ATLANTA -- Toronto Blue Jays center fielder Kevin Pillar was suspended two games Thursday for yelling an anti-gay slur at a Braves pitcher.
The Blue Jays suspended Pillar without pay shortly after he apologized in a statement, saying he was "completely and utterly embarrassed" by the word he directed at Jason Motte.
Pillar was angry at Motte for allegedly quick-pitching him to get a strikeout that ended the seventh inning in Atlanta's 8-4 victory Wednesday night .
Replays appeared to show Pillar using the slur as he shouted toward the mound. After what he described as a sleepless night, the player acknowledged his wrongdoing.
"I regret saying it," Pillar told reporters at SunTrust Park a few hours before the finale of a four-game series against the Braves. "I'm going to use myself as an example of how there are words out there you can't use. It's not a word I use ever. ... It's something that just came out" (see full story).
Braves: Freeman expected to miss 10 weeks with broken wrist
ATLANTA -- The Braves are looking for help at first base after losing Freddie Freeman for about 10 weeks due to a broken left wrist.
President of baseball operations John Hart says he knows no player can replace the production lost by the injury to Freeman, who shared the major league lead with 14 homers and was hitting .341.
MLB
Freeman was hurt when hit by a pitch from Toronto's Aaron Loup during the fifth inning of an 8-4 victory over the Blue Jays on Wednesday night.
Hart said losing Freeman is "devastating news for the ballclub."
The Braves signed free agent James Loney to a minor league deal. Loney, 33, hit .265 with nine homers in 100 games for the Mets last year and was released from a minor league contract with Detroit this month. He is expected to join Triple-A Gwinnett.
Coppolella said re-signing Ryan Howard, who was released from Gwinnett on May 8, was not an option.
Jace Peterson, a utility player who has spent most of his time at the middle infield spots, started at first base in Thursday night's game against the Blue Jays.
"We couldn't find anybody that could do what Freddie does," Coppolella said. "He was arguably the best player in the whole league" (see full story).
Marlins: Manfred says bidders for club relatively even in price
NEW YORK -- The two groups bidding to buy the Miami Marlins from Jeffrey Loria are relatively even in their price offers, according to Commissioner Rob Manfred.
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush leads one group, which includes former New York Yankees captain Derek Jeter, who would head the team's baseball operations. The other group is led by businessman Tagg Romney, son of former Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, and includes Hall of Famer Tom Glavine.
"There are two bidders, at least, for the franchise. The bidders are in relatively the same place in terms of price, maybe minuscule differences, and they are in fact in the price range that Mr. Loria was looking for," Manfred said Thursday following a quarterly owners meeting.
Loria, 76, bought the Marlins for $158.5 million in 2002 from John Henry, who was part of the group that bought the Boston Red Sox.
The groups are bidding to buy the Marlins for approximately $1.3 billion, which would include the assumption of about $100 million in baseball-related debt. More than $200 million in other debt associated with the team would be paid by Loria as part of the closing.
"The process is moving forward. It's really between the Marlins and the bidders," Manfred said. "At this point, two things need to happen. There needs to be a solidified financial structure presented to us so that we're sure that we actually have a transaction that can move ahead, and there are certain documents, the most important of which are a purchase and sale agreement that need to be negotiated between the buyer and the seller. And we'll be ready to process the transaction when those two things are completed."
Under baseball's debt-service rule, a deal in the range being discussed would require about $800 million in equity. Groups have to show additional money has been raised to operate the team.
A sale requires approval of 75 percent of the teams.