Francona believes the AL Central teams, who are scheduled to play 19 times, are eyeing a date in July. The Indians return to Detroit for a three-game series from July 18-20 and Sept. 12-14. Francona said right-hander Zach McAllisters start will be pushed back to Wednesday. Danny Salazar will start Thursday, followed by Justin Masterson, Corey Kluber and Carlos Carrasco at home against the Toronto Blue Jays. Bourn strained his hamstring while running the bases on March 16 during training camp in Arizona. Because he had surgery on the hamstring soon after last season ended, the Indians were cautious about bringing him back. Bourn had been eligible to be activated two weeks ago, but the Indians had him play in five minor league games to make sure he was 100 per cent. Francona said Bourn likely will play in consecutive games but may not appear in "three, four of five in a row" for a while. The chilly weather doesnt help, but Francona said it probably wouldnt have kept Bourn out against the Tigers. "I dont think anyone feels good in the cold weather," Francona said. "But hes healthy." To make room for Bourn, the Indians optioned outfielder Nyjer Morgan to Triple-A Columbus. Morgan, who signed a minor league deal with Cleveland in January, did a nice job filling in for Bourn. He batted .348 (8 of 23), scored four runs and had four RBIs in nine games. Francona said the team decided to send down Morgan to keep an extra reliever in the bullpen. "It wasnt really a tough decision," Francona said. "It was difficult in the fact that he (Morgan) had done so well. I dont think anybody thought he deserved to go to Triple-A, but when you look at the way our team is constituted, we needed to stay with the extra pitcher in the bullpen. With Bourn being a left-handed centre fielder, its hard to keep both of them." .com) - Generally you want to be the guy who replaces the guy who replaced the legend. . But that changed when he committed a five-minute major penalty and helped pave the way for a comeback by the Philadelphia Flyers. Vincent Lecavalier scored at 2:45 of overtime and the Flyers rallied from a two-goal deficit for a 5-4 victory on Sunday. . Better still, its in the same team and there are 13 races left for it to develop. . - The Carolina Panthers believe Steve Smith lost "top-end" speed, a big reason the franchise parted ways with its all-time leading receiver. . How foolishly wrong I was. Forget the now inherent corruption and back handed favours that plague the beautiful game. Goal Line Technology? Youre having a laugh. As for them penalty cheating bandits, footballs lawmakers upend them by awarding the penalty to the opponent each time a player attempts to con the referee into awarding ghost penalties.MILWAUKEE -- The Chicago Cubs have placed struggling reliever Jose Veras on the 15-day disabled list with a strained left oblique. Right-handed reliever Brian Schlitter was recalled from Triple-A Iowa to take Veras spot in an inconsistent bullpen, and arrived in Milwaukee in time for Saturday nights game against the Brewers. Veras had a 15.88 ERA over six games, blowing both his save opportunities. Chicago signed the righty in the off-season to a one-year deal after he had 21 saves in 2013 between Houston and Detroit. Schlitter pitched six games for the Cubs this sseason before being sent down April 12.dddddddddddd He had a 6.35 ERA with no record in Chicago, and a 3.60 ERA with three saves for Iowa. The Cubs bullpen overall was 1-5 with a 4.03 ERA entering Saturday. Pedro Strop is Chicagos closer. Veras had only pitched twice since blowing a save April 11, last taking the mound Thursday and giving up two runs in the eighth inning of a 5-2 loss to Arizona. Veras said he started feeling the strain a couple of days ago. "Its the best thing to for him to get him back on track," manager Rick Renteria said. ' ' '
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