Meyers will stay on as Buck’s replacement

St. Louis Joel Meyers, hired this season to replace Joe Buck in the St. Louis Cardinals radio booth, will take on the job full-time following the death of Jack Buck, Joe’s father and the team’s longtime broadcaster.

Meyers was hired before the start of the season to broadcast road games, with Jack Buck scheduled to continue broadcasting the club’s games at Busch Stadium.

The lead baseball and football announcer for Fox Sports, Joe Buck had planned to give up his place on the team’s radio broadcast to focus on his television career and spend more time with his family.

As Joe Buck’s responsibilities with Fox began to increase this month, Meyers was tapped to work the team’s home radio broadcasts, as well.

Meyers and Mike Shannon, a 31-year veteran of the Cardinals’ booth who works all of the team’s games, will broadcast both home and away games for the rest of the year.

Dunwoody placed on DL

Montreal Cleveland placed outfielder Todd Dunwoody on the 15-day disabled list and recalled first baseman-outfielder Ben Broussard from Triple-A Buffalo on Saturday. Dunwoody sprained his left foot Friday. Broussard, who will make his major league debut, was acquired from Cincinnati on June 7 in a trade for Russell Branyan. Broussard hit .267 with 13 homers and 36 RBIs in the minors this season.

Kline dies at 70

Pittsburgh Ron Kline, who won 114 games and saved 108 during a 19-season major league career, died Saturday at his home. He was 70. Kline was hospitalized earlier in the week for heart and kidney problems, but died at his home in Callery, Pa. Kline went 114-144 with a 3.75 ERA in 736 games while pitching for the Pirates, Tigers, Angels, Senators and Twins. A starter early in his career, he made the conversion to a late-innings reliever with Washington and saved an AL-leading 29 games in 1965.

Cincinnati reliever released from hospital

Cincinnati Left-hander Gabe White was released from the hospital Saturday, one day after his infected pitching hand swelled so badly that he couldn’t move his fingers.

White will have to continue getting intravenous antibiotics for several more days, leaving the Cincinnati Reds without a left-hander in the bullpen.

The club was more concerned about White’s health. He had the type of infection that could result in amputation if not caught in time, Dr. Timothy Kremchek said. It apparently started with an insect bite on the side of the hand.

Manager Bob Boone went to visit White at Good Samaritan Hospital on Saturday and gave him a ride home after he was released sooner than expected.

It’s likely the Reds will put White on the 15-day disabled list and add another reliever to the roster. A nurse will visit White to give him intravenous antibiotics for several more days, and he has a 2-inch incision on the side of the hand.

Rangers hire Hershiser as pitching coach

Pittsburgh Orel Hershiser, a former Cy Young Award winner with no prior coaching experience, was hired Saturday to replace the fired Oscar Acosta as the Texas Rangers’ pitching coach.

Acosta was dismissed Thursday, less than a year after he was fired from the same job by the Chicago Cubs, because of apparent communications problems with manager Jerry Narron and his pitchers.

Hershiser was 204-150 with a 3.48 ERA in 18 seasons and won the NL Cy Young award with the 1988 World Series champion Dodgers. He set a major league record with 59 consecutive scoreless innings that season, during a stretch of five consecutive shutouts in September.

Despite having some of the majors’ top offensive players, the Rangers are in the AL West basement again largely because of a pitching staff whose 5.05 ERA is the second-worst in the majors.