milton bradley

Padres left fielder Milton Bradley will miss the rest of the season after he tore the ACL in his right knee when he was spun to the ground by his manager during a blowup with an umpire.

Bradley was ejected Sunday by first base umpire Mike Winters in the eighth inning, then was hurt when manager Bud Black, trying to restrain him, threw Bradley down.

The Padres were incredulous Sunday, saying Winters baited Bradley. Baseball spokesman Rich Levin said the commissioner's office is looking into it.

The Padres will also be without center fielder Mike Cameron, who has a torn ligament in his right thumb after Bradley stepped on his hand in the seventh inning. Needing a fast fix, the Padres acquired Jason Lane (.178) from the Astros for a player to be named or cash.

Offerman pleads not guilty: Jose Offerman pleaded not guilty to charges that he attacked a pitcher and catcher with his bat during a minor league game in Bridgeport in August. Offerman, 38, is due back in Bridgeport Superior Court on Oct. 17.

Attendance up 4 percent: Teams have drawn more than 76.2 million fans, up from more than 76 million last season. The average of 32,710 is up 4 percent from last year and is on pace to top the record set in 1994 before the season-ending strike.

Hill scratched: Nationals righthander Shawn Hill (4-5, 3.42) won't start Wednesday against the Mets and will have arm surgery. Former Mets lefthander Mike Bacsik (5-8, 4.76) will go instead. ... Twins DH Rondell White, 35, said he will probably retire. ... The Angels' Kelvim Escobar (17-7, 3.46) won't start today so he can rest his shoulder. ... The A's picked up manager Bob Geren's option for 2009 and next season's $5 million option on second baseman Mark Ellis.

Los Angeles - Todd Helton, a five-time all-star, could become a star witness regarding Sunday's bizarre altercation between San Diego Padres outfielder Milton Bradley and first-base umpire Mike Winters.

Bob Watson, Major League Baseball's czar of discipline, confirmed to The Denver Post on Monday that his office will interview Helton.

"Our investigative arm is responsible for that. We will question anyone that was in the vicinity and (Helton) was," Watson said.

When asked Sunday about the incident, Helton chose his words carefully, saying it was "interesting and crazy." He could not be reached for comment Monday.

The repercussions threaten the Padres' postseason push. Bradley tore his right anterior cruciate ligament when being restrained by Padres manager Bud Black. He's out for the rest of the season.

Bradley alleged that Winters made offensive remarks about him. Padres first-base coach Bobby Meacham claimed that Winters baited Bradley and that it was the worst conduct he had seen from an umpire in 26 years in the game. Bradley wants Winters reprimanded.

Hawpe tops in NL

To understand Brad Hawpe, don't watch his swing. Watch who's watching his swing. His teammates stare at Hawpe when he makes loud contact, long ago giving up on trying to track the arc of his high flyballs. Two of those moonshots won games against the Dodgers and Padres, earning Hawpe National League player of the week honors for the second time this season.

Hawpe went 8-for-13 in the sweep of the Padres, including a game-winning home run Friday night. He had a .600 on-base percentage last week and has a hit in five consecutive games with an at-bat against left-handed pitching, his weak spot for much of the season.

"We have seen him hot like this before," manager Clint Hurdle said.

Footnotes

Rockies special assistant Mark Wiley surfaced as a potential candidate when Marlins pitching coach Rick Kranitz decided not to return to Florida. Wiley, a popular one-time pitching coach for the Marlins, said his only focus right now is scouting a potential playoff opponent. ... Outfielder Willy Taveras continues rehabbing a quad injury with an outside shot he could be available this weekend. ... Pitchers Aaron Cook and Jason Hirsh were expected to throw off the mound Monday. Both could be available for the second round of the playoffs after tuneups in the instructional league, should the Rockies advance that far.