Covering the bases

Martinez mulls retirement

Pedro Martinez will rejoin the New York Mets for a bullpen session today as he looks forward to returning from an ailing hamstring.

But he's not sure if he'll pitch beyond 2008.

After his latest rehab assignment in Port St. Lucie, Fla., Martinez told the Daily News he might retire after this season to be with his ailing father.

Manager Willie Randolph doesn't know whether the 36-year-old Martinez has made a final decision.

"I didn't talk to him about it or really know about it," Randolph said. "I know his dad has been ill, and he's been going back and forth trying to struggle with that. But I haven't talked to him about it."

Martinez's 78-year-old father, Pablo, has a form of brain cancer.

The right-hander has been on the disabled list since April 2 with a hamstring injury. Martinez will throw a bullpen session at Turner Field before the Mets' game against the Braves today.

SHORT HOPS: Reigning NL Cy Young winner Jake Peavy was placed on the 15-day disabled list by the San Diego Padres with a strained and swollen right elbow. The move was retroactive to Thursday.

* Atlanta Braves right fielder Jeff Francoeur was not in the lineup for the second game of a doubleheader against the New York Mets on Tuesday night, ending a streak of 370 consecutive starts.

* Minnesota Twins second baseman Matt Tolbert will have surgery Thursday to repair an injured ligament on his left thumb, and it will take at least 4 1/2 weeks before he even starts rehabilitation.

* Los Angeles Angels shortstop Erick Aybar left Tuesday's game against the Toronto Blue Jays in the first inning after injuring his right hand while fielding a ground ball. X-rays on the hand were negative.

* Arizona Diamondbacks left-hander Doug Davis, who has been recovering from thyroid cancer surgery, will return to the rotation Friday at Atlanta, manager Bob Melvin said.

* Oakland Athletics right-handed reliever Andrew Brown underwent an appendectomy Tuesday and was placed on the 15-day disabled list.

* Herbert H. Hash, the oldest living former Boston Red Sox pitcher, died Tuesday, according to the University of Richmond, where he played several college sports. He was 97.

* Florida Marlins left fielder Josh Willingham could miss another month with a herniated disc that has kept him out since April 27.

* The Los Angeles Dodgers placed backup catcher Gary Bennett (plantar fascitis in his left foot) on the 15-day disabled list.

* The Houston Astros removed a yellow board on an outfield wall on Tuesday that contributed to a botched home run call the night before.

* An MRI exam on Washington Nationals outfielder Austin Kearns' sore right elbow Tuesday showed no tear or other serious problem.