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Last-Place Jays Fire Gibbons

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The Associated Press

Published: June 21, 2008

PITTSBURGH - The Toronto Blue Jays dipped back into their past to shake up a last-place team that has looked overmatched at times in the competitive AL East, firing Manager John Gibbons on Friday and replacing him with two-time World Series winner Cito Gaston.

The Blue Jays, as the Mets and Mariners did earlier in the week, decided it's far easier to fire the manager than it is to overhaul a disappointing team close to midseason. Despite having five players making $10 million or more on its Opening Day roster, Toronto was 35-39 with five consecutive losses and was 10 1/2 games behind AL East leader Boston going into a three-game series in Pittsburgh.

"We've underachieved at this point with a good club," GM J.P. Ricciardi said. "There's a lot of the season left and we've got a chance to turn things around."

Gaston said the Blue Jays' season "starts over again tonight - we've got to get to where we should be. There's a good club here."

Gaston will manage the rest of the season and then be evaluated, Ricciardi said.

CUBS: Carlos Zambrano's shoulder pain might not be a big problem for Chicago.

The star right-hander has a minor strain in his right shoulder but no major structural damage, a team spokesman said after the Cubs' 4-3 victory over the White Sox.

Zambrano underwent an MRI arthrogram, a test in which dye is injected into the troubled area to provide a more detailed look, at Northwestern Memorial Hospital on Friday and headed home. He will meet with the trainers and coaching staff today.

Cubs manager Lou Piniella has said Zambrano will miss his scheduled start against Baltimore on Tuesday. But the plan beyond that is unclear.

"We'll evaluate tomorrow and see what we'll do," Piniella said.

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