Covering the bases

Kapler tears shoulder muscle

Milwaukee Brewers right fielder Gabe Kapler has a torn muscle in his right shoulder and could miss the rest of the season.

Kapler will stay in Milwaukee and undergo physical therapy with the team in an effort to determine whether he can return this year.

The team said Thursday that Kapler is hopeful he can return this year but gave no timetable for his recovery. He left Wednesday's game after making a hard throw to the plate in the sixth inning against the Cincinnati Reds.

Kapler, who retired from baseball for a year due to injuries and became a manager, is hitting .301 with eight homers and 38 RBIs in 229 at-bats this season after signing with the Brewers in the offseason.

Aaron enjoying life after Bonds chase

Hank Aaron smiled as he described an ideal day in retirement.

No meetings. No clock to punch. No questions about Barry Bonds.

Aaron participated in a monthly Atlanta Braves luncheon Thursday that included a question-and-answer session with fans. The Hall of Famer and former home run king said he hoped he could mingle with fans without talking about Bonds' pursuit of his record.

"I hope so," said the 74-year-old Aaron, a senior vice president with the Braves. "I'm not engaging in any questions about that. That's over with, done with, and I have no intention of trying to ignite it back again."

Bonds broke the record last year and, surrounded by allegations of steroids use, has been out of the game this season.

Hank Steinbrenner: Yanks made mistakes

Hank Steinbrenner is disappointed the New York Yankees could be eliminated from postseason play during Yankee Stadium's final homestand.

"We're going to have to look at what has been done wrong over the last five years, which I've had one year to try and figure out," he said. "Clearly, a lot of mistakes were made."

New York opens a 10-game homestand tonight against Tampa Bay. The Yankees, fourth in the AL East, are 8 1/2 games behind AL wild-card leader Boston with 16 games left.

SHORT HOPS: Albert Pujols became the third player in major league history to drive in 100 runs in each of his first eight seasons when he hit an RBI double in the sixth inning of the St. Louis Cardinals' game against the Chicago Cubs on Thursday night.

* Frustrated by his latest bout with a sore back that has left him sidelined during his team's push for the playoffs, Chicago White Sox third baseman Joe Crede will seek a second opinion.

* St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina was out of the lineup Thursday, a day after being kneed in the thigh in a home plate collision. Manager Tony La Russa said Molina was pretty sore with a deep bruise, but he was hoping the catcher would be sidelined only a few games.

* Oakland Athletics second baseman Mark Ellis will miss the rest of the season and could be headed for surgery to fix a shoulder injury that has taken longer to heal than initially expected.

* The Colorado Rockies are replacing veteran Livan Hernandez with rookie Greg Reynolds in their rotation.

* All-Star reliever George Sherrill was activated from the 15-day disabled list by the Baltimore Orioles.