Castillo Would Have Walked

The Detroit Tigers weren’t going to give Luis Castillo another chance to extend his 35-game hitting streak Saturday night.

Castillo went hitless in four at-bats and was left on deck when the Florida Marlins completed a four-run rally in the bottom of the ninth inning to beat the Tigers, 5-4.

Disheartened by the end of the streak, Castillo had a blank stare on his face as his teammates celebrated the victory. He might be relieved to know that a fifth plate appearance wouldn’t have changed anything.

Detroit Manager Luis Pujols said Sunday that he and bench coach Felipe Alou had agreed to intentionally walk Castillo and take their chances against Eric Owens.

“Felipe and I said we were going to look bad in our country, but we had to walk him,” said Pujols, who like Castillo and Alou is from the Dominican Republic.

But with one out and Andy Fox on third, pinch-hitter Tim Raines hit a fly ball to center. Fox tagged and easily beat Wendell Magee’s throw home for the game-winner.

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Rookie outfielder Austin Kearns, one of the leaders of the Cincinnati Reds’ unexpected surge into first place, was demoted to triple-A Louisville, Ky., so a reliever could be added to the roster.

The Reds will be without left-hander Gabe White for at least a few more days and don’t want to remain short-handed in the bullpen, so they called up right-hander Luis Pineda from Louisville.

Kearns, 22, was called up on April 17 for what was supposed to be a temporary stay, but hit so well that he earned a starting spot in right field. He and left fielder Adam Dunn, his roommate throughout the minors, anchored the lineup during the Reds’ 51-day stay atop the NL Central.

Kearns’ playing time diminished when Ken Griffey Jr. returned from the disabled list on May 23, and he went into a slump that dropped his average to .284--still one of the best on the roster.

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The Boston Red Sox acquired left-handed reliever Alan Embree from the San Diego Padres in a four-player trade. The Red Sox sent minor league right-handers Brad Baker and Dan Giese to San Diego for Embree and minor league right-hander Andy Shibilo. Embree was 3-4 with a 1.05 earned-run average in 35 appearances for the Padres and gives the Red Sox a needed left-handed specialist in the bullpen.

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Rookie pitcher Josh Fogg of the Pittsburgh Pirates was fined $750 by Major League Baseball for hitting Montreal’s Mike Mordecai with a pitch during their game on June 5.