Mizzou Baseball in the Majors

■ Nippert to DL, Rangers recall Mathis (ESPN.com)

The Texas Rangers placed right-handed pitcher Dustin Nippert on the disabled list Tuesday as a precaution and called up Doug Mathis from Triple-A Oklahoma City.

Nippert was hit on the right side of the head Monday in Detroit by an Austin Jackson line drive in the sixth inning. Jackson's line drive sent Nippert crumbling to the ground and a hush fell over the stadium as players and fans feared he had been seriously injured.
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The Rangers were forced into the move because they used seven pitchers Monday.

"We needed some help in the bullpen, and they told us that Dustin should probably take four or five days off, so we decided to do the smart thing and be extremely cautious with him," Rangers manager Ron Washington said.

Mathis, who is 1-1 with a 6.98 ERA this season for the Rangers, is capable of pitching multiple innings.

"We need someone who can go long right now, and Mathis can do that," Washington said.

■ Tigers' Jim Leyland can't explain road woes (Detroit Free Press)

Rick Porcello's ERA is 4.37 at home and 7.55 on the road. Jeremy Bonderman's ERA was 3.63 at home entering Monday and 6.11 away. Armando Galarraga's ERA is five runs more on the road. And Max Scherzer's is almost two runs better at home.

Scherzer has no explanation for the staggering difference. But he knows this: "The difference is why we are winning at home and not on the road."