Astros Send Lima Back to Detroit

Jose Lima, who won 21 games in 1999 and then set a National League record by giving up 48 home runs last season, was acquired by the Detroit Tigers from the Houston Astros on Saturday for right-hander Dave Mlicki.

Lima, 28, who pitched in Detroit from 1994-96, is 1-2 with a 7.30 earned-run average in nine starts and 14 appearances this season. Mlicki, 33, is 4-8 with a 7.33 ERA.

John Rocker reported to the Cleveland Indians but did not dress in a 3-2 loss to Kansas City.

“There are a lot of people out there who still choose to judge me on parts of me they don’t know. They’ll never meet me, and they’ll just choose to judge me on the excerpts and blurbs that are written by people who don’t know me either,” the relief pitcher said after the game. “Just look at my stats. If I’ve got good stats, like me, and if I don’t, say I’m a bum.”

The team said Rocker would be off-limits to media for today’s series finale against Kansas City and for the three-game series that starts Tuesday in New York against the Yankees.

The Yankees acquired right-handed reliever Jay Witasick from San Diego for minor league prospect D’Angelo Jimenez.