Injuries send teams scrambling with mixed results

Teams are scrambling as a slew of big-name players wind up on the disabled list. The Blue Jays lost shortstop Jose Reyes with an injury to his left ankle, and the Dodgers will be without pitcher Zack Greinke because of a broken collarbone suffered in a fight with the Padres' Carlos Quentin. The Angels are without pitcher Jered Weaver because of a broken left elbow. The Nationals lost catcher Wilson Ramos. Oakland is without outfielder Yeonis Cespedes, and the Reds, after not having an injury to their rotation all last season, put Johnny Cueto on the disabled list with a lat injury. Who wins and loses? The Blue Jays are without Reyes, the most important player on their team, and they are busy making calls, trying to find a shortstop that can play until Reyes returns in eight to 12 weeks. Chris Capuano replaces Greinke in the Dodgers rotation and Garrett Richards takes Weaver's slot, so both Los Angeles teams have big dropoffs. The A's and Reds might not miss a beat. The A's, known for their depth, still have Coco Crisp, Seth Smith, Chris Young and Josh Reddick in their outfield. The Reds will use prospect Tony Cingrani in Cueto's rotation spot. Cingrani is a lefty with a 97 mph fastball who averaged more than 10 strikeouts per nine innings in the minor leagues. The Reds have debated whether Cingrani should be a starter or closer. Doesn't that debate sound similar to the one they've had with Aroldis Chapman? Now, on to other things: * The Rays, who play the Orioles this week, should be worried about their offense. They've scored two runs or less six times in their first 12 games. * The other Florida team, the Marlins, isn't hitting either and is already nine games out in the National League East after getting beaten by the Nationals 10-3 on Monday night. The Marlins weren't expected to contend, but the loss dropped them nine games out of first place after the first two weeks. And, how fortunes change in baseball: In 2009, the Nationals started 1-10 en route to a 59-win season. That season, the Marlins won 87 games. The snapshot of the Marlins' scoring troubles is pitcher Kevin Slowey. He's 0-2 and the Marlins have not scored a run for him even though he's got a 2.04 ERA in his first three starts. * Interesting notes on the legendary Jackie Robinson: In 1965, he was the first black commentator when he did games for ABC. ... He also did broadcasting for the Montreal Expos in 1972, and his last public appearance came when he participated in a first pitch ceremony in the 1972 World Series. ... In 1969, he turned down an invitation to play in the old timers game at Yankee Stadium, protesting baseball's lack of movement on hiring black managers and front-office officials. ... In 1946, he played for the minor league Montreal Royals, and in 2011, a plaque was placed at his house in Montreal, commemorating his work in helping segregation. ... He was a political independent who voted for Richard Nixon in 1960. However, by 1968, he was tired of the Republican platform on civil rights, so he switched to the Democratic party and voted for Hubert H. Humphrey in 1968. * It's strange how baseball goes. The Angels, who seemed to be resurgent after winning a home series against the Astros, lost Monday night to the Twins, who looked awful in getting beat twice by the Mets. So what happens? Twins started Kevin Correia shuts down Josh Hamilton, Albert Pujols, Mike Trout and Mark Trumbo, but gives up home runs to Peter Bourjos and Brendan Harris in an 8-2 win. Correia got Trout on a cutter the first time, and then threw him an even better one the next at-bat. Trout hammered it for a double. "That shows you how strong he is,'' Correia said during an interview on Sirius-XM Radio. * It's great news that the Cubs are going to spend $300 million to upgrade century-old Wrigley Field, much like the Red Sox have done with another classic, Fenway Park. It's good that two of the most traditional parks will be sticking around, but here's what ruins the renovations at Wrigley: The Cubs are going to add a 6,000-square-foot video board. It doesn't fit the atmosphere of Wrigley, but the Cubs say that surveys show that 60 percent of the fans want a video board. * A pitching matchup that's looking good for Friday: The Nationals' Stephen Strasburg pitches against the Mets' Matt Harvey, who nearly threw a no-hitter in his last start.