ATLANTA – John Smoltz is joining Turner Broadcasting’s baseball crew as an analyst.
The 42-year-old pitcher says he isn’t sure whether he will play again.
Smoltz has 213 wins and 154 saves in 21 seasons, most of them with the Atlanta Braves. He played for Boston and St. Louis last season.
Smoltz will work on national telecasts on TBS and Braves games on Peachtree TV in Atlanta.
He was a guest analyst for TBS during the 2007 playoffs and broadcast games for Peachtree TV and TBS following shoulder surgery in 2008.
Ernie Johnson Jr., a TNT NBA and golf broadcaster, also will call baseball for Peachtree TV. He broadcast Braves games with his father, Ernie Johnson Sr., on SportSouth from 1993 to ’96 and has done occasional Braves telecasts in recent years.
Turnbow leaves in pain
VIERA, Fla. – Former All-Star closer Derrick Turnbow says his chances of making the Florida Marlins are “over” after he left Tuesday’s game with severe shoulder pain.
Turnbow said he was sure he would “be shut down for while.” He exited Florida’s 12-3 victory against the Nationals in the eighth inning.
Turnbow walked one batter and hit another before walking off the mound with the team trainer. He will undergo an MRI today and said surgery was a possibility.
The hard-throwing right-hander had 39 saves in 2005 for the Brewers and pitched in the 2006 All-Star Game. He hasn’t pitched in the majors since 2008.
He threw 10 pitches Tuesday. As he threw a pitch that hit Danny Esponisa, Turnbow buckled on the mound.
Mitchell to miss season
GLENDALE, Ariz. – Chicago White Sox outfielder Jared Mitchell will miss the 2010 season after surgery on his left ankle.
The team said Tuesday that the 21-year-old prospect is expected to make a complete recovery.
Mitchell was injured Friday while making a spectacular, against-the-wall catch on a drive off the bat of Juan Rivera in a split-squad win over the Los Angeles Angels.
Wade out 3 months
GLENDALE, Ariz. – Los Angeles Dodgers reliever Cory Wade is expected to miss at least three months because he needs surgery on his right shoulder.
Wade felt discomfort in his shoulder last week. The 26-year-old pitcher was on the disabled list twice last year with shoulder trouble.
Wade pitched in 27 games for the Dodgers last year and had a 5.53 ERA. As a rookie in 2008, he led Dodgers relievers with 71 innings and became the team’s main setup man for a stretch.
Tooth hurts, not hand
SURPRISE, Ariz. – Texas Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton’s left hand is OK after being hit by a pitch Monday night. Now he has a toothache.
Hamilton arrived at the Rangers’ clubhouse Tuesday morning with a swollen face and then went to the dentist for what is believed to be an infected tooth.
Hamilton was hit by a pitch on the top of his left hand against San Francisco. X-rays were negative and he didn’t have any kind of wrap on his hand Tuesday. He said it’s fine.
Towers is Yankees scout
TAMPA, Fla. – Former San Diego Padres general manager Kevin Towers has been hired as a special assignment scout by the New York Yankees.
Towers was fired by the Padres during the final weekend of the 2009 season after 14 years as their GM.
Towers will scout both professional leagues and amateur players and evaluate the Yankees’ minor league system.