Weed Out the Crap

So much for the Giles Brothers reunion.

Second baseman Marcus Giles, the younger brother of right fielder Brian Giles, was placed on waivers by the San Diego Padres Friday.

Starting out as the Padres' leadoff hitter in April, Giles began to slump after only a month. After the All-Star break, utilityman Geoff Blum was awarded most of the infield action. Giles hit .229 with four home runs and 39 RBIs with the Padres in 2007.

The St. Louis Cardinals are also getting rid of some dead weight, as they released lefty Mike Maroth on Thursday.

Maroth went 0-5 with a 10.66 ERA in 14 appearances, spending a substantial amount of time on the DL with pesky elbow injuries.

The Cards acquired him in June from the Detroit Tigers for cash and a player to be named later -- who ended up being St. Louis' 2004 first-round pick Chris Lambert -- in an attempt to fill part of the gap in an injury-plagued pitching staff. Currently a free agent, Maroth is a career 50-67 with a 5.05 ERA.

[San Diego Union Tribune] | [Cards Clubhouse]

Padres Put Marcus Giles on the DL

San Diego Padres infielder Marcus Giles landed on the 15-day disabled list this weekend with a sprained left knee after his altercation with Philadelphia Phillies catcher Carlos Ruiz.

Giles hurt himself in the fourth inning of San Diego's 14-3 beatdown Friday when Ruiz smashed into him, trying to impede a double play. The benches cleared after the dust-up and Ruiz was called for interference on the play.

Giles managed to remain in the game for a leadoff single in the fifth, but left after scoring on Milton Bradley's three-run shot.

In a related move, the Padres recalled infielder Craig Stansberry from the AAA Portland Beavers to fill the roster spot. Stansberry, the first Saudi-Arabian-born player in big league history, was batting .273 with 14 homers and 75 RBIs in 124 AAA games.

[San Diego Padres News]