Astros tab Myers to pitch season opener vs. Phillies

Brett Myers will start the Houston Astros' season opener at Citizens Bank Park against his former team.

Myers is in his second season with the Astros. Roy Oswalt, who was traded to the Phillies last July by the Astros, started Houston's last eight Opening Days.

Astros manager Brad Mills says he's "thrilled" with Myers as the Opening Day starter, adding "there's nobody else we would want there."

Myers went 14-8 with a 3.14 ERA in 2010, his first year with the Astros after pitching the previous 8 years for the Phillies. The 30-year-old is 0-1 with a 9.00 ERA in four starts this spring.

* The law firm and the congressional committee that investigated drugs in baseball are fighting pitching standout Roger Clemens over access to evidence collected against him, a development that could delay the trial on charges he lied about being a user.

The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee and the firm that produced the Mitchell Report filed motions in federal court in Washington to quash Clemens' subpoenas. Clemens wants to see their evidence acccusing him of using steroids and human growth hormone, likely looking for weaknesses or inconsistencies in witness testimony to defend himself in the criminal trial scheduled for July.

_ New York Mets outfielder Carlos Beltran received a cortisone shot in his left knee, which has been inflamed because of tendinitis.

* Scot Shields has retired after a 10-year career with the Los Angeles Angels spent mostly as the primary setup man during the team's period of dominance in the AL West.

* Yankees righthander A.J. Burnett was hit on the upper part of his right buttock by a liner off the bat of Toronto's Juan Rivera in the first inning. Burnett said there was initial pain, but added the bruise didn't bother him too much during his four-inning outing.

Also, injured Yankees pitchers Joba Chamberlain and Pedro Feliciano are scheduled to throw off a bullpen mound today. Chamberlain has left-side muscle soreness on his upper body, while Feliciano has discomfort in his left upper arm. Lefthanded reliever Boone Logan is out with back spasms.

* Los Angeles Dodgers righthander Vicente Padilla threw a 30-pitch bullpen session, his first time on the mound since he had surgery on his pitching elbow Feb. 24.

* The Pittsburgh Pirates have claimed lefthander Garrett Olson off waivers from Seattle.

* The Seattle Mariners' Ichiro Suzuki has donated 100 million yen ($1.24 million) to the Japanese Red Cross for earthquake relief efforts in his native country, the Kyodo News reported yesterday. Ichiro's management company, BowPlanning, told the Kyodo News of his donation, but the player declined to comment.

The Mariners will also dedicate their first six home games of the upcoming season to raising money for the victims of the earthquake and tsunami that devastated Japan. The team guaranteed a donation of $100,000 from the club's charitable arm, Mariners Care.