Inflamed shoulder sidelines Escobar

Kelvim Escobar didn’t want to use it as an excuse; it was more of an explanation for why the right-hander, a Cy Young Award candidate in late August, has given up 20 earned runs and 29 hits in 17 2/3 innings of his last four starts, an earned-run average of 10.19.

Escobar has an inflamed throwing shoulder, an injury that flared up two starts ago in Baltimore, got considerably worse after Monday night’s game against Tampa Bay and forced Escobar to be scratched from today’s game against Seattle. Bartolo Colon will start in his place.

“I felt it in Baltimore . . . but after my last game, the next day, I was like, wow, this is not normal for me,” Escobar said. “I was worried. It got worse, so I had to say something to the trainers. But it’s been feeling better the last two days.”

Neither Escobar nor Manager Mike Scioscia believes the injury is serious or will threaten his playoff availability. X-rays of the shoulder were normal, and Escobar was scheduled to start Tuesday in Texas. But there was some concern the inflammation could pose a mental hurdle.

“My velocity was good the other night, my stuff was good, but it’s not the same when you’re feeling something in your arm,” Escobar said. “Your focus is not the same because you’re pitching and you’re thinking about your shoulder at the same time. . . . I’m a huge part of this team. I have to make sure I’m OK.”

Scioscia thought Seattle reliever Jorge Campillo should have been suspended for a month after throwing once at catcher Jeff Mathis’ head and twice at Vladimir Guerrero Thursday, sparking a benches-clearing incident. Campillo’s punishment? Four games, handed down by the commissioner’s office Friday.

“Four games doesn’t cut it,” Scioscia said. “Who champions the side of the guys who have 90-mph fastballs thrown at their heads?”

Shortstop Orlando Cabrera believes fines in the $20,000 range would be more of a deterrent.

“I think they’re waiting for someone to get hit in the head and die,” Cabrera said. Major League Baseball is “more serious about wearing your uniform the wrong way.”

Said Seattle Manager John McLaren, who served a one-game suspension Friday: “When you throw in the head area, that’s dangerous, that’s not what we’re trying to do. We’ve talked more and more about being aggressive inside, but we don’t want the ball thrown up there.”

Upon review of the basic agreement, an MLB official clarified the tiebreaking procedures if the Angels, Red Sox, Yankees and Indians finish with identical records.

The Yankees would be AL East champions by virtue of their 10-8 record against the Red Sox, and Boston would be the wild card. The Yankees would earn the top AL seeding because of their 9-6 mark (.600) against the Angels and Indians.

The two remaining division winners would revert to two-team tiebreaking criteria -- head-to-head competition and record in your division. The Angels went 5-5 against Cleveland, but the Indians have the better division winning percentage.

So, the first round would pit the Yankees against the Angels, with New York gaining home-field advantage, and the Indians against the Red Sox, with Cleveland getting home field.

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