BASEBALL Tribe cautious about Sabathia

The team sent the pitcher to Alabama to have his shoulder examined.
CLEVELAND (AP) -- The Cleveland Indians finally got a day off to relax -- and worry.
After playing 20 games in 20 days, the Indians didn't play on Monday as they prepared for a six-day trip to Detroit and Cincinnati.
However, franchise ace C.C. Sabathia kept an important appointment.
Sabathia went to Birmingham, Ala., to have sports orthopedist Dr. James Andrews examine his sore left shoulder, which acted up again during a weekend start.
Results would not be available until today, the team said.
Until then, the Indians will have to hold their breaths. Losing Sabathia for an extended period would be a tough blow for a team still in contention in the AL Central.
Sabathia was forced to leave his outing on Saturday against the Colorado Rockies after just one inning. It's the second time this season that Sabathia has been bothered by the shoulder.
He missed two weeks in April with biceps tendinitis, and that is what team doctor Mark Schickendantz suspects is wrong with Sabathia this time, too.
"Mark determined that C.C. had a milder aggravation of his left biceps tendon than he previously experienced on April 22 versus Kansas City," general manager Mark Shapiro said.
An MRI taken Saturday didn't reveal any damage in Sabathia's shoulder.
But just to make sure they didn't miss anything, the Indians sent Sabathia, accompanied by trainer Lonnie Soloff, to visit Andrews for an exam and consultation.
Uncertainty
Sabathia (5-3, 2.77 ERA) is scheduled to make his next start on Thursday against the Tigers. However, it's unlikely Sabathia will be able to pitch then, and depending on what Andrews finds, he could be out even longer.
Soloff said Sunday that the 6-foot-7, 300-pound Sabathia told him he caught a cleat on the mound, "and his arm got behind him as he delivered the pitch. He felt a pinch in the shoulder area."
Sabathia, 23, was able to play catch in the outfield during batting practice on Sunday.
The injury is the latest setback in what has been an emotional year personally and professionally for Sabathia.
In December, Sabathia's father and namesake, Carsten Charles, died following a lengthy battle with cancer. And in March, hs uncle, Aaron Berhel, died from a heart attack.
His father and uncle had been his baseball coaches as a kid in Vallejo, Calif., and remained two of his biggest fans.
Then, on June 13, Sabathia learned his cousin, Nathan Berhel, had died after being cut at a party. Sabathia said police still are investigating the 25-year-old's death.
The deaths in six months followed the birth of Sabathia's son, Carsten Charles III.
The loss of the men closest to him have caused Sabathia to reflect upon his life and given him a reason to honor their memories.
"I think they would be upset if I collapsed and stopped trying to win," he said. "The thing they liked most was to see me go out there and win games."