San Diego Padres ace Jake Peavy is expected to miss at least a month because of his injured ankle, meaning he may not return until after the All-Star break.

He was scratched from today's start against the Los Angeles Angels after an MRI showed that the tibialis tendon behind his right ankle was torn.

"I was getting treatment and we were getting by," said Peavy, who had the ankle heavily taped for his previous two starts and did limited work between outings. "Up until yesterday, I thought it was manageable. It could have gotten ugly if we didn't take the action that we did."

The right-hander will remain in a walking boot for approximately four weeks and be re-evaluated in two weeks before it can be determined how much time he will eventually miss.

Peavy, the 2007 NL Cy Young winner, is 6-6 with a 3.97 ERA in 13 starts.

Rookie Josh Geer will start today in Peavy's place.

INDIANS

TEAM WORKING ON PROBLEM WITH GULLS

There were two sets of birds at Progressive Field in Cleveland yesterday — the St. Louis Cardinals and the Lake Erie gulls.

The Cardinals will leave tomorrow. No one knows when the gulls will.

Flocks of the seabirds have become a growing problem at Indians games this season. It culminated Thursday night when Shin-Soo Choo's single in the 10th inning struck one, allowing the winning run to score without a throw in a victory against the Kansas City Royals.

"Our people are all over it right now and looking for solutions," team president Paul Dolan said. "I'm not sure it's going to go away."

After spending yesterday contacting a number of wildlife and animal organizations, the Indians concluded that increased nesting on flat rooftop buildings in Cleveland's Flats district has led to the ballpark's problems.

The Flats used to be a district full of bars, restaurants and nightclubs along the Cuyahoga River, but now sits mostly desolate. Except, of course, for the gulls.

ELSEWHERE

Red Sox-Yankees rivalry: Yankees manager Joe Girardi accused Boston's Brad Penny of deliberately hitting Alex Rodriguez with a pitch. Rodriguez was hit in the back in the first inning Thursday night at Fenway Park, prompting umpires to warn both teams. The Red Sox went on to win, 4-3. "Penny's control was pretty good, and I thought it was on purpose," Girardi said yesterday.

Red Sox: Boston closer Jonathan Papelbon has been fined $1,000 by major league baseball for slow play. Papelbon said yesterday that he was taking too long to make his first pitch upon entering the game from the bullpen. He said he had been warned about breaking the rule.

Pirates: Pittsburgh has agreed to terms with Boston College catcher Tony Sanchez, selected in the first round of the amateur draft earlier in the week. Sanchez, the fourth overall pick Tuesday, will receive a signing bonus of $2.5 million.

Tigers: Detroit placed right-hander Jeremy Bonderman on the 15-day disabled list with a right shoulder injury, and recalled pitcher Ryan Perry from Toledo.